What does it take to become one of the most successful authors of our time? Dan brown could tell you a thing or two about that. He’s the master of asking the right questions and then wrapping them in a race-against-time thriller that you simply can’t put down.
He didn’t stumble into success, but spent years perfecting a style that keeps millions glued to the page. But what does he think about the backlash, and what is his entire process of storytelling? Let’s look at the author’s approach and worldview, which made him a pioneering figure in the literary world.
The Da Vinci Code backlash and Dan Brown’s reaction
Dan Brown is an excellent thriller writer! From Angels & Demons to Origin, he has crafted this extraordinary niche that is built upon conspiracies, codes, and controversial questions. His trademark character is Robert Langdon, a Harvard symbologist who leads us through a maze of art, religion, and science, all while beating the clock.
With The Da Vinci Code, the author struck gold, and also people’s nerves. The book was published in 2003 and became one of the bestselling novels of all time, and was even adapted into a hit movie that features Tom Hanks and Ron Howard.
But it also drew criticism from literary folks and religious groups because the suggestion that Jesus and Mary Magdalene had a child didn’t sit well with everyone. In an interview with The Guardian, Brown spoke about how he took the backlash.
The reality is you want everybody to love what you do and, when it doesn’t happen, when you read a review – and certainly, especially, in your country there have been some pretty vicious reviews – you have to just sort of laugh and say well, OK, clearly this person doesn’t share my taste. You get past it at some point and you have to put the blinders on.
While the critics heavily scrutinized the book, fans couldn’t get enough of the adrenaline, the riddles, and all the intellectual what-ifs. For Brown, controversy wasn’t a problem at all because he believed “the wonderful thing about controversy is that it creates dialogue.”
Dan Brown’s approach to storytelling and writing
Despite the harsh reviews, Dan Brown stuck to his formula of writing shorter chapters, cliffhanger endings, and a puzzle-box narrative structure, which became his signature style. Literary experts may not like his simplicity, but readers who loved momentum were all in!
He believes in building the foundation of your story on a “single brick,” and also advises writers to keep things simple and easy to follow. Over time, Brown has learned to deal with the pressure of success and does not think about the millions of people who will read his book while writing a sentence, but whether or not he would be willing to read his own work.
Moreover, his approach to writing is so methodical that he starts his day at 4 AM, keeps himself fueled with spinach smoothies and coffee, and his usual workday stretches anywhere between six to nine hours. He usually starts with revising his previous day’s work and swears by discipline as well as some self-trickery.
So, the author may not be a darling to the critics, but his commitment to storytelling is unshakable. He’s made his peace with not being liked by everybody, and that’s precisely what earned him millions of loyal fans who eagerly wait for his next literary marvel.
You can watch The Da Vinci Code on Netflix (USA).
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