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  1. Jimmy Holmes

    Jimmy Holmes New Member

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    How to begin the process of writing a novel

    Discussion in 'Plot Development' started by Jimmy Holmes, Jun 3, 2017.

    Hi folks :)

    I have finally decided to take the plunge and attempt to write a novel. I am a complete novice, but it is something I have a great desire to explore. For the past fifteen years I have been keeping notes on an irregular basis, just of things that I found funny or interesting, in the thought that I would one day write a screenplay or novel. I have decided on the latter, mainly due to the creative freedom it offers in comparison to a screenplay. I was just looking for a few obvious hints or tips, or even direction to online sources that may help with the process. I am right at the beginning, in that I am currently writing detailed descriptions of the main characters. I have identified a start and end to the story, and that I am likely going to write it from a first person basis. I am then planning on trying to write brief summaries of each chapter in the novel, in order to have some sort of structure to revert to if the story begins to digress. Does it sound as if I am on the right track so far?


    As mentioned, I understand that I am a complete novice, so apologies in advance if I have offended anyone with my naivety! I understand this will be lengthy expedition, so am eager to start off on the correct footing.

    Cheers in advance

    James
     
  2. Walking Dog

    Walking Dog Active Member

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    It sounds like you're on the right track. I'm a plotter, so I develop an outline, create chapters, then start adding scenes. If I'm using Word or Pages, I'll create a different file for each chapter and keep the files in the same folder. Otherwise, I get lost scrolling through a file if it contains all of the chapters. I have Scrivener on my MacBook, which allows you to manage chapters conveniently within a project. The hardest part to a long writing project like a novel is not quitting. Develop a daily writing routine. Don't quit.
     
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  3. Cave Troll

    Cave Troll It's Coffee O'clock everywhere. Contributor

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    Ah the age old where the fingers meet the keys. :p

    I, in contrast to @Walking Dog , am a pantser. So I just
    write on the fly, but I reread often to keep things on
    continuity.

    So be you a plotter or pantser, the main thing to do
    is to get the words onto the page and edit. :)
    Make a habit of writing often, it keeps one in practice.
     
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  4. Jimmy Holmes

    Jimmy Holmes New Member

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    Thanks for the reply WD. It is feeling quite overwhelming already at this early stage, but I feel very committed to the project, so hopefully I can maintain this! What feels like the most straightforward method in my mind, is writing brief synopsis' of the chapters, and then treating each chapter like a short story in itself. That way, each chapter will feel like an achievement in itself. Would you agree?
     
  5. EdFromNY

    EdFromNY Hope to improve with age Supporter Contributor

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    Welcome to the forum. Whether you are a "plotter" or a "pantser", I recommend starting with a few basic ingredients. Who is/are your protagonist(s)? What is/are (s)he/they like and what is/are (s)he/they trying to accomplish or problem to solve or other challenge? Where do you think it might be going (even if you don't have a specific ending in mind)? If you are of a mind to outline, keep it loose-fitting to allow for the fact that your characters will grow as you come to know them better, which will impact what occurs to you as you write your story, and your story will change as new nuances occur to you, which will affect your characters - and you want to be able to adapt to that.

    Then go.
     
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  6. EdFromNY

    EdFromNY Hope to improve with age Supporter Contributor

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    One other thing: remember the old adage that the first million words you write are practice (in my experience, that is a low-ball estimate). :)
     
  7. Jimmy Holmes

    Jimmy Holmes New Member

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    Thanks CT, I have just handed my notice in and am going travelling to Asia at the end of August, so will have plenty of time to try and get some words down. I hope to really immerse myself in the characters and story as I will have no work etc to be worrying about for the next few months.
     
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  8. Myrrdoch

    Myrrdoch Active Member

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    Oh, and if you are a pantser, don't forget to take notes! It really, really helps.
     
  9. JLT

    JLT Contributor Contributor

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    It might help to think of your novel as several discrete stories with a common linkage. Then focus on telling the separate stories as vividly as you can. Later, add the connective tissue. Remember that the reader is going to encounter the book not in its totality, but one chapter, or one segment, at a time. So make each story count.

    Later, you may find that some stories work, and others won't. The ones that won't may require re-thinking and re-writing, or deleting. That's a natural part of the refinement process. But don't expect the reader to want to plow through the weak stories to get to the grand vision of the book that you started with. More often than not, the reader will just close the book instead.
     
  10. Michael Pless

    Michael Pless Senior Member

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    It seems from your post that you have the language skills to make a good start - there are some here whose abilities with the language need... attention.

    Also from your post, you're taking a methodical approach to the process, rather than hammering out whatever springs to mind first. This gels with my approach where I cannot write unless I know more-or-less what direction I need to go and what the setting is, and who the characters are, etc. The website Author's Salon has provided me with some useful information and I've compiled the bits I thought useful into a series of files - if you'd like these, just sing out. It's worth noting that AS recommends very strongly writing in third person, past tense; I write in first person present tense.

    I went back to school to gain the skills I needed to write and it was quite a learning experience: I came from a scientific background so initially wrote as if I was preparing a paper or report. The lecturers soon got me on the right track, and with a bit of help from Lotus WordPro's grammar-checker, I got better.

    I've found that producing a large volume of information requires some degree of organization. There are many differing methods for doing this and I've read about little pieces of card, Notepad, large sheets of paper, a series of wordprocessor files, and specialized software like Scrivener (which I dislike intensely), WriteWayPro, Freewriter, or my favorite, WriteItNow! which is geared very much to novel writing. There's lots of free ones around like Bibisco, oStorybook, and yWriter. Choose one process and/or software that works for you - it doesn't matter what it is so long as it works, and if you need to, revise your process as necessary - there is little value persevering with a method that drives you batty.

    Then start writing, and keep at it, until it's "finished." That will be the first draft and you can refine from there.

    And don't forget to read as much as you can, taking note of how an author delivers the story. Don't confine your reading to just your genre, or mainstream if that's your thing. Each can offer something. Good luck!
     

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