Friday, October 26, 2012

Writing a Novel: Writing a Bestseller

Most writers want to write a bestselling novel, usually because it often comes with fame and money. But really only a few people will ever achieve this status, so let's keep our feet firmly planted in reality. I'm not saying you'll never write that bestseller. In fact, I think you stand as good a chance as anyone else. But you'll have to work at it.

So how do you go about writing that bestseller? First and foremost I would tell you not to copy another writer. Just because Twilight has been a great success doesn't mean you should go out and write a story about a human, a werewolf, and a vampire. A bestseller isn't necessarily about vampires, but it's not necessarily the next Alex Cross book either. Most bestsellers, however, do have something in common -- they're written with imagination, emotion, passion, and just a little bit of faith.

Faith and Its Importance in Novel Writing

If you don't believe in yourself and your product, you're just going to produce more fluff, and the literary world doesn't need any more fluff. You have to believe in your story at all stages of production. This includes before you sit down to write it, while you're writing your novel, during revisions and editing, and after you've sent it off to a publisher and agent.

You even have to maintain this faith when you receive rejections, which will certainly happen. Very few books, even those books that make it on to the bestseller lists, are accepted by the first publisher/agent you send them to. Be prepared for rejections, listen to advice, and keep believing in your story. JK Rowling received more than on rejection for Harry Potter, but she kept going. And her books eventually skyrocketed to the bestseller lists.

Imagination and Writing

Of course you need imagination. It takes imagination to write a novel that isn't a copy of whatever it is you last read. But I'm not necessarily talking about this kind of imagination. I'm talking about visualizing yourself as creating a bestselling work. See yourself as crafting something worthy of being read by the masses. Know that you can do it, that you are doing it.

This may seem silly, but it really is true that you control most of what happens to you in your own life. We know that cancer patients with a positive attitude tend to heal faster (I firmly believe this positive attitude is why I survived my own battle with cancer). Why can't this also work when you're writing? Imagine yourself as vastly successful and you're more likely to be vastly successful.

Don't Forget the Emotion When Writing a Novel

Have you ever read a book that seems as if it's no more than words on a page? Not compelling and clearly written without any emotion at all? I know I have, and that's not the way to get on the bestseller lists. You need to feel the emotion in your story and convey that emotion to your readers.

This isn't always easy, but it's made easy by your own connection to your characters and their story. If it makes you cry, or laugh, or shout, you're on the right track. If you're not emotionally affected by your story, your readers won't be either. Find the emotions inside you. Reach down into your psyche and really experience your book. Then take another look and make it even better.

Bestsellers, whether written for children or adult, evoke an emotional response from the reader. Look for opportunities to use emotion to drive your story and you might be crafting a bestseller.

Bring on the Passion in Your Writing

Passion may be connected to emotion, but it's not exactly the same. Passion is that spark, that little thing that kicks a scene up a notch. It's the heat that flies between a couple as they argue. It's the panic that floods through a victim as he or she drowns.

It's hard to mimic a passion you know nothing about. You can research things, of course, but there's something that just can't be captured by simple research. This is where the old axiom "write what you know" comes from. It's impossible to experience everything you might write about, but at least make the effort. No, you can't know what it's like to drown, but if you've never even set foot in the water, the passion will simply not be there.

So what can you do to put the passion in your novel? Get out there and experience life. Actually watch the sun rise before you try to describe what it's like. Stand outside on a windy day. Let the rain pound down on you. Walk down a city street. Fall in love. Observe and interact with the world around you. Then inject these things into your story. It will liven things up and help readers take notice of your work.

The only way to get on the bestsellers list is to write a work that grabs readers. You have to make them buy the book in the first place, then they have to tell their friends about it. You can do this in any genre. Just look at the bestseller lists from the past two decades. You'll see everything from fantasy to erotica and everything in between appear at one point or another. So don't focus on genre so much as on the craft of writing and you'll be well on your way to writing a book that might just attract a following.

Friday, October 19, 2012

Fiction Writing Techniques: Writing a Novel

Novels are a pain in the butt. There. I said it. I'm a novelist by profession and I'm saying it. They're long, they're complicated, they take too much time to write, too much time to publish, and by the time you've finished writing it, you've turned into a eccentric hermit. In fact, more than one writer has gone mad while writing a novel.

So how do you navigate the twists and turns of creating a novel without becoming completely insane? Well, there are a few trusted techniques that many, if not most, novelists use to simplify the process and keep from going utterly mad. These techniques tend to be specific to novels. They don't translate well to screenplays or short stories, though they can be adapted for such things if necessary.

Outlining Your Novel

Here we are. The dreaded outline. Yes, I know it's a drag. I know sitting down and plotting out a novel point by point can be a little boring. Or it might be exciting, but then the entire process of writing the novel itself might just drag on because you already know the story. But outlines are almost always necessary.

Yes, I know that some novelists don't use outlines. I don't always use them. I've let stories just fall out of my head and they sometimes turn out well. But sometimes they don't. And even when the story is falling out of my head I jot down the basic idea just in case it stops falling out of my head. Wouldn't want to lose a perfectly good idea. So write it down.

In most cases, the idea won't be fully formed, which means you're not ready to write the novel itself. Walk through your main plot, take it point to point. Then do the same with any subplots that are floating around. Maybe you'll even be able to do a chapter outline, though this is not strictly necessary (but helpful).

It helps to post a general outline where you can see it at all time. It's a great motivator. One warning with outlines: don't marry them. Stories change over time. Don't be afraid to change your outline, or even abandon it and write an entirely new one. Outlines are a guide. Unless you carved it on a stone tablet, assume that you can change it whenever you wish.

Get to Know Your Characters

You're going to be with these characters for a long time. They'll be part of your life for a year, maybe more, maybe less. Because you're going to live and breathe these guys for an extended period of time, you need to know them. How they act, what they sound like, what they eat for breakfast. Families, friends, personality quirks, prejudices.

All these things will shape your characters, control how they will react to the plot you've constructed. So sit down and figure out your main characters. Then figure out your supporting characters. Everyone has a history, even that guy who's only in a single scene. A novel is the place for depth, so don't skimp on the characters. You have the word count. Use it.

Live Your Story

Do you find yourself reciting dialogue? Acting out scenes? Talking to thin air? Imagining the gritty details of what might happen next? If not, give it a try. Are you writing a novel set in the Middle East? Maybe some incense can help you set the mood. Medieval novel? Read some period books and get some appropriate music. Do whatever you have to in order to start living your story.

I spend a lot of time thinking about my story, my character, and my settings. They are as real to me as the world I live in. They are always in my mind, whether I'm cooking dinner for my children or watching a movie late at night. Because I'm always thinking about my stories, I come up with new ideas that might not have surfaced if I didn't spend so much time on my novels outside of simply writing them.

It's important to understand that writing a novel is more than just putting words on a page. Writing a good novel should consume you, should invade every part of your life. This doesn't mean locking yourself in a room for 6 months and ignoring your children. But it does mean that you look at the world through a different lens -- a lens created by your story. Try letting your story consume everything you do and see what happens.

Master Your Point of View

Before you start writing, think long and hard about your story. It's a long story. It's going to go on for a long time. Consider what point of view fits. Not just fits your story, though that is certainly part of it. What point of view suits you? Personally, I hate first person. Hate, hate hate. I hate writing it, I hate reading it, I hate first person point of view. I can sometimes do it for a short story, but a novel? No way. I will absolutely not be able to keep that up. It will drive me insane (and I'm already too close to the edge).

You have to go with what works, both for you and your story. If you like third person, if you're good at third person, use third person. Just beware of head hopping. Mustn't make the readers dizzy. Dipping into other points of view is fine, and often necessary, but don't do it so much or so often that your readers can't keep up. And always, always, let your readers know whose head they happen to be in.

Go through scenes that don't seem to be working and see if they could benefit from a different point of view. Maybe Jerry's point of view in that scene is irrelevant and Harold would offer more to the story. Experiment and see where it takes you. This could change the entire tone of the scene, or even of the entire book.

Remember that all these little techniques are just that -- techniques. You still have to fill in the blanks. You still have to write the story and develop the characters. Writing novels is a time consuming process. You won't finish in a weekend. But if you're ready to put in the time and willing to work hard, you can complete that first novel.

Friday, October 12, 2012

Fiction Writing Techniques: Enchancing Your Writing

Some people are naturally good at writing. They seem to come from the cradle with a knack for putting words together. This makes writing a talent. But writing can also be learned. It can be studied and improved until it approaches near perfection. This makes writing a skill that can be acquired with practice. And any skill can be improved. This is true of even the most talented of writers.

If you want to write fiction that draws in your readers and refuses to let them leave, you'll have to practice a few techniques. These techniques are almost exclusively used by fiction writers, though creative non-fiction writers will sometimes employ them as well.

The Devil is in the Details

Okay, that was a little cliche. But it's still true. To write good fiction, you have to really get into the details. Don't tell me "The girl walked down the trail." That's very boring. You've already lost my interest and I've picked up something by Charles Dickens just to relieve my own boredom.

Try something that will actually capture my attention and spark my imagination. Show me what color her hair is. What kind of trail? Is she just walking, or is she wandering, skipping, or whatever? Fill in some of the gaps, engage my senses, and keep me reading.

But beware of cliches. If the girl has blond hair, don't say, "Her hair was like the sun." Everyone says that. Try to get just a little creative. If you really can't come up with anything, try looking through books with blond heroines. Something will be there. Perhaps you could try, "hair as bright as spun topaz," or perhaps, "pale as late summer's wheat." Whatever. Just say something that isn't used a hundred times a day. You're probably not going to find something totally original, but you can at least avoid the sun analogy.

You should also describe scents, sounds, and all those other little things that make up a scene. Don't go on and on for pages, but show me where I am. This will let me engage with your story. I still might not love it, but I'll be intrigued enough to keep reading.

The Value of Writing Prompts in Your Story

Everyone gets stuck. It's the nature of being a writer. Sometimes you'll just run in to that little thing author's call writer's block. Even writers who don't believe in writer's block will sometimes run up against a wall.

If this happens to you, try a technique that will help you get past the block and help your story at the same time. I do this because ... well, quite frankly, I don't have time to do little writing exercises or pursue unrelated writing prompts. I have deadlines, my editor likes to actually do her job, and my publisher likes to release things on time. So I have to get things done.

I use writing prompts that will not only get my brain cells moving again, but that will let me continue with my story. This usually involves jumping to another part of the story and pick out a scene that's already sort of running through my head. Then I'll pick something from that scene to describe thoroughly. Perhaps a person in the scene (such as a new character that's being introduced) or even the setting itself. I engage the five senses and soon find myself reconnecting with my own work. It keeps me moving and keeps me on schedule, much to my editor's relief. Plus, I have written some valuable descriptions. Not all of them make it into finished novels, but I have them for reference.

Use That Figurative Language

Describing things literally is great, but sometimes a little figurative language is just the thing to spice up your writing. Speaking figuratively, at least in fiction writing, is usually used to compare two things that seem dissimilar on the surface but really have much in common. It's a shortcut and a way to get a point across to your audience.

As an example, you might write, "Janice is a bird." But you don't mean that the person named Janice suddenly turned into a bird (unless you're writing high fantasy, in which case Janice may have actually become a bird). What you probably mean is that she behaves like a bird. Most birds move cautiously but gracefully, and most of them fly, so you might be saying that Janice almost floats as she moves but it cautious and aware of her surroundings.

This is a simplistic example, of course, but you get the idea. Figurative language can enhance and improve your writing, but you'll have to practice it. Done wrong, figures of speech can backfire and confuse the reader. So do it with care.

All of these techniques can help to improve your fiction writing. Whether you write poetry, short stories, or are working on your first novel, there is always a ways to enhance your use of the written word.

Friday, October 5, 2012

Fiction Writing Techniques: Methods for Fiction Writers

There are hundreds of different writing techniques, and different techniques help different authors. There are techniques specific to authors of non-fiction, memoirs, poetry, children's books, and screenplays. But novelists and fiction writers are as unique as any of the others and have techniques specific to them. But how do you really narrow it down and decide which fiction writing method will best fit you?

The best answer is simply to experiment. This will help you discover how best to put pen to paper. I obviously can't cover all fiction writing techniques, but I can give you an overview, a place to start. Alter and adapt these techniques to suit you own style. Then get started and create that novel that's sitting inside you.

General Fiction Writing Techniques

Novels aren't the only type of fiction, though they are my favorite. You might be writing short stories or even flash fiction, and many techniques transpose from one type of fiction to another. Some techniques will fit best with a specific genre, others can be used for any fiction genre at all.

If you're writing science fiction, fantasy, or historical fiction, you might want to try time-stretching. This technique is simply writing as if you're years away from the action. Perhaps your story is happening hundreds of years in the future or the past. Look at most fiction and you'll see that you're fairly close to the action. Being more removed can change it up a bit and make your story stand out. Think about it for a little while, put yourself in the right mindset, and this technique becomes more than a little interesting. But a word of caution: don't just jump into this technique. Use it sparingly at first, perhaps just in flashbacks or in a prologue or epilogue. Once you've got a handle on it, expand its use. It can be tricky to master time-stretching, so practice until you've got it.

Need something a little more generic? How about descriptive writing? And I don't mean the kind of descriptive writing you learned in high school. I mean descriptive writing that draws the audience into your world. The sensory descriptions that make your words pop off the page and surround the reader. Engage the five senses, but don't bore the reader. Don't go on and on about the lustrous sheen of the marble. Say it once, say it well, and move on. But if you treat every scene as a new opportunity to surround the reader with the environment you've created, you'll soon have a beautifully crafted work of fiction on your hands.

And what if you're having trouble getting started? This happens to everyone. You're all ready to go, all ready to write your story, and ... nothing. Been there. Try writing exercises and prompts to get your juices flowing. Once they're flowing, keep them flowing, and don't get distracted.

Novel Writing Techniques

Writing a novel is much like writing most fiction. Except for the length. The sheer size of a novel has stalled more than one aspiring novelist before the thing ever got finished. Finishing that novel is less about specific writing techniques as it is about just getting to the finish line without falling over in exhaustion.

Try keeping a writing journal. Oh, I can hear the groans now. Yes, I know it sounds like I'm suddenly your high school English teacher. But journals really do work. Keep track of your progress. Write down your word count. Track your plot. As you see your progress boiled down to a few sentences, you could find yourself more motivated to keep going. It's a long way, but you will eventually get there.

By that same token, set goals. Tell yourself that you're going to write X number of words every day. I write 5000, but I'm a writer by profession. Maybe you'll want to start with 500 words a day, 5 days a week. Or 200 words. Whatever. But make sure you keep these promises you make to yourself. If you let yourself ignore your goals for one day, it becomes easier to ignore them the next.

Genre has nothing to do with these little tips. All writing can be improved by a willingness to keep going. Keep the end in sight and your novel will slowly take shape.

Supplemental Writing Activities

Some of the things that help me improve my writing actually involve very little real writing, at least as far as the story is concerned. I write fantasy fiction, so not all of these will be applicable to you. But fantasy is by its very nature an act of creation, from the world my characters exist in to the creatures they interact with.

I start with creating the world itself. High fantasy, by definition, takes place in a different realm, not in the world we live in. Therefore, I have to create everything from scratch. I sketch out maps (even though I'm the worlds worst artist), then transform those sketches into words. I describe mountain ranges, cities, rivers ... whatever happens to be on the map. And I keep these descriptions in a folder. This lets me take a shortcut later. I can pull out the descriptions and slip them into my books.

Characters get the same treatment, but since I can't draw, I look for pictures that look like the people in my books. My sketches look more like stick people, so writing everything out and searching for pictures works best for me. If you're a better artist, you might be able to actually draw your own characters.

These relatively minor techniques help me, both when I'm first starting a new novel and as I progress through the story. But you should use whatever techniques work for you. Don't let anyone tell you what techniques you should use. And don't fret over trends or what anyone else is doing. These things come and go. Just do what works for you.