In conversation with bestselling crime writer Ian Rankin
The Writing Life
The Unusual High Concept Project
The speaker typically improvises while writing, but this project was different since it required a high-concept approach. The speaker had a clear idea of where the project was heading from the start, contrasting with the usual method of allowing the story to unfold organically. With this project, the manageable size and scope allowed the speaker to contain the entire concept in their mind, unlike a novel which is too vast to hold entirely in one's head. The speaker finds joy in the process of letting the story evolve naturally, with the hope that the book will eventually reveal the direction it should take.
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