How to be a First-Time Novelist (without Going Insane) Posted: 29 Jan 2014 06:36 AM PST When I first decided to tackle English as a major, I was starry-eyed and hopeful, thinking to myself, “I’m going to write a novel; I just know it.” I loved my classes, adored my teachers, and lived in a collegiate bubble where everyone had potential. For every bad critique, a good one followed close behind. No writer was left behind. Sound familiar? Now, almost a year out of graduation, I’m living in a new, less structured writer bubble. It’s called “The First Time Novelist” bubble. There are days when I feel I have it all together, when the writing flows and I think to myself, “This is too easy.” Then there are days when I sit in front of the computer screen, staring at the keyboard with nothing in my brain but a recap of last night’s New Girl. With writing, there is always more to learn, always more to experience, and always more rejection to endure. So why do we do this to ourselves? Are we gluttons for punishment? No, not at all. We write because we feel. We write because we have no choice. It’s as simple as that. Being a writer is a learning experience, and with each new step, I develop more and more tricks to getting things done. So I would like to share . . . My Five Insane-Proof Strategies Get Help. In college, we have teachers. Their job requires them to read and edit our work. In the real world, writing can be lonely, so we need to reach out to be heard. Recently, I started a blog, along with joining Twitter, Tumblr, and Pinterest. Through social media, you can connect with others who are going through the exact same experience as you or have already been through it. You can also find a range of wonderful articles that help improve your writing, prepare you for the next steps, and train you to craft your novel. Use your resources. Get a writing buddy! Having a second or third pair of eyes to read your work never hurts. We’re all in this together. Set a Schedule. Knowing yourself as a writer helps you get words on the page. Maybe you are like me, and you work well with a word count goal for the day. Perhaps you could work better with a timer, aiming to write as many words as possible within a set time period. Either way, it’s beneficial to have writing goals for the day, week, or month. It will keep you consistent and productive. Consider making a writing calendar on which you track your words for the day, so that you have a nice visual of your progress. Outline, Re-Outline, and Outline Again. There are both planners and pantsers when it comes to writing. The planners prefer to outline an entire book from start to finish, while the pantsers wing it, simply writing to see where it goes. There are also those who practice a blend of these methods. In any case, you will probably need to outline to some extent. I’ve made about three outlines for my novel so far. You have to take the time to reorganize and reevaluate in order to fill in those pesky plot holes. Make outlining your friend! Read Your Genre. Can we all just agree that reading rocks? As writers, we need to be readers. With each new book, new standards are set, and by staying up to date, we know where our readers spend their time. Think of it as spying but in a less creepy way. Plus, reading work from authors we admire triggers inspiration . Now, of course, I am not suggesting you copy other writers, but you can mirror a writing style or tone. I even suggest reaching out to some authors you like. Check out their websites, send them an e-mail or letter, and utilize their knowledge. I’ve done this once or twice and have received wonderful feedback. Don’t Sweat It. If you love to write, then nothing will stop you. Always remember to have fun with it. When in the writing process, you should avoid thoughts of publishing or literary agents because that will only overwhelm you and stunt your progress. While it is nice to dream of publication and having books on the Barnes & Noble shelf, it only adds pressure. Save those thoughts for later. As Kurt Vonnegut said, “The practice of art isn’t to make a living. It’s to make your soul grow.” Don’t think about the editors; think about the readers. If you love what you’re writing, chances are others will too. I could sit here and list a million lessons I have learned in these very early stages of writing, but that’s another post for another time. Overall, the most important writing technique is to make your ideas a reality. Just sit down and write. Should be easy enough, right? Jenny Bravo headshotJenny Bravo is a first-time novelist from Louisiana. Recently graduated, she’s spent her last few months writing in Ireland and spending time with rhinos on safari in Disney’s Africa. She blogs here, tweets here and tumbles here. She likes new friends and warm hugs. Feature Photo Credit: mjp* via Compfight cc Coming Up with a Kicker of a Concept Posted: 29 Jan 2014 12:25 AM PST We’re taking a close look in these first posts on novel construction at the four main corner pillars. To recap briefly, I’m introducing twelve key pillars writers must construct to build a great novel in any genre. The corner pillars are not only the most important, they must work together, and my experience has shown me that if I work on all four of these pillars at one time, fleshing them in bit by bit until they are solid, I can be satisfied that the framework of my “house” will hold up. After those four are in place, the other eight can be developed and fashioned to fit into the framework. Just as when building a house, tasks need to be done in order. You can’t put on the roof or wire the house if you haven’t put up walls. And walls can’t go up without appropriate framework. So Just What Is a Kicker, Anyway? I spoke a little last week about the first pillar: a concept with a kicker. I explained that ideas are a dime a dozen, and plenty of great ideas fail to make great novels. Why? Because ideas or concepts have to have a kicker. I might be so bold as to say that you could take just about any idea, even if it’s pretty lame, and turn it into a terrific concept if you come up with a great kicker. So what is a kicker? Just to be clear here: a kicker isn’t the same thing as a plot twist. Plot twists are “kickers” in their own right—meaning they are surprising turns or reveals in a story, and, as such, they “kick” the plot into high gear. Some novels have a great plot twist at the end, like Jodi Picoult’s best seller My Sister’s Keeper. The plot twist was so intense and unexpected, it caused a lot of emotion on the part of many readers. I thought it was a terrific twist, but some of my friends hated it. Without doing a spoiler here, Picoult masterfully created a shocking ending to this very heavy drama. Yet, the twisty ending wasn’t the kicker. A novel can’t ride four hundred pages on a kicker in the last chapter. And likewise—if you have a plot twist early on in the book and it’s just a simple plot twist, it won’t give the novel “legs” to last the entire read. Plot Twists Are Not “Concept Kickers” This makes me think of the blockbuster movie The Planet of the Apes. Do you recall the great twist/surprise kicker at the end, where Commander Taylor (Charlton Heston) finds the half-buried Statue of Liberty and realizes, to his horror, that he is on Earth and not some other planet? That’s a great moment. But if the movie failed to have a great concept with a kicker all the way through, no one would have stayed in the theater long enough to see that ending. What is the concept with a kicker for that movie? I would say it is something like this: “An astronaut lands on a planet run by intelligent apes who enslave humans, who are the unintelligent animals. Taylor’s intelligence threatens to destroy the apes’ entire way of life and worldview, and so they will do whatever they must to stop him from reaching his goal [which is to escape].” The movie as a whole is not about the twist at the end; it’s about the problem created by the situation and what the hero must do to remedy it and reach his goal. The secret of the apes’ past is an important plot element in the movie that drives the story and tension, but it’s not the core of the concept. In a similar way, the concept and kicker for The Sixth Sense is not wrapped up in the fact that Dr. Malcolm Crowe realizes, to his shock, that he is actually dead. That is a brilliant plot twist, and certainly is foundational to the plot. But just what makes that movie so compelling—all the way up until we actually see the scene where Malcolm has his moment of realization? The story concept has a great kicker. It’s about a therapist racked by the guilt of failure and seeking personal redemption through helping a very disturbed boy who “sees dead people.” He thinks that by helping young Cole he will find peace (his goal), and by using his skills as a therapist, he succeeds in both reaching his goal and in helping “cure” Cole. The playing out of this concept is fascinating, and even without the twist, would be a strong story. Writer/director Shyamalan uses a similar technique with Unbreakable and Signs. Both of these movies also have great plot twists near the end, but the concept for each has a great kicker that supports the whole story. Both are about rich characters driven by extreme need and passion and going after a specific goal, while facing tough inner and outer conflict along the way. Being a very character-driven writer, I find the most successful element in stories like these are the characters and their goals, whose core needs and passions are intrinsically woven into the concept of the story. Underneath all are intense themes with a heart. And often the inner conflict has higher stakes than the outer ones, but conflict is found in spades. Which is the point I’m trying to get across in these opening posts. Concept cannot be just about plot. A great concept for a novel can’t hold up if it’s just a good idea or an interesting premise. It has to have the support of the three other corner pillars. That’s when the concept gets kicked into high gear with a kicker. Next week, we’ll take one last long look at this first pillar, and then you’ll get your first inspection checklist! Share your thoughts here. Can you think of other movies or novels that have a great twist at the end? If so, think about what the concept with a kicker is for the entire story, and see if you can identify what makes it great. Photo Credit: Paul Nicholson via Compfight cc You are subscribed to email updates from Live Write Thrive To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. Email delivery powered by Google Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 Reply, Reply All or Forward | More
Posted on: Wed, 29 Jan 2014 16:04:34 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015