Computer Scientist/Writer

I have to admit that here I am devoting my time to writing, but that is not what I studied in school.  It feels like a disadvantage at times, needing to learn my craft on my own.  And if I had things to do over again, who knows if I would have done it differently.

What I did study was computer science.  But when I think about it, that training is actually helpful when crafting a novel.  Let me explain.

When writing a program you have several things you need to keep in mind.  First, you need to declare variables.  In a novel you have to introduce characters. Some of them are not revealed to the reader until later in the novel, but the author has to have figured them into the whole equation right from the start.  Many computer variables may not be used until later on, but they have to be initiated up front.

Another consideration in a structured programming language is that for every begin you need an end.  Nothing annoys me more as a reader than an author who doesn't tie up loose ends.  As an author the trick is keeping track of all the loose ends so you make sure to tie them up, much like the diligence needed when programming.

In programming, you often make function calls, meaning the function is written somewhere else and then called or used when needed.  The equivalent in novels would be the flashback.

I could obviously go on.  The bottom line is this: maybe I didn't receive training in writing, but that doesn't mean I didn't receive training for what I'm doing.  I just have to be a little creative in my thinking to see how it applies.