I’m proud to have been a founding member of Four Corners Writers (fourcornerswriters.com), the Colorado nonprofit organization dedicated to identifying, developing, and promoting literary voices in the American Southwest.
It was a distinct pleasure to sit down over coffee and talk craft with author Gus Hallin of Four Corners Writers earlier this month. Here’s Gus’s thoughtful, and thought-provoking, piece for the Four Corners Writers Newsletter:
Conversation and Coffee with Novelist Scott Graham
In 2014, Scott Graham published the first of his nine National Park Mystery Series novels, Grand Canyon Sacrifice, which made us think that this might be a good time for him to reflect on his early efforts. Over coffee, we asked him to relay any thoughts and advice he might offer to the aspiring writers among us.
First, Scott recommends a deep genre study. Read multiple top-notch published pieces in your genre until you can identify the following important factors. Useful examples of the main character’s presentation which must be active and capable of change. For every genre, stakes must be personal and significantly high for the main actor. How and when to balance internal vs. external dialogue. Internal dialogue reveals inner motivations, inner conflicts, and thoughts, while external/voiced dialogue advances plot and reveals character relationships, which can be straightforward or strategic and deceptive. How the three-act structure of storytelling — conflict, crisis, and resolution — are presented and paced. Scott creates conflict immediately in his mystery genre, and strives to make the flow between his three stages as subtle as possible.
Second, write and re-write daily. Scott keeps a reminder list at hand of ten factors that are vital to his storytelling, which then encourages the best possible first draft, followed by sound editing and re-writing.
Third, keep learning and challenging yourself to get better and learn more. Research. Do not get egotistical and think you know everything already (as a retired physician, it’s possible that our gazes met a bit more intensely right then). Scott uses three beta-readers after the initial draft and each subsequent round of editing, incorporating changes consistently recommended.
Fourth, understand that query writing requires a completely different type of skill set, one that we introverts are loath to learn, but learn we must. The pitch must be concise, informative, and especially intriguing.
Scott is a master of blending the historical, cultural, and social landscapes of our national parks into his narrative, a difficult task for some to pull off without sounding forced, so we inquired how he does it. Scott says he’s learned to broach these topics in a character’s dialogue rather than exposition, which more seamlessly provides that information to the reader while also building specific qualities in that character.
Lastly, love your creative craft, because there is someone out there who will feel the same. Scott Graham’s next novel, Great Sand Dunes Massacre, will be released June 2nd, 2026. – Gus Hallin
