Writing Books: Novel Approaches

Photo of the blogger by novelist Dave Murray

How many times have I attempted to write a novel?

I'm not sure of the answer. I think my first attempt was The Snowman, a pulp novel inspired by 1940s superhero movie serials, its name suggested by a childhood drawing by artist Jules Feiffer (reproduced in Feiffer's book The Great Comic Book Heroes). I remember writing a few chapters of The Snowman in longhand during high school study halls circa...1974 or '75, I think. I certainly wasn't going to waste study hall by studying. I also remember the girl sitting in front of me turning around to ask what I was working on. She didn't seem impressed. I tired of the story and set it aside. I don't believe the little work I did on The Snowman exists anymore.

It seems as though I must have made other attempts in the '70s, '80s, and '90s, but if I did, the memory is lost. I had ideas for novels, but none fully conceived, and certainly none executed in even introductory chapters. I recall a vague notion of something about a serial killer dressed as Santa Claus, a murder mystery to be called Our Lips Are Sealed, a Syracuse-based rock 'n' roll tale to be named Bright Lights. None came to fruition.

When I started blogging in 2016, the notion of writing a novel became more plausible, if not quite achievable in the short term. I had all but given up writing by then; the self-inflicted need to generate content for a daily blog forced me to create...something. I burned through my previously-published freelance work (almost all nonfiction, predominantly about pop music), started writing new personal reminiscences and commentaries. I began writing the rock 'n' roll superhero time travel novel Eternity Man!, but stopped after completing five chapters.

I made my first-ever fiction sales in 2019, all to AHOY Comics, a Syracuse-based, nationally-distributed publisher that includes prose short stories in most of its comics. My third sale (and first published) was "The Last Ride Of The Copperhead Kid," a story born from a random notion to try my hand at writing a Western. Its relative success spawned a sequel, "The Copperhead Strikes!," a 1930s-set pulp saga about a masked crimefighter--hey, like the Snowman!--who happens to be the daughter of the Copperhead Kid. More stories followed, with further branches of this adventurous family tree: A secret agent in the '60s, a bass-playin' punk chick in the '80s, a reluctant heroine in the present day (a heroine eventually destined to be elected as President of the United States), then going back to the '20s for a hard-boiled private detective from Harlem pursuing a case in the Himalayas. Other than the unfinished account of the future POTUS formerly known as Copper Girl, each of these stories sold, feeding my intention to write additional stories in this universe, and to eventually string them together as a de facto novel about the Copperhead Kid's legacy. With six chapters written, this is a work in progress, and it is still progressing.

I began writing another novel, Meet The Frantiks!, running with a concept I had for a comic book mini-series about a widow in her sixties encountering what appears to be a flesh and blood manifestation of a fictitious British Invasion rock group she saw on a TV sitcom when she was five years old. I've been writing Meet The Frantiks! a chapter at a time, and I've been pleased with its development. My plan has been to continue the work, with a goal of publishing it as my first novel, probably in 2027. My 2026 slate already belongs to two other book projects: the nonfiction first-person history Make Something Happen! The DIY Story Of A Power Pop Band Called THE FLASHCUBES and a short story compilation, Guitars Vs. Rayguns!! Short Stories And Other White Lies. For the former, I've been editing initial interviews and lining up more interviews; for the latter, I've been completing new short stories to accompany previous works.

One of the new short stories intended for Guitars Vs. Rayguns!! was "Lazarus Lives," a story I've tried to write since one of my best friends killed himself in 1979. I don't think I have copies of any of my previous attempts at "Lazarus Lives," which is just as well, because I'm starting the damned thing over from scratch anyway. The new version has been coming together quite well, really flowing, really clicking in a way its lost early drafts could not. 

The only problem? There's too much in it for it to be a short story, nor even a novella. It's not a matter of self-editing; the characters are telling me, insisting to me, that there's more story to tell than what my modest blueprint can accommodate. If you're a writer, it's vital to listen to what your characters think they should say and do, how they should live, even how they should die. 

"Lazarus Lives" has to be a novel: Lazarus Lives. I'm my own worst enemy, but this feels imperative. And I can't talk myself out of it now that my characters have dug in their heels.

The Flashcubes book is my immediate priority, though the short story collection may still be published first because it's a project that can be crafted in spare time (whatever that is). I also have another nonfiction book pending, and that's a BIG priority after the Flashcubes book is done.

Nonetheless, it's important for me to develop my fiction projects. I need to do these. Ruling out the two other preferred career paths that I wasn't suited to do--rock 'n' roll star or Batman--a writer is the only thing I've ever really wanted to be.

On January 1st, my paid Patreon subscribers will be able to read what I've written for Lazarus Lives, an early pass at beginning a narrative that is already too long to be a short story. There will be many changes, expansions, and additional chapters to be written before a Lazarus Lives novel can will itself into being. Until that book is published, the paid patrons will be the only ones allowed to see its story so far. If you're interested in this early glimpse of Lazarus Lives, you can join my (very small) legion of Boppin' supporters for a mere $3 a month.

The characters in Lazarus Lives are telling me you should join. Here's your chance to listen to their demand and judge for yourself.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.

I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. You can read about our history here.