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The Spark: Where the Fun Begins
Whisky turned out to be just that spark, which, I have to say came as a huge surprise for me. In fact, I would say it is proof that the Muse has a sense of humour. I was looking for a famous person, and discovered that a famous whisky, not a person at all, was the missing piece.
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Those Elusive Characters
“When writing a novel a writer should create living people; people not characters. A character is a caricature.” Ernest Hemmingway If I had known how much fun it was going to be to write a rom-com with teens travelling across the country by train, I would have done this years ago. What a blast! But… as I was writing merrily along, I found I was running into more questions than I had answers. They were planning to stay in Quebec City overnight, which, the more I delved into the “situation” the more unrealistic the whole thing seemed, at least for a teen novel. It felt too “adult.” And, was the…
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Fiction, Happy New Year, How To Write A Novel: Step by Step, The Writing Life, Writing prompts, Writing quotes, writing tips
Write Your Story
“You only fail if you stop writing.” Ray Bradbury (from SmartBlogger 138 Writing Quotes to Inspire) For me, 2021 was a year of wandering. I started out with good intentions. With one manuscript out on submission, I had what I was confident was a great idea for a new teen contemporary novel. Maybe it would even be a rom-com. I wrote happily away, making excellent progress, until, I didn’t. It wasn’t a problem of not planning enough ahead, or anything like that. I actually had written beginning, middle and ending scenes. Enough to convince myself that I had a viable idea. Enough to convince myself that I had an idea…
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October Insights
“The best discoveries always happened to the people who weren’t looking for it. Columbus and America. Pinzon, who stumbled on Brazil while looking for the West Indies. Stanley happening on Victoria Falls. And you. Amy Curry, when I was least expecting her.” Roger Sullivan. Morgan Matson – Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour I was very excited to discover that Morgan Matson had a new contemporary novel out. Her stories are always a lot of fun and this one promises more of the same. So far, I am loving it. I’m at the part where the two theatre friends have just left for their night in the big city so I…
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What About That Other Character?
“THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT: YOU SIT DOWN AT THE KEYBOARD AND YOU PUT ONE WORD AFTER ANOTHER UNTIL IT’S DONE. IT’S THAT EASY, AND THAT HARD.” Neil Gaiman I have to admit I love Neil Gaiman’s writing and what he has to say about writing. My favourite children’s book, written, interestingly enough from the Dad’s point of view, is Fortunately the Milk. If you haven’t read it, you really should. It’s short, and a hilarious story for all age groups. Having said that, yesterday’s post, How To Get Your Character Out of the Room, has some great tips that you might want to check out, if you missed…
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HOW TO WRITE A NOVEL: Step by Step
Getting Your Character Out of the Room “I do believe that characters in novels belong to their writers and their readers pretty equally. I’ve learned a lot of things about the characters I write from people who read about them. Readers expand them in ways I don’t think of and take them to places I can’t go.“ Anne Brashares How do I get my character out of the room?” This is the dilema that caught me completely off-guard and threw me into a bout of writer’s block when I first began to write my novel. The situation is not nearly as scary if you have a few scenes already crafted, but still,…
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What Good Authors Do
Below are some tips I’ve collected over the years about what good writers do. There is nothing wrong with modelling your practice after the writers who have met with great success. Here are some timeless quotes from a few of the greats. Good writers respect the reader. Lack of courtesy may be the chief fault that distinguishes unsuccessful writing from the most successful…The reader of fiction is primarily seeking an experience different from and greater than his or her daily experiences in life. How to Grow a Novel—Sol Stein Good writers do not simply describe a barn. Good writers describe a barn as seen by someone in a particular mood, because only…
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Looking for Inspiration?
The best thing to do, when you don’t know what to write, is just to write. Somewhere. Anywhere. Today, to get the creative juices flowing, have a look at today’s prompt. You can never ask, what if too many times. Next Monday, there will be another post about developing compelling characters, in my HOW TO WRITE A NOVEl: Step by Step series. Tuesday to Friday, I’ll post an inspirational quote along with a writing prompt, in case you get stuck. WRITING PROMPT Tip: Brainstorm all the places this scary guy may show up. Find a reason to put yourself in that setting and begin to write. Don’t forget, looks can…
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CHARACTERS
HOW TO WRITE A NOVEL: STEP BY STEP I write Young Adult fiction, so my main character will be around High School age. If you are writing an adult book, you won’t need to worry about the ages of your characters. Who Are These People? Perhaps a better question is, “How Do You Find These People?” The first, most obvious answer is, YOU. I often find myself thinking about who I was in high school. What did I think about? What was important to me? I also draw on other experiences in my memory to evoke emotions, even though the situations are totally different. For example, in my current contemporary…
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One Step At A Time
If you are starting to write a novel, don’t think about the mammoth task ahead. Think of it one step at a time. Set goals for yourself each day that are reasonable and achievable. Writing Tip: I recently attended a digital workshop with the wonderful Linda Sue Park. Her tip for writer’s block is to write for short periods of time and write badly. That’s the key, she claims. Give yourself permission, no insist, that you write badly. It’s very freeing. “I love the revision process,” she says. Keep that in mind as you work on your first draft. It’s going to be crap. It’s supposed to be crap. A…