Editing and Selling the "Scientist as Hero" Novel
By Deborah Cannon

Look inside any bookstore, and you will see a growing trend in popular fiction. Novels written by academics about academics. Witness Kathy Reichs' Déjà Dead or Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody mysteries, the former a forensic anthropologist and the latter an Egyptologist. If you own an appropriate academic background, you may have already written this kind of book. But before you "Express Post" your submission to an unsuspecting publisher, learn to be your own critic. Scientists who write novels about scientists are compelled to be autobiographical, and autobiography doesn't always make good fiction. Assuming that the reading public is as enamored of your subject as you are can also make the manuscript read like a textbook rather than a novel. So edit and re-edit your work. Don't presume your academic credentials make you an expert in writing fiction. Seek advice from creative writing courses, writer's groups and professional manuscript reading services. Judicious revision will minimize your chances of rejection.

As with any first novel, it is wise to check for verbiage. It is hard enough for an unknown writer to get the attention of a busy editor or agent without burdening them with extra reading. Unless you really need 300,000 words to tell your story, pare it down. I was asked to cut my first novel by 20 percent.

What Kind of Novel is it?

At one time I might have answered: an archaeology novel. A mystery about archaeology, leaning towards a romance. Or was it a thriller? With a bit of the supernatural. If you write in a commercial genre, you must learn the rules of your genre-- and the genre must be clear. When it comes time to sell there must be no doubt as to what kind of book it is. If you have trouble deciding, ask yourself: What is the story about? A novel pitting archaeologists against big business makes a better thriller than a romance.

During the process of revision, and with the help of a savvy agent, my manuscript was often returned to me, marked "Too much archaeology." If you want to keep your readers gripped, eliminate dialogue in your writing that sounds like this:

"Deer?" Jake asked.

"Elk, I think." Angeline scrutinized the faunal fragment, twisting and turning it, put it down, and picked up another piece. "Here's a humerus."

"How about these?" He stirred some porous chunks of bone that lay on the counter. "Sea lion?"

"Too fragmented to tell. Could be, or could be harbour seal. This one's definitely a juvenile though. See?" She indicated the soft unformed distal end of a femur. "It's an unfused epiphysis. Seal pup."

The conversation is technical, and for such a short passage is loaded with jargon. Archaeologists may talk like this in real life, but real life is boring. It takes discipline to strike the perfect balance between stimulating and mundane. Science is not fascinating unless you have interesting characters in a compelling story (remember, this is fiction). On the other hand, don't overdramatize. Cultivate serious nuances in your writing. In Peter Benchley's classic thriller, Jaws, the author used a Great White shark to terrorize the folk of a small town, but he also embraced a universal theme: When people offend nature, nature takes revenge.

Beware of lecturing:

"I know what you mean," Katherine said. "Though I'm not a collector myself, I have several books on Native art."

"Holm's Northwest Coast Indian Art?"

Katherine lowered her wine glass. "Why, yes. Do you have Native Arts of the Pacific Northwest? If you're looking for a popular book, Looking at Indian Art of the Northwest Coast is easy reading."

The middle of a novel is no place for a bibliography.

If your plot is character-driven, make sure she (he?) is unforgettable. Draw on life. If your scientist is based on you, make her realistic, but give her an identifying trait. Temperance Brennan, Kathy Reichs' forensic anthropologist, is an on-the-wagon alcoholic. Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody is a turn-of-the-century Egyptologist, married with grown children, who takes her family on all of her expeditions.

The most popular stories are often those that strike at our darkest fears. Kathy Reichs hit a nerve with her avenging serial killer in Déjà Dead. Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park, superficially a tale of dinosaurs on the rampage, raised a global dilemma: Can science without ethics destroy the world? Ideas that are universally recognized have universal appeal.

An editor once sent me a rejection slip that said, "This story just doesn't work for me." Analyzing films in your genre is a good way to see how and why stories work. Raiders of the Lost Ark and Allan Quartermain and the Lost City of Gold are action/adventure. Raiders grabs you from the opening with a strong character-- Indiana Jones; an interesting story idea-- the search for the lost Ark; tension-- each encounter with the enemy brings him closer to his goal; and human drama-- a sexually charged relationship with a female cohort. Quartermain bores you silly. It lacks suspense, interest, and emotion. Raiders of the Lost Ark is high entertainment, but at the same time, subtly suggests that some things in the world are not meant for human understanding. Quartermain sends its heroes off to be chased, shot at, and boiled in a giant pot by irate natives for no comprehensible reason. A story is more effective if it has a clear theme. And the plot must always make sense.

According to a British survey one person in ten thinks they can write a book, and one in fifty have already done so. Assuming this holds true in Canada and the U.S., the competition is formidable. Canadian presses rarely publish popular fiction. That means your best chance is south of the border. Most American publishers require the author to be represented by a literary agent, so if you already have a manuscript, look for an agent who sells commercial fiction and who will work in an editorial capacity with you. Agents who devote time to developing writers charge a fee, but if you find someone who will stick with you, it will be worth the expense. Valuable criticisms of your manuscript can be obtained from writers' groups, reading services, and writing classes, but it is an agent's business to know the market.

Originally published in Canadian Writer's Guide, 13th edition (February, 2003).  Reprinted with permission.

Deborah Cannon is an archaeologist and museologist. She is published by Simon Fraser University's Archaeology Press, the Canadian Journal of Archaeology, and the Canadian Writer's Guide. She has written several short stories, completed two novels, and is working on a third. A contributing editor for Suite101.com, her topic is "Writing Bestsellers" at http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/17807. 

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