Monthly Archives: February 2012

How to Write a Novel

The best way to write a novel is ONE WORD AT A TIME.

Easy enough. Right?

Writers have debated over time whether an outline is needed. In truth, this is a matter of personal preference. I use a block outline (sometimes referred to as a beat sheet), others write “by the seat of their pants.” Neither way is right or wrong. Use the way that works for you.

But, truth be told, there is only one way to write a novel. And that is ONE WORD AT A TIME. Let me demonstrate with a novel that begins…

1) He entered the room.  [Good start. But, WHO entered the room and WHAT KIND of room?]

2) Pat entered the living room. [Is Pat a male or female?]

3) Pat entered the living room and smiled at his wife who sat in a chair by the window. [So?]

4) Pat entered the living room and smiled at his wife who sat in a chair by the window.  She had asked him to be home by five, and he could tell she wasn’t happy. He glanced at his watch, only forty-five minutes late… [Okay, he's late.  Big deal...]

5) Pat entered the living room and smiled at his wife who sat in a chair by the window.  She had asked him to be home by five, and he could tell she wasn’t happy. He glanced at his watch, only forty-five minutes late… She should by happy. He’d almost made it home on time.  [Better. We've got some conflict but...]

6) Pat entered the living room and smiled at his wife who sat in the chair by the window. She had asked him to be home by five, and he could tell she wasn’t happy. He glanced at his watch, only forty-five minutes late… She should by happy. He’d almost made it home on time.  He wondered why Father Benedict was sitting in the rocking chair. And why were his parents huddled in the corner? And his twin brother Paul was sitting on the sofa with their sister Angela. Why were they there? [Much better. So, what kind of a story is this?]

Well that depends. Are they going to burst out singing Happy Birthday or is this an intervention?

So, this is how a novel is written.

One word at a time.

The above paragraph is 92 words long. Novels are a minimum of 50,000 words, so we only have to come up with 49,902 more words…

When you’re done, you can take a nap!

Settling Down for a GOOD READ When I’m Writing…

I’m making great progress on FINDING VERITY. As of today, my word count is over 44,700 words. I fully expect this project to be between 75,000 and 90,000 words, significantly longer than WINDFALL.

When I get to this point in a project, I find it difficult to read. Much as I try, I can’t “get into a book” because I find it next-to-impossible to set aside thoughts about my own creativity. I am unable to lose myself in someone else’s story.

But, I keep trying. I start a book, put it aside, start another, usually end up putting it aside. It’s not that those books are bad but they just can’t seem to capture my attention. My thoughts keep returning to FINDING VERITY.

But, I keep trying because I love to read.  I miss it. Rest assured, I’ll find a book that I can’t put down. I always do. And when I do, I’ll write about it here.

The Reviews I Don’t Write…

In January I decided to blog about every book I finished. This commitment made me aware of how many books I begin but never finish. I really wasn’t aware of it.

Many things entice readers to want to read a book. A friend might talk incessantly about a story, or a book cover might catch our attention, or the blurb on a back cover might create an interest.

But when a reader delves into chapter one, something has to happen so the reader continues to read, and that is what this post is about.

First of all, the first chapter needs to deliver on promises a ”blurb” might have made.  I don’t care what happens in chapter two,  the writer MUST deliver on promises they make in the blurb. If the writer promised a mystery, don’t start off with a romance. If the writer promised a romance, don’t begin the story with a dead body.

Secondly, only write what is necessary to move the story along. If a murder takes place, make sure it is not “blood for blood’s sake” but blood that is necessary in the plot. If the main character’s grandparents are relevant to the plot then, by all mean, mention them. But there is no reason to tell us everything about a character’s past. That is snoozeville. Readers only want details that are relevant.

Thirdly, it’s the characters we invest time in and learn to love (or hate). But we don’t need to know everything about their past, and every time they change clothes we don’t need to hear every detail about their clothing, and we don’t need to know what they ate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

There are many characters in novels but the writer only needs to name or describe the important ones. The doorman might be named Henry Smithers and he might be obese with warts on the end of his nose but, if the only thing he does is open the door in one scene, then just call him the doorman. Don’t give him a name and make him so colorful that he distracts from the story or main characters.

When I begin reading a novel I want to lose myself in the story. But, time is precious, and I’m not going to spend time reading something that doesn’t deliver and, I’m definitely not going to write a review about something I didn’t read.

This is why my reviews are usually positive. If I read the book, it’s because I liked it.

If I don’t read a book, it’s because I didn’t like it. And those are the reviews I don’t write.