Let's Get Going

So, you want to write a novel and feel you have a good story to tell. That's great. Now, let's make sure you're ready to start writing it.

As you know, all stories must have a beginning, a middle, and an end. The story must also have a climax. Throughout the novel, you must enclose conflict and action. Throw in some suspense and you pretty much have it, right? Maybe.

Why not be sure? What if you make beginning your novel a bit more structured by creating an outline. If you have an outline to follow chances are you won't get side-tracked from your main point or forget to make use of all the important aspects your novel needs to be a well-rounded successful story.

As you begin to write your outline, you'll want to keep several essential tips in mind. Author Sol Stein, in How To Grow A Novel, lists them:

1 What does your protagonist want?
2 Is it a desire that readers will be able to understand or identify with?
3 Who or what is in your protagonist's way? (Who will be more dramatic.)
4 Write a character sketch of each of the main players that has much more detail than you are likely to use.
5 Get into the skin of characters who are different from you.
6 Why would you want to spend a lot of time in the company of the person you are choosing as your protagonist?
7 How do your characters view each other? Write a short paragraph about each character's view of the virtues, faults, and follies of the other important characters. Save these paragraphs for referral and guidance.
8 Which character's point of view will dominate?
9 How are you planning to hook the reader's attention on page one?
10 Consider starting with a scene that is already underway.
11 What are the dramatic conflicts you intend to let the reader see in each chapter?

When you've completed your outline and Mr. Stein's checklist, you're on your way to creating a well-rounded successful story. Having the outline and tips handy, you should be able to remain focused on the main points you want to tell and make use of the significant facets your novel needs.

How do you begin your novels? Do you follow an outline or begin writing and structure later?

My Faux Pas

Last August I posted a blog titled: My Faux Pas, and asked readers if they felt it was alright to invite someone to check out their blog or leave a link to their blog in the response. At that time, I had just begun blogging and only received one response. Here it is almost a year later, and I would still appreciate some feedback on the subject. So, today I have again posted the former blog in hope of more comments.

My Faux Pas
Is it improper to invite someone to check out your blog or to leave your link in a response on theirs?

It seems I’ve committed this major faux pas and was confused as to why. I thought one of the reasons for links was to make things easier for the internet user. In fact, one of the reasons for the internet is to make life easier for the user. I found both links and the internet have made my life a great deal less stressful. I’ve also made a few friends by leaving a link to my blog. New friends in which I have something in common.

I asked myself, what’s the harm? If they leave a link to their blog and I want to check it out, I’ll click, if I’m not interested, I won’t. No big deal, right? Turns out I’m wrong.

So why all the fuss about leaving a link to your blog in a response? I have graciously been informed that many writers don’t appreciate us leaving our link in a response to their blogs. To all those writers I’ve linked, I am truly sorry. I meant no harm. I now understand some writers look at a link attached to a response as advertising our sites on their blogs. I now understand how that would appear as intrusive and offensive.

What do you think? Are you also guilty of advertising on another blog? Do you think it's alright to do or wrong?

Develop A Spine

What exactly is the plot of a story? The Writer's Encyclopedia describes plot as a casual sequence of action that progresses through conflict to climax and ends with a resolution. Plot can also be called the structure, backbone or framework of fiction. The spine.

Jose Cela, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, describes plot as the 'spine' of your story. “Once you get a character with a problem, a serious problem, 'plotting' is just a fancy name for how he or she tries to get out of the predicament. Plot is the solution to the problem.”

Cela continues by stating, “Plot is generally character, and character is generally plot. The tendency for the beginner is to think up a plot and then tailor a character to fit it. . . Most great stories and books stem from character, no matter how convoluted the plot may become.”

With that in mind, let's consider the plots or 'spines' of several memorable classic stories. The spine of Moby Dick is the quest for the white whale. In Romeo and Juliet it is the feud between the families. In Gone With The Wind the spine is Scarlett's love for Tara. To me, the plot or spine of the story is the foundation. The plot seems, in most cases, to become the question, 'what does the main character want more than anything?' Once you have the answer, you have the plot. The story then is how the main character goes about getting what he or she desires desperately.

What about the plot or 'spine' of your novel? In my first novel, The Devil's Pawn, the spine of the story is Robin's longing to forgive herself for her son's death. In my second novel, The Palmetto Connection, it is Anne's desire to be free of her enemies and remain in Patriot. The spine of my third novel, A Cruel Legacy is Caressa's desire to free herself from her father's oppressive control and become her own person. In each of these novels, the spine is what causes the characters to do what they do and respond they way they respond, creating more conflict in their lives.

What sort of conflict has your protagonist created for her or himself? What is keeping her or him from acquiring what she or he wants? Is the spine: man vs man; man vs nature; man vs another person; or man vs herself or himself?

In The Devil's Pawn, the conflict is man vs man and man vs herself. Robin is not only dealing with someone threatening her life, she realizes that the perpetrator is threatening her because of her inability to forgive herself. In The Palmetto Connection, Anne's conflict is man vs man as she fights to stay in Patriot and avoid her enemies. In A Cruel Legacy, the conflict is man vs man as Caressa struggles to free herself from her father's control and live her own life.

I look forward to reading your responses.

What Do Balance And Atmosphere Have To Do With Each Other?

Balance is the most important part of the life of a writer. Each writer must find a balance that works for them. Most of us have to consider family, novel writing, blog entries, commitments and job. Besides all that, a million other little things intrude upon our already bulging daily schedules. We must be able to fulfill each task then remain calm enough to separate ourselves (our minds) from every other demand and become engrossed in our work as writers. That's balance.

How do we do it? By creating an atmosphere. How do you set up your perfect atmosphere for writing? Just as each unique writer has their own style of writing, each author has their own way of creating their perfect atmosphere.

Me? first, I like to accomplish any task required of me for the day by making a list the night before or first thing in the morning. The action of checking off each task gives me a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. Once I've done all I can from my list, I save what I can't do that day for the next. Having it written down, I don't have to think about the list for the rest of the day. With that off my mind, I move on to my next step. Music.

I love to have the room to myself, the windows open (weather permitting), and to play movie soundtracks. The music wells up within me evoking an emotion which helps me get into the world and minds of my characters. I also listen to the soundtracks while I think about the story and during the editing process.

I find that movie soundtracks relax my mind. Why movie soundtracks? I can't explain it, I just know they do the trick. If you're curious, you may want to try one sometime. Let me know if it works for you. Here are a few of my favorites:

James Horner: Braveheart and A Beautiful Mind
John Williams: The Patriot
John Barry: My Life, Out Of Africa, Dances With Wolves, and Somewhere In Time

So, what do balance and atmosphere have to do with each other? Everything. I'm certain it can be done, but believe it would be difficult to have the perfect atmosphere for writing without having first established balance.

What about you? I'd love to read about your plan for balance and writing. I'd also love to know what musical genre you listen to, and what other little habits you may have that help get your writing juices flowing.