There are sets of questions that writers can answer to create different kinds of stories which are used for psychological thrillers or horror. There are also guidelines to writing romance by the beat. Search “formulas for writing a book” on the internet and a quantity of these will appear. How well do they work? This depends on the author’s goals, and how much effort the author is willing to put into the actual writing out of each story.

Alistair MacLean fought in World War II as seaman in the Royal Navy. His short stories based on maritime experiences caught the eye of a publishing company that would later become Harper-Collins. MacLean is still known for The Guns of Navarone and Ice Station Zebra, and a number of other wartime and thriller novels that were made into popular movies.

Authors write books based on a formula so that they can produce enough to keep up with the demands of an audience who want a steady diet of a similar genre. MacLean’s goal was to produce one a year. There were a few years that he didn’t reach that goal, but other years when he managed to crank out two. He wrote using a formula. He claimed to enjoy creating the plots but not the actual writing. He wished to complete a book as soon as possible. ₁

 In Alistair MacLean’s own words:

I drew a cross square, lines down representing the characters, lines across representing chapters 1–15. Most of the characters died, in fact only one survived the book, but when I came to the end the graph looked somewhat lopsided, there were too many people dying in the first, fifth and tenth chapters so I had to rewrite it, giving an even dying space throughout. I suppose it sounds cold blooded and calculated, but that’s the way I did it.₂

Such an author is not looking for one idea that works all the time, but ideas that can be used interchangeably. The story is built by choosing the ideas that fit into it and the best way may not always be chosen. MacLean’s works based on his war experiences are his most popular. However, he regarded his work as story telling rather than novel writing. At one point, he even wrote a few books under a pen name in an attempt to show that his works were not simply selling based on his name. But, he also wished to leave behind the formula that had made him famous. Still, he returned to his earlier style in later books and movies; yet these were not as well received.

People think the writer should try to entertain the reader, or inform the reader, or make a reader wiser. All of those things depend on what the reader wants to get out of the work. All the author can actually guarantee is that they provide some insight into themselves as they attempt to write something worth reading repeatedly. Of course, readers who prefer easily consumable books have always been around. It is the books that they consume that tend to be forgotten.

Illustration: Book Shell Architecture by Wallpaper Shelf.com

_{1 “Best-Selling Author Alistair MacLean Dies” The Washington Post 3 February 1987}

_{2 Johnstone, Jain. “War Is Hell, but It Pays Off for MacLean”. Los Angeles Times. 17 December 1972}.