Writing TIPS
I treat writing a novel like producing a movie or TV programme.
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First comes a basic outline, perhaps no more than one sheet of paper. I'll outline what is going to happen and in what order. If there are important details, even if minor, I will include them in the outline. I prefer to have only a basic outline, as it allows the story to follow the natural contours of the plot, unless I decide a shake up is required. Understanding point of view is important. I did not fully understand this in the first project I completed, but once I did, I realised that I was in third person omniscient, but continually switching heads. A big no-no.
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Second, we need a cast. This is where I develop the main characters. It is important to spend time getting the right cast. I want to know about them, what their strengths are, and weaknesses. What are there fears? How do they speak and interact with others? Do they swear? Do they like marmite?
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The next stage is to write the screen play. This is where most of the heavy lifting is done. OK, so it is a little bit more than a screen play - it has narrative and introspection as well as dialogue. The main task is to get the words on the paper. At this stage, I am not too concerned about writing rules; it is not meant to be a complete novel, just a first draft. Yes, telling rather than showing is fine at this point - I can write, 'It was a sunny day'! If there is anything that I am not sure about, I will highlight a change to make later. All the supporting characters are cast at this point. I don't need to know them so well, but still may create a little bit of back story to add intrigue.
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Now, we are on to set and costume design. When I write, I may miss out detailed descriptions about the way someone looks, or the colour the room is painted, or what they are wearing. For me, it interrupts the flow of writing, so I prefer writing it later, as a separate exercise. Filling in the gaps in the writing.
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I always struggled with facial descriptions. My solution was to find an image on the internet of someone I imagined would play the part, and then describe that face. 'He looked like George Clooney' is poor writing indeed, but describing the character as being tall, piercing eyes that you wanted to follow you around the room...you get the drift.
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So that's pretty much it. You now have a finished manuscript. All that is left is to turn it into a book. And so to editing. That's where the fun really starts. No, that's a lie. If writing is composition, I think editing is decomposition. Remember I said that you could tell instead of show? Now you have to replace the telling parts with the showing parts. I hate editing. And remember, the first few edits have to be done by the writer. Then you need (yes, you really do) to hire a professional editor. That's the point when you question where you are a writer in the first place.
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Pantser or Planner
Bit of both, really. I had an idea what the story was going to be, but without too much detail. I found the story changed as I wrote it, and as I had not planned too much, I was able to let it take its natural course.
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Writers Block
Yes, on occasion. One time, I could not decide what the characters were going to do next. Part of the downside of pantsing I suppose. So I wrote the prologue instead. That contained the hook, changed the plot a little, and got rid of the writer's block. Don't sweat it when it happens. If you can, skip past and then come back.
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Authortube
There are some really good Youtube channels to help budding writers. Jenna Morecci gives you a top ten list of things that may help, Abbie Emmons (Writer's Life Wednesdays) provides a more in depth analysis of the topics she covers, and also has some useful templates linked in some of the video descriptions. Meg Latorre (i-Writerly) was a literary agent and now author. If you are looking for help on character development, editing or plotting, Youtube may be a good place to start.
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Read
It may seem obvious, but don't forget to read books in the genre that you are writing. My writing would fall into the historical who-done-it sub-genre. I had read a lot of historical novels, read and loved Sherlock Holmes, but had not read many who-done-its. Meg Latorre (see above) suggests that you should read newly-published literature as writing styles change over time. A good example of this is the writings of PD James, whose early books are...well, different. Her craft and style improved over time. Read differently: analyse the writing - what works? What does not? Take a page and (try to) edit it. Are there any words that you would change? Why would you change them?
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Finding time to write
My second book took less than four weeks (first draft). Yes, that involved seven-hour writing days, on top of a proper job. And at weekends. On a good day, I could write over five and a half thousand words. I did not watch TV, or crap on Youtube. I wrote rather than read. But this was not an effort, believe me. I was itching to do it. Seriously. I looked forward to getting up at six in the morning to put three hours of writing under my belt. The time flew. I loved the process. I wanted to find out how it all ended.
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I completed the third book during Nanowrimo, 2021. Now I have three books in draft, I must try to progress some of these projects to publishing. Check back to see my progress!
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