If you are really serious about wanting to write a compelling, well-written novel that will have the best chance of being published, there is one thing you must do before you even write one word.
Creating a Compelling Vision
Before you begin your novel, it's important to first clarify your initial novel ideas and bring them together into a unified whole that will guide you throughout the process of writing. You'll want to be sure to focus on these three essential areas: characters, setting, and plot. Once you have worked out the details of how you see each of these areas, you'll have a clear blueprint to follow as you proceed through the writing phase of your novel.
Discover Who Your Characters Are
The first step in this process is to get to know your characters deeply. You want to develop them from your vague initial ideas into rich, multi-dimensional people that live in your imagination. You want to explore the essence of your characters so thoroughly that you and your readers feel genuinely interested in who they are and compelled to join them on the journey through your novel. You can begin this process by asking yourself some basic questions about each character:
Who are the most important characters in your novel?
What do they look like, how old are they, what makes them unique?
What are their idiosyncrasies, habits, personality traits?
What is their background and history? What key experiences deeply influenced who they are today?
What are their loves, hates, fears?
What are the deepest dreams in their hearts? What do they most want and what are the internal and external obstacles in the way of getting it?
Let yourself go deeper and deeper into your characters lives and passions until you have a real sense that you know who they are and are intrigued by them. Then you're ready for the next step.
Invent the World Of Your Novel
Next, you will want to take some time to decide on the key details of location and setting for your novel so that these, too, will come alive in your imagination. Here are some questions to consider:
Where does it take place: country, state, region?
When does your novel take place specifically and over what period of time?
Describe the key places that your novel takes place: how do they look and feel?
Does your novel span different seasons? Describe what they are like in this locale.
Are there important objects for the story? heirlooms, treasured gifts, magical talismans, etc.
Plan Out Where You Want To Go
Next, you should take the time to work out a tight, compelling plot and overall structure that flows logically from point to point and culminates in a page-turning climax. The character work you did in step one will help you understand the basic conflicts and issues that your novel will address. There are a number of helpful story structures that writers can use as a foundation for writing, but essentially these plot outlines help you clarify a few key questions:
What is the starting place for your characters? What is their life like at this point?
What is their overall goal?
What is keeping them from having what they really want?
How do your characters get past these obstacles to get what they want?
When it comes to basic structure, here's a simple outline to follow: Typically, your main character will make a change that helps them progress toward their goal about a third of the way through the plot. Then, they encounter some obstacles that make them falter at the half way point. Then about 2/3 of the way through, they'll backtrack and lose what gains they've made. From this point, they move toward the climax as they make a renewed commitment to their goal and experience ultimate success.
It's Really Worth Taking the Time To Know Where You're Going
I really encourage you to take the time to create a detailed blueprint for your characters, setting, and plot before you dive into the vast sea of your novel. Completing this essential first step will give you a reliable compass to guide you on the wonderful creative journey of writing your own novel. You'll know your characters deeply, you'll be able to clearly imagine the details of your setting, and you'll have a reliable map to follow that will give you peace of mind and inspiration as you begin to write each day. - 16890
Creating a Compelling Vision
Before you begin your novel, it's important to first clarify your initial novel ideas and bring them together into a unified whole that will guide you throughout the process of writing. You'll want to be sure to focus on these three essential areas: characters, setting, and plot. Once you have worked out the details of how you see each of these areas, you'll have a clear blueprint to follow as you proceed through the writing phase of your novel.
Discover Who Your Characters Are
The first step in this process is to get to know your characters deeply. You want to develop them from your vague initial ideas into rich, multi-dimensional people that live in your imagination. You want to explore the essence of your characters so thoroughly that you and your readers feel genuinely interested in who they are and compelled to join them on the journey through your novel. You can begin this process by asking yourself some basic questions about each character:
Who are the most important characters in your novel?
What do they look like, how old are they, what makes them unique?
What are their idiosyncrasies, habits, personality traits?
What is their background and history? What key experiences deeply influenced who they are today?
What are their loves, hates, fears?
What are the deepest dreams in their hearts? What do they most want and what are the internal and external obstacles in the way of getting it?
Let yourself go deeper and deeper into your characters lives and passions until you have a real sense that you know who they are and are intrigued by them. Then you're ready for the next step.
Invent the World Of Your Novel
Next, you will want to take some time to decide on the key details of location and setting for your novel so that these, too, will come alive in your imagination. Here are some questions to consider:
Where does it take place: country, state, region?
When does your novel take place specifically and over what period of time?
Describe the key places that your novel takes place: how do they look and feel?
Does your novel span different seasons? Describe what they are like in this locale.
Are there important objects for the story? heirlooms, treasured gifts, magical talismans, etc.
Plan Out Where You Want To Go
Next, you should take the time to work out a tight, compelling plot and overall structure that flows logically from point to point and culminates in a page-turning climax. The character work you did in step one will help you understand the basic conflicts and issues that your novel will address. There are a number of helpful story structures that writers can use as a foundation for writing, but essentially these plot outlines help you clarify a few key questions:
What is the starting place for your characters? What is their life like at this point?
What is their overall goal?
What is keeping them from having what they really want?
How do your characters get past these obstacles to get what they want?
When it comes to basic structure, here's a simple outline to follow: Typically, your main character will make a change that helps them progress toward their goal about a third of the way through the plot. Then, they encounter some obstacles that make them falter at the half way point. Then about 2/3 of the way through, they'll backtrack and lose what gains they've made. From this point, they move toward the climax as they make a renewed commitment to their goal and experience ultimate success.
It's Really Worth Taking the Time To Know Where You're Going
I really encourage you to take the time to create a detailed blueprint for your characters, setting, and plot before you dive into the vast sea of your novel. Completing this essential first step will give you a reliable compass to guide you on the wonderful creative journey of writing your own novel. You'll know your characters deeply, you'll be able to clearly imagine the details of your setting, and you'll have a reliable map to follow that will give you peace of mind and inspiration as you begin to write each day. - 16890
About the Author:
For easy to follow, interactive advice on how to go through each of these steps, you might want to look into a good novel writing software program. A nice review of three of the best software for novel writing out there can be found at WritersSolutions.com, a writing website with helpful resources for people who are working on their first novel.
No comments:
Post a Comment