Maxime Chattam is the author of twenty novels, most of them thrillers and fantasy, sold in millions of copies worldwide. It is also the novelist that our group Moi Jeune placed at the top of the list to sponsor and chair the jury of the first "Prix 20 Minutes du roman". A writing contest that we are launching this Friday. on the New Authors platform with the Prisma Média group and which will allow one or one of you to see your manuscript shine in bookstores by the end of the year.
Available, relaxed and smiling, Maxime Chattam spent a few hours in the newspaper at the end of last week to deliver some advice to all those who would like to embark on the beautiful, but perilous, adventure of writing a novel. Without being dogmatic or academic in the least: "There is not only one writing method, there is one for each of us," he says. But like a padawan ready to jump on the Death Star, you will be well inspired to read before the ten "commandments" of the Jedi knight Maxime Chattam.
1. The imposed theme you will respect
"The future belongs to youth": the theme imposed for this first edition of the " 20 Minutes of the Novel Prize" is wide enough not to stifle the imagination. However, it must be respected. "What is fun is to see how everyone will take on the theme," says Maxime Chattam. Do what you want, but be fitting with this proposition. "
2. Your favorite genre, you will choose
"The good thing about this competition is that it is open to everyone," exclaims Maxime Chattam. By that mean that all tastes can be satisfied because all genres are invited: white literature, historical novel, fantasy, dystopia, thriller ... "The most ordinary story can be fascinating. It is enough that your point of view, because it is unique, makes you want to read it, ”underlines the president of the jury.
3. In a long-term test, you will prepare
Writing a novel "is not a sprint", Maxime Chattam mischievously notes. Rather "a little marathon", even if you have to submit your manuscript before April 19. This is being prepared "with discipline if we want to give ourselves the means of our ambition and go to the end of our project". But beware: "writing takes time, there will be moments of doubt, and nothing is perfect from the first draft". His advice: "spare yourself a regular moment to create a routine and immerse yourself in writing all the more easily".
4. With a good idea, you will get started
The starting point is often a good idea to dig into. And for that, nothing like a good character or a good interaction between several characters. "But you can also, and I rather like that I do - which does not mean that this is the best way to do - first define a plot, corrects Maxime Chattam. You are going to start writing a novel, ok, but in two sentences, what is it going to talk about? Is this pitch strong enough for us to want to know more? "
5. To change your mind or your direction, you will allow yourself
Even if your idea is well defined at the start, nothing prevents you from changing it. Before April 19, the deadline for sending your manuscript, "it is only you who control your book and during all the writing, you will be the only master on board". In an impasse? Maxime Chattam recommends testing several possibilities, imagining several twists and turns, writing them down and making your choice only after the fact. “Don't be afraid to delete a chapter that doesn't satisfy you. "
6. The end of your chapters, you will heal
Goldsmith in the writing of thrillers, Maxime Chattam excels in creating suspense with chapters that end like cleavers on the plot or the characters. “My advice is to stop the chapter early enough to deprive the reader of a small part of the information. This will make him want to go find what is missing in the next chapter and create suspense, without appearing artificial. "
7. Pictures in your head, you will scroll
"To write a novel is above all to visualize a story in one's head," underlines Maxime Chattam, for whom writing obeys somewhat the same rules of "editing" as in cinema. And the writer constantly asks himself these questions: "What should I cut from my story? This information, should we deliver it at the end of the chapter, keep it for the next, leave it out of the field? "
8. At a certain consistency, you will bend
Maxime Chattam insists on the importance of the coherence of the story. "You may have a very precise idea which is in the thriller field, or which will draw you into fantasy or the initiation novel ... What does it matter! But, be careful to stay consistent. If you start your story in a humorous way, and after two chapters, you fall into drama, this rocker must have a resonance in the story and that we understand it. In this case, take your choice and play it, so that the reader can follow you! "
9. For yourself, you will write, but when you think of others, you will reread yourself
“Be selfish when you write, insists Maxime Chattam, but think of others when you go to read yourself. A way for the novelist to find a happy medium. "Writing should be fun, but you also write to be read," says the writer. This notion of sharing is important when you dream of being published and seeing your books snatch up in bookstores. "Imagine a typical reader and imagine his reactions to what you have written," advises Maxime Chattam.
10. At Maxime Chattam, you will be able to please
What should you write when you know that Maxime Chattam will read your book? "Take care of the construction, close all the parentheses well or justify the reasons why the intrigue remains open, details the writer and president of the jury for the" Prix 20 Minutes du roman ". But above all, make us feel the slightly magical pleasure you had in writing. Because when you read it you can feel it. "
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