How do you even begin to write a book?

[Dem Agog]

Here's the deal, I have the idea. I have the title. I have the ability to type very fast and write pretty well (once a little editing has been done).

The problem is that I don't know where to begin. I don't know what steps an author takes when they write a novel. I'm looking at the barebones storyline, but how do I flesh it out? Do "real" writers create outlines? Do they know ahead of time about how long they want the book to be?

Is there anywhere I can go to learn the down and dirty process of writing a book vs. just having an idea to go on but not knowing where to take it?

Thanks!

[htuttle]

1. "It was a dark and stormy night...."

Wish I knew. I've had a creative block for months. Too much time staring at an empty (video) canvas.

:shrug:

[Atman]

3. Okay, raise your hands...

How many others among us clicked on this thread with the intention of posting "It was a dark and stormy night...?" Come on...be honest!

[htuttle]

6. I almost went with something Chandleresque..

"I opened the door to find a pair of 45's staring me in the face. She had a gun, too."

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. e are two schools of thought (the major ones)

on this

First decide what the begining is, and what the end is, seat down and PLOT everything, do an outline, and then follow that outline. THis works for some people and some of the greatest writers out there will tell you this is the only way to write a boook.

Second aproach: Well seat down and well damn it, write it, do your first draft from start to finish and then go backk and edit. This is more the character driven narratives. Some major authors do write this way, and outlines are for sissies.

Now there is more though

You have an idea.... do YOU know your characters? Seat down and write a small vignete, one to two pages describing them, I mean what drives them? What do they look like, how do they act? They are what is gonna drive your plot, whether you write an outline first or ... gee golly just seat down and write the damn thing.

Whichever aproach you take, remember writing is rewriting... and nothing is perfect even after the first edit. In fact, pieces I have sold over the years, they still could be edited one more time.

I'd recomend you find a local writers group that can offer you USEFUL critique... yes this means the crtiique that will make you think, not the oh boy this is wonderful chdeery keep it up. That latter type is useless to the writer, for it does not tell you where to go, or asks pertinent questions...

Hope this helps

Oh and one final thing, how do you write a book? A word at a time... you will not write it until you seat down and well damn it WRITE...

Ok here is how I do it, and I have listened to plentyh of people

I do write character synopsis, (we are in the process of developing a role playing game so those synopsis will also go into the main book)

Those synopsis just start the juices flowing, and I know very basic things such as one of my characters, had mom die in front of him from an assasin's bullet as a child. Ok, this will affect him, unless he was made of stone...

Another character when from the upper crust of the nobiltiy to a freedom fighter and chose to remain hidden among the people. His view of nobility is very different than oh the King

The king became the king after his two brothers were assasinated (his view of politics is rather byzantine)

Things like that, it helps to get the conflicts going

A short story I wrote in the recent past on spec this is a short story, so doing any character synopsis would be silly, so I had a LT, out of Point, an old Sergeant older than the Corp, and the Corporal two weeks from leaving the field in Nam, did I mention the ever present neub? That was my synopsis for characters, and there is all the conflict you want.

After that I just start writing, I even tittle each chapter with Chapter XXX. Once I am done with the first draft, I let it seat. I have a barebones story and I know it needs more meat, even chapters.

So I go back and start revising. THe first draft was literally covering the main plot

Second draft, add scenes, and add secondary plots

Third draaft, Add chapters where needed, and do tertiary plots

Finally fourth and et al will be concenred with making this writing tight...

Now do I do an outline, as I said outline are for sissies (and have heard major writers at writers conferences refer tothem that way, but they DO work for some)

(expanded to tell you how I do it, and no my method works for me, try it if you want, but find what works for YOU)

[BigMcLargehuge]

5. a note about writer's groups...

make sure it's full of writers. Not people talking about their love of writing. I've been in, and killed two, because I was the only one who brought in 3500 words plus every meeting. The others were more interested in beer and coffee after the meeting to get any writing done. There is nothing more disheartening than getting critique from writers who don't write.

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. Tell me about it

these days my group consists of my brother in law and myself

He is a technical writer and has had some peices published, and I write science fiction and fantasy... but both of us have dropped out of groups for that reason... people who do not write

I don't care if htey are published, but godamit how can you critize my writing if you have no work of your own?

[BigMcLargehuge]

13. My "group" is down to me and my editor, Dan

He and I actually tried to usurp the leadership of the writer's group where we met. Then, when it caused so much acrimony, the group collapsed. We then started our own, had a few members, but the same thing happened. Just he and I with material, and everyone else just sitting there listening to us read.

Screw that shit man.

Now we meet once a week. He just went through my stack of literary fiction shorts and edited them all. We are compling a book of them now. And he's started again on the edit of Tears.

I also edit his work.

Both of us are uncompromisingly honest with each other's material. I have to defend what I write, I make him defend what he's written.

That way we keep progressing.

He's also acting as my agent now, so he has a financial stake in the outcome of the novel and short stories. But for writer's groups in general, I say avoid them, avoid creative writing class, avoid writing/writer's magazines, just write. You'll make mistakes, you'll learn from them, you'll get better. Just keep writing. The time you waste with handbooks, guides, and other shit is better spent writing.

The only book I recommend anyone getting is "The Vest Pocket Writer's Guide" from Random House, based on the American Heritage Dictionary. It's a little grammar reference.

I keep a post it above my computer monitor with two little phrases on it -

"We don't write because we want to, we write because we have to."
"There is no such thing as writer's block, there is only writer's excuse."

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. Add sturnk and white to the the indispensables

as to creative writeing classes, they have their good side, but on the negative, MOST professors are not even published writers, so how pray tell me do they know the first thing about the markets or how that works?

Oh and a note for the spelling challenged (like myself) that is what the spell checker feature is for in Word, ok.

[Tansy_Gold]

46. I hate Strunk and White and tell all my students not to use it

But I teach fiction writing, not academic or journalistic writing.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

49. I've never understood the concept

Why would anyone want to hear what anyone has to say about his work? I mean, what's more important to a writer than confidence?

If you need to hear what other people say, you're giving it away, and trusting the judgment of others. If you can't be supremely confident about your vision, you might as well hang it up, because you're going to hit some rough road when you try to get into the publishing game, and you'd better be made out of strong stuff, willing to hold onto your project and not compromise it if you don't think the suggestions are right.

I mean, writers work alone. That's the beauty of it. Where does this "group" idea come in? I truly don't get it.

[BigMcLargehuge]

51. for some it establishes the deadlines they need

for others it gives them a writerly social outlet (parasites.. all of em.)
for yet others it helps build confidence in their skills
for other they use a group to catch the grammar and spelling mistakes they can't see in their own work

There are a million reasons that people join writer's groups, just as many I'd guess, as reasons that writer's groups suck.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

53. Yes, those are the reasons I've been told by others

But, I truly don't understand why anyone would want to socialize with writers, unless it's to feel like a writer, and if that's the case, uh, well, OK.

I once asked my editor what a writers' conference was, and she described a group of desperate people who smelled vaguely of mothballs and stale smoke. She also told me that editors accepted invitations to them if they were held in good locations or if the stipend was hefty enough.

Forgive me for the obvious cynicism, but it's my profession, and I see it from the inside. There's a lot that's not real pretty, and that's where the confidence and strength I mentioned elsewhere comes in.

[BigMcLargehuge]

54. a conference is different from a group

and before we get off into a war over this, I am in the same camp as you... writer's groups are worthless... But to clarify things for the others who read this thread -

A writer's group generally allows a bunch of people who write to share work and have that work critiqued by the members of that group. They usually meet on a set schedule, like once or twice a month. Some have word count requirements, most don't.

A conference is where writers, editors, publishers and fans get together and... I dunno... talk about writing. But in my experience these are more like science fiction conventions. It's not a weekly thing by any means. The only one I ever considered attending was a science fiction writer's conference, it's annual, and local to New England. But I lost interest in the genre and never had the cash when I had the interest. Some of the stuff there is marketing upcoming titles, others is networking, and still others is basking in the adoration of fans or something equally creepy.

Me? I write. I sit alone and type. My editor/agent edits and agents. That's all the group I need.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

63. Writing cannot be done by committee

Unless, of course, you're willing to come up with a zebra.

But, writing alone works for me. I write, and when I'm done, I send it to my agent, and if she thinks it needs changing, we argue about it. Sometimes I make the suggested changes, sometimes I don't.

Then it goes to my editor, and, since she's the publisher who forwards the advance checks to my agent, I listen to her with a much more open mind. What's funny is that she and I never argue; she'll voice a suggestion, I'll say, "No," and tell her why I don't want to make that change, and she'll say, "All right." We've got a good magic together, and we trust it.

But, when she suggests something that I hadn't thought out, I'm onto it immediately, because her vision always jibes with mine, only in a more enhanced version. Ultimately, I have the veto power on everything, from cover art to endings, but I've always been happiest when the three of us - agent, editor, and writer - join in the final decision-making.

Every time a book comes out, I send them white gold bangle bracelets with the title engraved inside the bangle. We sit and jangle our jewelry at lunch. It's a nice tradition. And, for Christmas, the publisher sends me the original cover art as my Christmas gift.

So, it's all very nice and collegial and social, but, when it comes to the writing - which is what it's all about - I do it alone, and that's the only way I know.

[Tansy_Gold]

57. some writers "socialize" to do business

It's been my experience that writers, who often work alone, frequently use conferences and other "social" gatherings to network. Yes, many of them also use the internet to exchange information, but some of them actually enjoy getting out of their offices and sharing time with like-minded individuals.

Spouses/friends/families/lovers/partners may be supportive, but they don't always understand the lingo. Every once in a while, it's nice -- for some people if not for all -- to have a conversation where you don't have to define every other word for the uninitiated.

It makes some of us less misanthropic, or less misogynistic as the case may be.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

64. Networking

This is for people who aren't represented?

I never talk about what I'm writing. It feels like I'm spilling my "precious bodily fluids" (thank you, Buck) and it would diminish the work.

[Tansy_Gold]

65. Some are, some aren't

I said, it's socializing/networking.

Some writers enjoy doing their work alone and never having contact with another writer face to face. Others enjoy getting out of the office once in a while and just schmoozing. It's not necessarily to discuss their current project(s) or diss their editors or moan about the crappy cover art they got.

It's that they get to sit down at the bar with a fellow Creator and laugh about the bad times when the words don't come or the editor says "You can't have a red-haired detective; make her a blonde" or the page-proofs come the day before your son's wedding and have to be Fed-Exed back in 24 hours or there'll be a two-month delay in publication. They celebrate the good times when the book nobody wanted hits the Times list or Meryl calls about extending the option. It may not even be a writer thing but just a human being thing.

I believe firmly in certain things being the best way to write a novel. I think most beginning writers are best served by writing some kind of outline before they start the book. I think most beginning writers ought to make sure they have top-notch language skills so they can write the best they can the first time around. I think many agents are parasites and some agents are demi-gods.

But I never ever ever denigrate another writer's way of doing things, even though I may point out my disagreement. You don't like critique groups, and that's fine. But why do you find it necessary to tell others, who may find such groups very helpful, that they're a waste of time?

I consider myself very lucky. I always wanted to be a writer and so I honed my skills from the beginning. I read voraciously and analytically. When I actually entered the arena, I knew my manuscripts were squeaky-clean, my plots held together, my characters had solid motivation, and so on.

Not everyone is that lucky or that talented. They may have a great story idea but aren't quite sure how to get the characters from Point A to Point D. Maybe some help from a critique group or a mentor will provide suggestions so the writer can say, as you do when your editor does it, "Aha! That's just the thing I needed! An invisible ferry boat, captained by the ghost of the dead emperor's dog, can carry them from the burning palace to the sacred sapphire caves of Oo-loong-doong!" (My last editor's suggestions were so ludicrous that no one, not my agent, not my fellow writers, not even my husband who never reads anything I write, agreed with them.)

That doesn't mean every new writer should turn over her/his manuscript to a committee. Every new writer won't need that much help, but some may need some. And I don't think a beginning writer should be discouraged from finding like-minded individuals to help her/him over the rough spots, to provide encouragement and support, to say honestly "That scene really sucks dog meat, Fred."

I'm glad that you have a lot of confidence in your writing ability and that you've been successful in selling your work. More power to you. I just think it's unfair to assume every other writer is going to follow the same road you did -- or that I did -- and reach the same destination.


Tansy Gold

[lapislzi]

27. Don't be discouraged...my writers' group is the BEST

We celebrate our ten-year anniversary next spring--the core group, that is. In those 10 years, all of us have gone from aspiring or part-time writers to full-time/professional writers. We have novelists, poets, playwrights, children's book authors, and feature writers.

We are very picky about new members. But we ROCK. (and we're all progressives!)

[BigMcLargehuge]

28. you're one of the lucky ones

no doubt luck brought about by diligence :)

Me, I work alone now mostly. Screw everyone else and their writer's "blocks", personal problems, and general inability to work.

[lapislzi]

32. Feeback is important.

Otherwise you can drown in your own head. Those monthly meetings also give me the impetus I sometimes need to either write something or revise what I'm working on. Comments are passed if you go too many meetings without reading. All our members are actively writing.

Of course, the teatime talk ALWAYS devolves to politics these days.

[BigMcLargehuge]

33. getting feedback from someone who has demonstrated a similar

work ethic to mine, I agree, is important. But, my experiences with writer's groups has never offered that. You can only go on so long taking suggestions from people who don't write before it becomes meaningless.

For now, at least for me, it's not worth the hassle. Again, it falls in line with my belief that everything but actual writing is procrastination. The time I spend finding another group, sussing them out, determining if they are writers or bullshit artists, dealing with determining the value of their first few critiques, is all time I could spend getting another three chapters written and to my editor.

Do I appreciate the socialization? Absolutely, I had a great time after group meetings talking about stuff, but that wasn't writing, that was being social. Another benefit to not being in a group is not having to read and critique material I otherwise wouldn't read by choice.

I know there are lots of fantasy writers here, and that's cool, I just don't like the genre at all. I've also lost my enjoyment for science fiction. I'd rather read non-fiction and literary fiction at this point in my life, same with writing. I am working on historical fiction, which if you have no interest in the subject matter, can be as tedious as a marathon visit to the Dentists office.

As for getting lost in my own head, that isn't really a problem. I edit transcripts of instructors teaching telecommunications topics to classes full of engineers, so I am a good editor, a very good editor. But then, I have an editor too, who gives me feedback aside from what I edit on my own, so there are always at least two pairs of eyes on stuff. I edit his writing too.

[Nadienne]

44. So, in the way you write, do you ever come to a cross-roads

and, uncertain of what your characters should do, skip ahead to somewhere in the middle of your story? As in, you kinda know where you want your characters to end up, but you're not sure of the best way to get them there?

I do this all the time, but then, I'm not published or anything. I write for fun and rarely finish a story. :-)

[BigMcLargehuge]

45. sure, all the time

I usually think about what the ultimate goal of the character is within the novel, then choose the best route at that crossroads to achieve that end. Usually, I can work whatever the other fork in the road led to later in the story.

I am writing Tears of Amaterasu more like a series of vignettes within a larger coherent framework, which is about the best you can do with historical fiction I think, so each crossroads leads to a short story within the novel that in turn pushes my characters to the end. The glue knitting these togehter is the changes that these events impress on the characters.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

50. You get it

Writing should be fun. Sounds like you're on the right track. If you lose the fun, you might as well hang it up forever.

Good for you.

[BigMcLargehuge]

4. just start writing

that's the best advice I can give you. Looking for methods that others have used, creating outlines, writing synopsis, character information, and doodling around with images and ideas is great, but it's not writing; it's procrastinating. Generally people go through a long laborious process to start a first novel, and in doing so, completely squash their desire to write. So skip it. Just write. You can edit it later. Once you have a decent flow, could even be a single page, you'll know if you have enough ideas to carry through 60-100,000 words.

When I started Tears of Amaterasu I wrote a scene, part of a chapter, you know what I mean? It was good, not exactly what I needed, but it got me started, enough to pitch the idea to my editor and give him the 10 or so pages of the first chapter first draft. Once he had that in had I went right back to it and produced the next four chapters in four days.

They were edited, rearranged, ALL of the original 10 pages was discarded, but in the wake I had three solid chapters and worked on it from there.

I carry a little wirebound notebook around with me everywhere. I use that to capture observations, sentences I like, dialogue I hear, sensory information, and research notes. That's not writing, that's carrying around a notebook. When I sit down at the computer with that notebook open and write in my novel, I'm writing.

[DrZeeLit]

18. At the risk of sounding... wtf... OMG, we were separated at birth!

My process is much the same as yours.

Add eating to the procrastination series, and VI-OLA... c'est moi.

Today, I am monitoring my procrastination.

Chapter due tomorrow.
Push, push, push.

Been writing since I was 9.
The English professor guise is another form of procrastination, but at least a form that I enjoy.

[BigMcLargehuge]

19. good to know I am in pleasant like-minded company :)

did you read my excerpt?

[indigobusiness]

38. Dont you love it when she speaks french?

But, don't be fooled...she's notoriously unpleasant when provoked.

[CBGLuthier]

7. my own advice, for whatever it's worth

Get a copy of Stephen King's On Writing.

If outlining makes you comfortable, then outline. Just don't be afraid to deviate from the plan. Allow things to change as you go along.


Never edit while writing. Just let it flow and write it. Later, go back and edit and rewrite. Many authors believe that rewriting is more important than writing.

Set a page goal and stick to it. Even if you can only do one page a day you will have a novel in a year. Unless you are writing massive books, then it will take a little longer.


Try to end a day's work in the middle of a thought. That way you will have a good place to start the next day.


Backup everything. This bears repeating.

Backup everything.

Read books. Read good books for what you can learn. Read bad books because you know you can do better.

[wryter2000]

23. Back up everything

I was backing up one day (in DOS, feeding disks into the computer one at a time). When I got done, I had an unused disk and figured I'd written over one. "What are the chances my computer will choose this week to die?" I thought. Riiiight.

Then when I got a new computer, I thought, "What are the chances the exact book that's in New York right now was on that disk?" Riiiight.

Then when I discovered that book was mostly lost, I thought, "What are the chances of all my books that'll be the one they buy?" Riiiight. They bought the book, and the only copy in existence was the one they had on paper.

Publishers are not responsible for keeping your books safe, and they can lose them very easily. I was very, very, lucky 17 out of 20 chapters of that book weren't lost.

Now I back up every time I write a page. No lie.

[BikeWriter]

75. Damned good advice!

I lost weeks of editing once, and I almost gnawed my arteries in my wrists open. :-(

[nostamj]

8. start ANYWHERE but just start WRITING

i've obsessively OUTLINED and then tossed the outline once the actual WRITING was in progress.

if you think you have a BOOK, well, just starting writing it. as many will advise, the thing is to sit down and write.

waiting for inspiration is BS. finishing a novel is WORK. (but very satisfying.)

if sitting down and starting a character description, a bit of action, even a line of dialog is too much.... grab a stack of index cards and write down character names, brief descriptions, make other cards for locations, and others for key plot points.

it all comes down to the same thing. if you want to write something, write something.

it is all well and good to pray that the water boils, but it's better to just light the stove.

[BigMcLargehuge]

9. damn nostamj, that quote is AWESOME!!!

I think you might have just made my sig line, assuming they come back in the foreseeable future.

And yes, you're right. Just start writing.

[nostamj]

15. it's adapted from something I picked up

while involved with NSA buddhism decades back!

basically, it was one thing to sit and CHANT for hours but you HAD to actually make physical CAUSES to get effects.

[fudge stripe cookays]

30. And the biggie: WRITE EVERY DAY!

It doesn't matter if it's crap, but YOU'RE WRITING.

The best writers have often been quoted saying that they put in at least half an hour to an hour EVERY day.

You may dump half of what you write, but what about the stuff you don't? Quantity is what matters at first. Just get something on the page. you can edit to your heart's content later.

Don't be too picky at first or you'll never get anywhere. Just write.

FSC

[OldLeftieLawyer]

52. Sez who?

What's the glory of writing every day? Why is that seen as something desirable?

My agent laughs hysterically every time she hears one of her clients talk about writing every day, because we're all liars, and none of us writes every day.

You write when you write because you absolutely can't do anything else, because it's so compelling and irresistible, you simply must write.

[Tansy_Gold]

55. Amen

.

[Gryffindor_Bookworm]

67. Um......

I've done Morning pages (the 3 pages of longhand preached by Julia Cameron) every day for about six years.

I'm lying, huh? Glad someone else knows what's going on in my life better than me.

[fudge stripe cookays]

77. You're not everyone.

How nice of you to speak for them.

I WISH that I could write every day. I simply can't always squeeze it in. But even five minutes is something that I can use and possibly recycle later. It may be something, it may be nothing.

I'm not saying quantity over quality, but the more I write, the more I have to use when I start plugging stuff in later. Not everyone's techniques are the same.

If I lost my job tomorrow, I would spend all my time cranking out stuff.

[Mojambo]

11. Make sure you know about what you're writing about

This one sounds obvious, but research isn't just for non-fiction writers.

Sometimes when I feel like I have a good idea but can't get a start it usually means I haven't thrown myself into the subject behind the story enough.

I've got a stack of 8-10 books that I'm currently reading as research for a story idea I have. To write well, you have to read A LOT.

[roguevalley]

14. There is a program written by Charles Dickens' great-granddaughter

called New Novelist. Get it at www.newnovelist.com. I have it and it will help you frame a story to the tiniest detail.

Here is the overview:

Overview of Newnovelist

The following steps will show you how using our book writing software could get you started today!

Step 1

PICTURE THAT GOT SNIPPED!

You start by creating a working title and a one-line summary of your story. You’re then asked to choose which category (plot-driven, character-driven or epic) and plot-type your story uses. All of this is explained in easy to understand help screens. You can also go back and change these later on in your writing, so you don’t need to agonise over it too much.

Step2

PICTURE THAT GOT SNIPPED!

You now use the writing software to define the major places and settings in the story. The Ordinary World section deals with the everyday life of the main characters. It won’t necessarily figure too much in the book itself, but defining it helps to establish a back story for your hero, and put the story in a context.

Step 3

PICTURE THAT GOT SNIPPED!

The Extraordinary World section concerns the places or settings that are somehow changed as a result of the events of the novel. Think of it like the sets in a movie. By filling in as much detail as you can, you’ll make it easier later on to create consistent, convincing scenes for your characters

Step 4

PICTURE THAT GOT SNIPPED!

Most stories center on the actions of one or two main characters, and the reader is often allowed to learn about their past life and personality traits gradually over the course of the book. As the author, it is your job to know all this stuff before the story even starts.

Step 5

PICTURE THAT GOT SNIPPED!

Do the same for the antagonist (if your story has one) and all the incidental characters. You probably don’t need as much detail as for the hero, but whatever tidbits you can add all helps to make each character’s dialogue sound distinct and credible.

Step 6

PICTURE THAT GOT SNIPPED!

All that is left is to actually write the thing! newnovelist provides a sample outline for writing a novel, based on the plot type you chose at the start. You don’t have to follow this, of course, but if you write a chapter for each section, you should end up with a story that at least follows normal plot conventions. And all the way through there are tutorials and help sections to steer you, reassure you and help you avoid the dreaded “writers block”!

[fudge stripe cookays]

78. Oooh!

I may have to try this software. How did you find out about it?

FSC

[Dem Agog]

12. Thanks Everyone - Keep the Advice Coming!

Great words of advice. I now know that I definitely need to know my characters better before I start writing. While I have a vague idea of what I want the book to be about (semi-autobiographical, not that I've led the most interesting life but they say write what you know and with a few tweaks and a little creative license, it could be VERY interesting) I don't really know who the characters are exactly. I will start with that first.

I'll also grab that Stephen King book that was recommended and will set a page goal per day.

Thanks, but keep the suggestions coming if you have 'em. :)

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. may want to start with

character profiles

Again two schools for this, just seat down

or get software or books with questions. I have used software in the past just to get ideas flowing....

Dramatica Pro is a good program (but expensive), its pared down cousin, Writer's Tool Kit is a good one... if you go for that

Oh and one more thing, all books are written in three acts... setup, conflict resolution... (so are jokes and short stories)

And... you may want to get yourself a good book on the power of myth, as most fiction is written follwoing that model, as well as most movies, and in fact there are what eight master plots that every body uses

Remember this, when you have conflict with your characters (the most basic ingredient) they either learn from it and become better and change wiht a possitive result a classic commedy or learn from it, and become worst for it, the perfect and classic tragedy

Things have not changed from the time the first legends were written.

Now get to writing!

;-)

[fudge stripe cookays]

31. Character expansion....

I find magazine photos that resemble how my characters look in my head.

Then I assign them other characteristics-- cranky, long suffering, cheerful, abused, emotional...

Then I give them a bit of a history that I can use for reference: married a Greek guy and had a kid, has had bad luck in love, divorced for two years...

I paste the picture on a piece of paper, and write down everything I can about the person. I do it for every character in the book. And keep each paper "person" with me while I write. So I can imagine everything very clearly.

The pictures help me cement that person in my head so I can actually SEE them doing things and acting a certain way. And it's much easier for me to do love scenes or heavy dialogue if I imagine two people looking directly at these respective people in the pictures.

FSC

[Philostopher]

20. My advice would be...

start with character development. Maybe even write some background with the character/s in it that won't go into the final product. It's easier to be internally consistent throughout with the character, if you already know who s/he is, how s/he speaks, etc.

Some folks create outlines -- it's especially useful in suspense and mystery novels to have an outline, since there are things that have to happen to build the book -- some don't. I've never published any of my long work, so take anything I say with a grain of salt -- I mostly write for my own enjoyment -- but as a reader, I hate a story where the characterizations seem forced and two-dimensional.

My 2¢ -- as a reader, as much as a writer. I can always tell, from having written myself, how much or how little character development went into it. Too little bugs me.

[snacker]

21. start writing

whatever you are comfortable with....even if it's the middle or the end. The rest will fall in line, I'm sure. You don't have to write a book in order.

[wryter2000]

22. Everyone does it differently

Novelists often divide themselves into planners and "pantsers." I'm a seat of the pants type. As I write romance, I always know the end -- hero and heroine happily ever after. Then, I think up an interesting situation to start with. Figure out the external conflict and then the internal conflict, put "Chapter One" halfway down on a page and start writing.

Remember, you're not writing 400 pages. You're writing one page 400 times.

[Pepperbelly]

24. 3 pages a day ... that's how you start.

Are your characters fully realized in your mind?

Do you know where you want to go and how to get there?

Then go for it. 3 pages a day. If you write 6 one day, you still owe 3 the next. Every day.

Cheers!

[Chovexani]

25. I've never written a single outline. Ever.

Well, except the ones I *had* to write for school assignments. They are way too restrictive to me, for some reason I just can't work with them. Instead I take copious amounts of notes. I get ideas for certain events and have a rough idea of when they will happen in the timeline, but I never write it down. To me, getting there is half the fun. Sometimes this leads to a lot of writer's block and writing myself into a corner trying to get from point A to point B, but most of the time it works.

I never know how long my stories are going to be ahead of time, except with my magnum opus of sorts, a fantasy epic. That one is going to be several books long by necessity. Other than that though, I usually don't have a clue. For instance, my current project was originally meant to be a short story but it is turning into a novella of sorts.

The thing is, even though I don't write outlines I do take copious amounts of notes. I do short character studies with their basic histories and motivations. This kind of thing is critical when you don't write outlines. Especially if you write fantasy, because one of the drawbacks to not writing outlines is that it increases your chances of making serious continuity errors if you're not careful. If you have notes to work from this is not as bad a problem.

One book I always recommend to people writing fantasy is The Rivan Codex by David & Leigh Eddings, which is actually a compliation of their notes and things for the Belgariad/Malloreon books with some pretty funny & interesting commentary from Dave. Even if you don't write fantasy fiction, I would still recommend reading it because it gives you a very good look into the process of writing a novel.

[Killarney]

26. You don't have to start at the beginning.

Start anywhere. Start on a scene that you have completed (either in your head or in outline form) and work from there. :)

[fudge stripe cookays]

29. An amazing inspirational book for you to use:

Barnaby Conrad's "Complete Guide to Writing Fiction"

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0898793955/qid=1100542143/sr=1-10/ref=sr_1_10/102-6761090-6576164?v=glance&s=books

This book got my creative juices flowing. It demonstrates examples of really good writing in different genres, and has authors explain their technique: everybody from the pulpy murder mystery guys to the romance gals.

It tells you how to introduce and describe characters, how to do a love scene, etc. I adore this book. I pull it out every time I need to get re-started after putting mine down for awhile, or anytime I;m stumped and need some ideas.

FSC

[SteppingRazor]

34. What I do depends on length

For my columns in the paper, or for short stories and what have you, I do not believe in outlines. They take away from spontaneity. Vomit words onto the page. Your first draft is sometimes the best. And it can even work in book form. Jack Kerouac and Hunter Thompson never rewrote a thing. But then again, Ernest Hemingway is considered one of the worst writers (but greatest rewriters) of any literary fame. For longer works like a book, I'd at least have some sort of plot outlined. Even if it's just in your head. For shorter stuff, I don't even like to have that. Just write and see where the characters take you. If they're interesting, they'll take you to an interesting place.

[indigobusiness]

35. Drugs help.

Spend a weekend in an opium den in Rangoon. Emerge with a notebook containing your seminal masterwork.

[SteppingRazor]

36. Don't knock it till you've tried it

Some of the greatest work in literary history was done in the depths of a drug binge. And all of us writers (particularly those of us who are journalists) have a long, proud tradition of being unrepentant alcoholics.

[indigobusiness]

37. Who's

knocking?

[Technowitch]

39. I just sit down and start writing

Stuff that's no good gets thrown away. Usually there's something worth keeping though.

The main thing is to write.

[flying_monkeys]

40. Just start. Because if a better beginning occurs to you later(m)

you add it then. Taking the time to actually sit down and START is about 75% of the process, I think....

Go buy a few notebooks, a pack of pens, and block out some time to do INTHECHAIR hours - - just start! And if you are a non-pen-only-puter kinda person, open Word, select a font and GET STARTED! Just throw up your ideas - - you can pretty them up later :)

No excuses for not starting - - you just WRITE.

[Dogmudgeon]

41. Read some books on novel structure

Writer's Digest publishes a lot of them.

Once you have a good idea of some of the approaches to the nuts-and-bolts of novel writing, just start writing, incorporating what you learned, and not being too rigid about following the rules.

Good luck!

--bkl

[bigtree]

42. That's the kicker aint it?

One step leads to another. Just start with a sentence and sit back on it for awhile. The rest should come later. Good luck!

[Speck Tater]

43. I wrote my first novel 5 or 6 times...

before I finally figured out how to make it all hang together.

For my second novel I wrote a chapter outline first, figuring it was easier to revise an outline than a whole book. That way I could go back and forth planting the seeds in earlier chapters for stuff that needed to happen in later chapters.

Then I took each chapter outline and fleshed it out into a full chapter. The outline was not just story action, but whatever elements of exposition and character development that needed to be revealed. So the outline becomes a sort of writer's exercise: "1,000 words describing a boy waiting at the inn for the coach to his home town to arrive. Show how he is worried about his father's illness and is now feeling regret over the angry manner in which he left home. Flashbacks to the departure and the disagreements that lead up to it. Don't forget it is winter, and night. Help the reader feel the cold." Something like that might be one of the entries in a particular chapter outline. Each chapter has as many of such scenes as are required to complete the task of this chapter.

Finished product: 498 pages that hangs together pretty well.

Just a suggestion, but it worked for me.

[Tansy_Gold]

47. "A blank piece of paper is God's way of saying

it ain't easy being God, but it's a helluva lot of fun."

If you're writing just for your own amusement, there are no rules. Just write.

If you're writing in the hope of someday seeking publication, here are some suggestions from a once-and-future novelist (also journalist, lecturer, instructor, and indefatiguable letter to the editor writer):

1. Outline. It's virtually essential, especially if you don't even know how to begin. A one- or two-page narrative of what the central conflict is, how the characters relate to the conflict, and how they arrive at the resolution will keep you on track. It will also help with pacing and transitions, two of the areas where many beginning writers have an enormous amount of difficulty. Screw this notion of "an outline will stifle my creativity." You're going to rewrite and polish and edit anyway, so the final version isn't going to be "fesh" when you send it to an editor. Why not make the revising process a little easier by avoiding detours and dead-ends?

2. Understand the basics of conflict. A novel without conflict is masturbatory.

3. Understand the conventions of the genre in which you intend to write.

4. Know how to make your characters come alive. Give them emotional baggage that will provide motivation for everything they do. Make them internally consistent. Don't let them be stupid.

5. Write Chapter One. Write Chapter Two. Throw away Chapter One. Chances are it's useless backstory that you need to know to write the book but the reader doesn't need until much later. Get the story going on page one, not on page 37.

Best book ever on how to construct a plot -- Christopher Vogler's The Writer's Journey.

The problem with trying to teach someone how to write a book is that you have to learn everything at once. Plotting has to be integrated with characterization and pacing begins on page one the same as conflict and you have to know how to write dialogue as well as description and you can't screw up p.o.v. and you have to be able to transition from the very first scene. . . . . .so it's very difficult to tell someone how to "start" a novel without also telling them everything about the writing process.

6. Master the language. Master spelling and syntax and grammar and punctuation: they're the tools with which you'll be building this masterpiece. Know the rules so you can break them to best effect. Know the words so you can pick the absolute best one.

7. Never start with the word "The."



Tansy Gold

[OldLeftieLawyer]

48. I'm a published novelist

Yeah, the real kind, under contract to a major publisher (owned by Rupert Murdoch, but I'm not proud).

Here's the deal - you start. You just go ahead and start. You know why?

Because there is no way.

There is no one way to do it.

Make an outline, don't make an outline - everyone has his own way.

You write it and you get it down on paper.

Then - and this is the only advice I'll give you because it's the only thing I know about writing books that's really true - you rewrite it.

And you rewrite it again.

And again.

Writing, as they say, is rewriting, and, in that process, you'll see exactly where it should start and where it should go.

So, forget what anyone might tell you, because, ultimately, writing anything is an intensely personal, subjective experience, much like orgasm. You might get some help with it, but, in the end, it's all up to you.

Good luck.

[Tansy_Gold]

56. Writing is not necessarily rewriting

I rewrote my first unpublished novel -- at age fifteen -- once. It was bad and I knew it, and I knew no amount of rewriting would help it.

I rewrote my first published novel -- at age 36 -- once, and then only because the editor who had bought it needed 33 pages cut for production.

I rewrote my sixth published novel at the demands of an editor from hell. Repeatedly unsatisfied with what I did for revisions, she demanded more and more changes, until finally she came full circle and accepted what was essentially the first draft I had given her. Number 7 went through without a change, but by then she had killed any creative desire in me. I haven't written fiction since 1996.


The Ultimate Rule:

You must write.
You must finish what you write.
You must refrain from rewriting except to editorial order.
You must put your manuscript in front of an editor who might by it.
You must keep your manuscript on the market until it is sold.

courtesy John Ashmead, Darrell Schweitzer, George Scithers, Writer's Digest, Nov. 1983.



I don't believe in incessant messing with the project. If the writer has reasonable confidence in her/his talent, they should write it and get it out there. Let someone read it, get some feedback, but finish it and move on to the next one. When an editor writes back and says, "We might be interested in seeing a revised version. . . . " then the writer can contemplate guided revision.

One of my best writing buddies several years ago wrote an outline of a fantastic epic western, better imho than Lonesome Dove or Dances with Wolves. She brought the opening chapter to our critique group and everyone loved it. We couldn't wait for more. Next meeting, she brought the revised version of Chapter One. It was a little better, more fleshed out, but we wanted Chapter Two. Next meeting, she brought another revised version of Chapter One. It had to be perfect, she insisted, before she could move on to Chapter Two. And by the time it was almost perfect, she was sick and tired of it. She's never written Chapter Two. And Chapter One isn't perfect because there's no such thing.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

58. Maybe for you and for me

My first published novel, which was also my first novel - I never had any plans to be a writer, was published exactly as I had written it, with about 100 pages excised and some new scenes added. I have a great editor at HarperCollins. I am also quite lucky in that I can write "clean," which makes it easy for me.

That's obviously true for you, too, and that means we're rare birds. Most other people who try to write don't nail it on the first shot.

Your story about the Chapters puzzles me, because I don't work that way, and I don't know any agents or editors who do - deal in Chapters, that is.

That story is just a perfect example of why I eschew writing groups. If the writer was truly committed to her project, she'd not give a damn about what others said, and, in fact, wouldn't have felt the need to have anyone read it until she was done with it.

Sounds like she got her spirit broken by a bunch of niggling other people with no vested interest in her project. So, it wasn't rewriting that busted her up - it was her own weakness in listening to them and letting them bring her down.

[Tansy_Gold]

59. Au contraire

"Sounds like she got her spirit broken by a bunch of niggling other people with no vested interest in her project. So, it wasn't rewriting that busted her up - it was her own weakness in listening to them and letting them bring her down."

You made an unfair and totally unjustified accusation.

There were four of us in the group: I was the only one published at the time, two of the others eventually were. The rest of us recognized the genius in the fourth woman's project, encouraged her to go on. None of us found fault with her work at all. Instead, we tried -- with utmost gentleness and support -- to break her of the notion that there was any such thing as "perfection." Only many years later did I discover that she had a personal background of abuse and abandonment, which may have contributed far more to her inability to get beyond the need for perfection than our unstinting support. She had a blockbuster on her hands and we knew it. Sadly, she didn't.

Another writing acquaintance had written a manuscript -- actually, her option book on her first contract -- that I found appallingly bad for a number of reasons. Her agent, however, seemed to like it. This agent (still in the business, so I won't mention her name) encouraged her client to rewrite the novel in the style of a then-popular writer. By the time the rewrite was accomplished, the popular writer had faded, and the agent suggested another rewrite in another style. You can see where this went -- after four or five complete rewrites, the author loathed the story and gave up on it. It never sold, and the author soon left the business entirely. I've often wondered if there wasn't some bizarre malice in the agent's behavior.

My point, of course, is that rewriting does not make one a (successful) writer. One can rewrite a bad sentence or paragraph or chapter or entire novel twenty bad times and still not have anything worth the cost of making photocopies to send to NYC. Far more important, imho, is learning and understanding what makes good writing -- the kind that gets the point across and is suitable to the genre -- so one doesn't have to create 19 rewrites of the same shit.

I teach creative writing, but I don't teach people how to be creative. I tell them what pacing is and viewpoint, and how to avoid passive voice and said-book-isms. I put them through the critique process (with someone else's work) so they can learn how to spot bad writing AND learn ways to fix it. I try to help them develop habits of good writing so they don't have to rewrite.

There are honestly times when I start to think the "writing is rewriting" mantra is nothing but a ploy to keep the uninitiated out of the game.

But that's just my opinion, not gospel carved in stone.

[Name removed]

60. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Tansy_Gold]

61. With all due respect, I don't understand your hostility.

You said, in declarative mode, that the writer quit because she was hounded by niggling people who picked on her (paraphrase). Using "Sounds like" makes it an opinion, but clearly you were insinuating that lack of support from her fellow group members led to her quitting. Yet I had never said that was the case; you made an assumption based on your prejudice against writers' groups (yes, I'm accusing) and I merely filled you in on the actual facts.

Yes, I felt better, because I felt as if I had explained that the critique group I was in had not, in fact, niggled this woman out of her self-confidence. We had been supportive and encouraging, as many groups can be.

I don't understand your apparent hostility to me or to anyone who chooses to find support and encouragement in a writers' group. Some people don't need them or find them counter-productive, while others get a great deal of good out of them. Where's the harm to you in that?

I've been writing for paid publication in one form or another for over 30 years. I've been teaching writing since 1991. There are times when I've enjoyed working in/with a critique group and times when I've found them to be a royal pain in the ass. All I was doing was offering a beginning writer the benefit of my experience, which may or may not identify with his/her experience or anyone else's.

But it seems to me -- opinion here, not accusation -- that when one is embarking on a writing project that requires as much investment as a novel, one can benefit from the experiences of others in knowing that not every novel is written the same way nor does every writer write the same way. The novice may feel he/she is doing everything wrong because Stephen King doesn't do it the same way, or A.S. Byatt or Barbara Kingsolver or John Grisham. Along comes Nora Roberts, and the newbie discovers someone who has the same modus operandi.

Truth is, I don't know how King, Byatt, Kingsolver, Grisham, or Roberts write their novels, and I don't care. What I do care about, just because I'm the person I am, is seeing that new/inexperienced writers receive a variety of helpful suggestions so they can try out different models and find what works best for them.

I truly don't like the mantra "writing is rewriting," and I gave some examples of why I don't. I also stated that I don't believe rewriting is of much value without the writer's knowing how to rewrite or why she/he is rewriting. Rewriting for the sake of rewriting is, imho, a waste of energy, time, and talent. Rewriting to make a sale, to polish a scene, to tie up loose ends, to explain a motivation -- that's valid, usually. But rewriting solely because someone says, "Well, if it's your first draft, you'll have to do at least two more until you dare send it to an agent, because everyone knows writing is rewriting" seems to me to be pretty foolish.

You're entitled to your opinion. If you want to think my friends and I sat in Marie Callender's every other Saturday and slammed our fellow writer's opening chapter, that's up to you. If you want to think every writer who belongs to a group is incompetent or leaning on unnecessary crutches, well, that's okay, too, I suppose. But I do hope you will allow me and other writers to express opinions based on experiences that may be different from yours.

A lot of words, perhaps, but I type and think very quickly. And anyway, it's my time, not yours. It takes a lot less time to read them than to write them, and if you wish, feel free not even to waste your undoubtedly valuable time reading.


Tansy Gold, who wishes you much success with your writing

[hyphenate]

62. Without having read the previous responses

here, of which there are many, this is how I work:

If I already have an idea, I start writing down tidbits that I get a quick flash of--sometimes they will get transcribed into the final product, sometimes not.

Then I start with about a decent length's paragraph and try to sum up the story in that space, as much as I can, from start to finish. It doesn't have to be very involved, but something that forms the skeleton of what the final product will be.

Once that's done, I try to write a formal "outline." This will consist of putting down chapter numbers, and progressing through the piece from start to finish, concentrating on getting as much of it as I can written in outline form, and concentrating on plot developments. Each chapter will move the piece forward, and it will make any glaring errors obvious along the way. This helps to define the story, and it helps to decide whether it's going in the proper direction.

After that step, I push away from it. Sometimes it's a week, sometimes longer. But once that part is written, I treat my story and its characters as real people. I try to ascertain if a character would do something, to see if it fits with their character. I think of little scenarios in my mind, and run them through the paces. While I've got the main plot all written down, this is the testing stage. Would our heroine be so bold as to do something she might never have done before if the need arose? Or has her past history indicated that she would never do something because fiction or not, would it be against her principles? You wouldn't have a sweet, demure and compassionate person killing someone and enjoying it. Even if the antagonist were the most corrupt and nastiest bastard in the world. The plot would require the protagonist to have to kill someone and regret it instantly, or be completely and totally shattered by their act, and obsess about it endlessly.

After the scenarios in my mind develop, your characters become more human. You assign them backgrounds and traits, even if those things never really show up in the final product. You do this because it helps you flesh out someone with an identity in such a fashion that you know who you're writing about in as many ways as possible.

Then you go back to your outline, and you read it again. In the context of the story, you need to envision almost all scenes as though you are actually watching everything happening in front of you. That's when you sit down and write the first draft.

The first draft will be a bare bones opus, with only the necessary plot details. You can embellish it somewhat, but at this stage, it's impossible to truly look at it as a novel. It's just the staging. The first product will take you anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 months to write. Then, you start revising it, taking it one chapter at a time, making sure you are consistent.

The first rewrite is nebulous in actual time. Some people can write it a lot faster than others. It's up to each individual writer to make it however "full" as they want this one to be. It will start looking more like a novel than ever before. When it's done, rest. And do the most dangerous thing you can ever do at this stage: invite people to "beta" read it.

Letting people read it at this time is crucial. If it sucks, they hopefully will tell you quite honestly. You're not talking strangers here--you're talking about friends, family members and other such people whose opinion is valued and who aren't afraid to tell you how good or how terrible it is. Depending on each writer, this stage can take a couple of months or little time at all. You can glean from others at this stage whether it's worth pursuing it or not. If it is, it's time to move on, once again to revision.

The revision that comes will be the end result of all your real work. You will find that as this stage progresses that you want your "child" to leave the nest and make it on its own. When you're finished, it's time to start looking for someone professional to read it, and to begin the thought of actual editor submissions.

The whole process can take as much or as less time as you think it will need. For novels, which are by far the most complicated form of writing, the process can even encompass years. For a non-fiction book, you will want to make the term as short as possible, simply because a lot of the time, there are time driven elements in the piece. Collections, such as short stories, can be garnered over time, and there is less to hurry about. Formulaic work can come out a lot quicker, because if you are a prolific genre novelist or writer, you will likely have a very clear idea of where your characters are going and what they've done along the way.

Regardless, however, of all these things, is whether you are ready to write. Some people entertain a notion for a very long time before sitting down and writing. Some people sit down and can write immediately, but as they progress, they will likely start to clean up their writing as they're moving along, instead of working out all the details first.

I don't know how others work, but my first commercially driven novel took over 5 years to write, and in the interim, I wrote many other things. The novel itself was allowed to gestate, and it turned into something that would never have worked if I had written it straight through without allowing that growth to take place.

Every person is different, though, and I would recommend you begin to at least put pen to paper often enough to doodle and form ideas. Perhaps a creative writing class would add the spark you need to get it going, or perhaps simply joining some writer groups that are eager to share as much as you are. Whatever works for you is the main factor.

Good luck!

[Rockerdem]

66. A couple of things

Im finishing a non-fiction book in a niche in which nothing has ever been published. Hard to believe that such a thing still exists. Hopefully the niche is not always a tiny one. Anyway, heres what Ive learned:

1. I would never do it again without having a good outline. It can be revised later, too.

2. Keep a pad and a pencil with you at all times. On my long walks, I have my best inspiration. Or just before falling asleep.

[henslee]

68. go visit rudyrucker. com (click on the elder), find WRITERS TOOLKIT LINK.

You wont be sorry.

[7th Generation VTer]

69. Write the first scene

that comes clearly to you. It doesn't have to be the first scene of the story -- just the first one that grabs you by the imagination.

That's the way I do it, anyway. If I plot it out and outline everything and do character studies, then *poof* the inspiration for writing is gone.

I had an idea for a funeral scene in a quasi-medieval society, and from that scene came ideas about the culture and society, and the characters involved -- whether they were strict observers of the established "religion" or were more secular... and what had killed the decedent in the first place, and so on and so forth. It was like dropping a stone in a still pond, and I had to write where the ripples led me. It became the central scene of a 700pp low-tech fantasy novel. I didn't write the opening until I'd already scribbled out probably a third of the story.

I'm not saying it'll work for everyone, but I just can't write an an absolutely linear fashion.

[PissedOffPollyana]

70. There is no set answer ... whatever gets words on paper

There are several constants, though, which will help immeasurably:

1- Know your characters inside and out. I am in the midst of my first novel* after years of essay writing and I must say these 'backstories' are some of my best friends now. You should already know them well enough to talk about them, their background, personality, quirks, etc. before the solid structure of the story is done, at least in my opinion. It's like being an actor, sinking into a role. When you know your characters, you know what they would/wouldn't do and will have a much better time of breathing life into the words.

*on edit: It will most likely wind up in graphic novel form since that is one of the most probable means of 1st publication for me. We have several great contacts in the industry that may be of help in getting it in the right hands. I thought I'd throw this side note in, just to open the realm of what is possible. If one form vexes you, try another format. Some folks have a gift for prose and are suited to the novel format. Others are better suited to the more dialogue-heavy format of screenplay. Still, others may have a better visual acuity that would create a great graphic novel. Do not pidgeon-hole yourself by format until you know the story, characters and (most importantly) your own writing style. When you begin to try to market the story, you may want to explore one or all of these formats as a vehicle, depending upon which offers the best probability of getting your work seen. Once again, good luck and a hope that you spend more time dancing with than wrestling the muse!*

2- Know your background. If you are not inventing a world from scratch, research is crucial. I have read too many novels that fall flat because the author had too little familiarity with the world around the characters. Even if the world is your invention, it really should be fleshed out before the full story. This way, you can slowly bring the reader further into this world as the story unfolds, rather than blasting them with a long, drawn-out exposition. If the reader can imagine the movie of your story playing in their heads as they read, you've done your job.

3- Know your story. No matter how you do it, have a distinct notion of where the story is headed. Otherwise, you will miss great opportunities for foreshadowing and setting the stage for the rest of the characters' arcs. Outlines are very restrictive for me, as I like to evolve the story as I flesh out the plot. Granted, it's not terribly orthodox but I have actually set a timeline up on my office wall and tape color-coded story points and developments along it. This way, it is always in full sight and easy to add/subtract/change as the scenes are put together. Once that's done, I will tape up a story arc that follows the telling of the timeline (since the story will be told in several time-frames). IMO, you should do this whatever way makes sense to you.

4- Know your character arc(s). I remember reading a book called "Story" which had some great ideas along these lines. If you have written the characters well, the plot will serve their story well. The reader will be driven forward because they care about what happens to them. The worst writing sin I see in a lot of modern work is in this category. The reader will want to see and feel the evolution of your characters so it's always a good idea to know how you will evolve them to craft the best emotional journey possible.

5- Know your theme. This is the most crucial part for you as the storyteller. It is the point you want to make and should be evident without beating the reader with a blunt instrument. How does the plot/arc/world serve the theme?

Some folks will tell you to get response from writers' groups/friends/family. I would say, screw that. Show it only to people you know read lots of books and only good ones. They will be the best judges of whether you're on the right track as you develop the story. Even the movie snobs you know would be okay, so long as they have a sense of story & character development critique. Other people are just a waste of your time, honestly.

Good luck! We can always use more good stories!
~Mich

[Liberty Belle]

71. I'm a published novelist.

The biggest mistake most beginners make is writing too much of the "back story." It's better to jot down your character's biographical for your own background knowledge--but spare your readers the full narrative.

To grab an editor's attention, you really need to start with a "hook" of some sort. Typically this means starting in the middle of an action scene, but there are other techniques. You can create a sense of foreboding or tension that makes readers want to turn the page and find out what happens next.

In case you're wondering, the opening lines in my first novel read, "I should have listened to Apollo. He tried to warn me that we were in for big trouble, but I refused to pay attention." (Apollo is the heroine's dog, who has led her into a time-travel adventure culminating in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.)

If you can find a good critique group, it can be extremely valuable for a new fiction writer. I belonged to one for several years that was led by a published author. Several of us went on to publish novels of our own, clearly benefitting from the input. After that group dissolved, I tried two others but never found the right chemistry again.

Good luck!

[indigobusiness]

72. Narrative Design: A Writer's Guide to Structure

Narrative Design: A Writer's Guide to Structure
by Madison Smartt Bell

Amazon.com

Rare it is to find an examination of the workings of the short story so diligent and loving as Madison Smartt Bell's in Narrative Design. According to Bell--a creative writing instructor and very fine fiction writer--"form or structure ... is of first and final importance to any work of fiction." Here, Bell scrutinizes the underlying architecture of 12 short stories--some by his students, others by the likes of Mary Gaitskill and William T. Vollmann. Bell is unstoppable, his discussion of the stories usually longer than the stories themselves. Every structural twist and turn is inspected, so that by tale's end we're reminded of those poor little frogs pinned for sixth-grade dissection, no bone left unturned. Bell's anatomy lessons are as eye opening as those of our youth (and a lot less gruesome), though I do recommend reading each story first in its entirety, only then backtracking for the bone by bone.
Were it not for Bell's insights regarding the fiction writer's juggling of craft and inspiration, a short-story writer might come away from this book completely paralyzed. Don't worry. Bell is well aware that the way in which a story comes into being is often as much of a mystery to the writer as to the reader. Though the stories included all demonstrate a strong structural logic, their writers, says Bell, "didn't plan it all. Probably could not have done so. At least not deliberately--not consciously." Instead, he writes, "Within the mind of every imaginative writer ... the faculty of conscious craftsmanship engages with the inexplicable choices and decisions of the unconscious mind. One of the writer's projects is always to try, somehow, to turn this engagement into less of a battle, more of a partnership." --Jane Steinberg

Product Description:
A roll-up-your-sleeves approach to writing fiction by one of today's best writers. With clarity, verve, and the sure instincts of a good teacher, Madison Smartt Bell illuminates the process of narrative design. In essays and analyses of twelve stories by established writers and students, Bell emphasizes the primary importance of form as the backdrop against which all other elements of a story must work. Discussions of the unconscious mind and creativity reinforce other essentials of good writing. Madison Smartt



http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0393971236/qid=1104112773/sr=1-8/ref=sr_1_8/103-1314780-1476666?v=glance&s=books

[Bouncy Ball]

73. I just want to say

I just started a book (and it's looking rather ambitious, dammit) and reading this whole thread has really inspired me. Off to bang out another chapter...

[BikeWriter]

74. Hey, cool. Good luck. :-) n/t

[Redbear]

79. Me too.

I'm very thankful for all of the words of wisdom.

[BikeWriter]

76. I'm an impoverished hovelist... Oh, that's not funny? Oh, well then...

I just start typing and see where my characters go.

[Emboldened Chimp]

80. Put a long roll of paper in the typewriter, pop a few Bennies...

and GO, GO, GO!

[Wat_Tyler]

81. Start with conflict - throw you reader straight into turmoil.

Don't necessarily start at the beginning - start at the first fight.

Other than that, don't read anything about process yet - write the book first, then look at the theory. Otherwise, you might stifle your own individual voice.

[Straight Shooter]

82. Kick because I just entered this forum and this is a good thread.

:thumbsup: