Last weekend, I did something I love to do, but don’t do often enough… I read an entire novel in 24 hours. I spent my day with one of my favorite writers, Daniel Silva, who publishes a new Gabriel Allon thriller every July.
If you aren’t yet familiar with Daniel Silva, here’s a quick debriefing:
Main character – Gabriel Allon is an Israeli spy and art restorer. Silva has said that he was initially hesitant to turn Allon into a recurring character given the amount of anti-Semitism in the world. While a depressing reality, he seems to be doing just fine with the character, given this is number 18 in the series and is #1 on every list right now.
Setting – Silva’s plots take readers all over the world. The Other Woman starts in Spain and takes the reader to Russia, London, Vienna, and Israel, all depicted in impressive detail. If you check out his social media, he’s occasionally included photos of his research travels.
Research – Reading Silva’s novels are primers on world events and world history. He’s actually known for eerily predicting events before they happen. Silva writes beautifully on topics you might normally avoid because of the depth and discomfort, but he writes them in a way that’s both understandable and lovely.
Author’s note- At the end of every novel, Silva adds an author’s note explaining where the details are based on his research and where he’s fictionalized. It’s important because he strings the non-fiction elements seamlessly with the fictionalized. He also shares insight into current world affairs. Given his level of research and analysis, I’m always interested in his perspective.
Plot Structure – When first I started learning about plot structure a few years ago, I didn’t really get it and was skeptical. I was reading Silva’s The Rembrandt Affair at the time. After I finished it, I went back, reread it, and outlined the novel, trying to find the plot elements I had been struggling to understand. And there it was, the three-act structure. Sure enough, in this page-turning and sweeping novel, at the outset of Act 1, the Inciting Incident, and the end, the Lock-in. And there in the middle of Act 2, the First Culmination, and at the end of Act 2, the Main Culmination. And, at the beginning of Act 3, the Third Act Twist. Over the next few months, I re-read other Silva novels. The plots were always in depth, varied, and impressive, to say the least, the three-act plot structure was there in each one. It was a eureka moment for me. I’ve been hooked ever since – on both anything Silva writes and plot structure elements as outlining tools.
Whether to read a great read, or to learn the craft of writing and plot structure, I recommend you check out Silva’s latest, or any of the many others than came before. It’s time well spent.
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