When i come up with an idea for a novel, i will spend several years designing the book. I think this an aspect to what falkner describes for all writers. Once i've fully imagined the book over after a period of years, then i outline it an some detail. That outline is 30, forty, 50 pages, so it's quite detailed. And then i begin the process of writing chapter one.
Author Amor Towles talks about his book, A Gentleman in Moscow, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Along the way they discuss the craft of writing, the wellsprings of persistence, and Towles's reading habits.