So let's say you've got this fantabulous idea for a novel, right. So then the first step, naturally, would be to start writing about it. Riiiiight?
Err...if you mean start writing the actual novel, then I'm afraid not. I'll explain why.
READ the INSTRUCTIONS FIRST. Please.
I can be a real stubborn one. I'm the kind of person that will purchase one of those self-assembled furniture pieces from places like Target and IKEA and refuse to read the instructions because I'm smart and can figure it out by myself, thank you very much. My dad's an engineer (electrical, actually). Works in the aerospace industry. I'm sure he passed down some of his figure-it-out mentality to me through the bloodline, even if it's just a fraction. Convicted of this, I set my mouth in a grim line and put those insulting pictorial instructions with those ridiculous smiling faces aside.
Of course, I usually end up regretting it later. "What? Where did that piece come from?"
Disassemble. Insert missing piece. Reassemble. Scowl at own stupidity. Smart, eh?
Shut up, I tell my snickering subconscious. Shut the frak up.
* * *
Not surprisingly, I've taken a similar approach to writing. I like to learn things the hard way, apparently. Make mistakes. Make a fool of myself. Gain incredible insights along the way.
The latter is the greatest part, the part I never regret. The same can be said for making some mistakes along the way, though a good number of the mistakes I've made probably could have been avoided.
Here's where I'm going with this: There are instructors out there in this big wide world who have set aside time out of their daily bustling lives to provide useful tips, guidelines and storytelling commandments, either free of charge or for an affordable rate, to would-be writers who think they'll have no trouble figuring it all out on their own by doing things their way. (This page is proof.) Writers like me. And, perhaps, you.
I think it's quite possible to figure it out all on your own, but if you're not a very patient, dedicated, or disciplined person you'll burnout long before you've even gotten a quarter of the way there. Lucky for me, once I've dedicated myself to an endeavor I don't quit easily, but I also don't like floundering around like a fish out of water for long and will eventually turn to someone for help. But only if I can't figure it out by myself first.
Call it a character flaw, but I really do like to figure certain things out on my own. There's a sense of achievement that comes along with that. I'm sure you've experienced this for yourself at one point or another. You'd understand.
Okay, so maybe there's stuff I should learn before attempting a novel. So what?
If you're not convinced you need to get yourself edumacated before you set out to start a novel with any hope of potential amongst other readers besides yourself, then I'm sorry; I can't help you. No one can. If that's what you want, to figure it out on your own, then more power to you.
On the other hand, if you are new to this writing thing, want to benefit from those who've been there and learn more about storytelling before you embark on the incredibly ambitious mission of writing a novel (or any story for that matter), then there are a few places you can start.
The first: remember that page I mentioned earlier, that orange link? (At least I think it's orange, unless you already visited it.) That would be a good start. Or, if you have a favorite author(s), why not check out his/her website or blog? They might even have free writing tips to share with you.
There are also some books out there that you might want to consider. If you've read some of my other posts, then you already know that I'm a biased writer in that my focus is on the fantasy genre. With that said, there are a couple of books I've read and thought were helpful without them being limited to fantasy writers.
How to Write a Damn Good Novel by James N. Frey was one. It gives you some basic things to think about before you start pecking away on your keyboard, relentlessly churning out fiction into your poor word processor during ceaseless nights, and perhaps even, days. (Sometimes you get that into it.) The Key, by the same author, was also useful to me in understanding the archetypal Hero's Journey and character types but also cliches, how to avoid them and how it's possible to mix character roles to create more complex characters. Also, check out Strunk and White's The Elements of Style. It goes through the basics of how to put a coherent sentence together, but it also talks about how to appropriately use certain misused words and phrases like lie and lay. Style and grammar all wrapped up into one. It's a good reference book--one I still like to thumb through.
...and that's where my book-reading advice stops short. Like I said, I am of the figure-it-out variety, so I didn't read too many how-to books before I dived back into the process of writing. Most of my research, when I hunkered down and did some, was actually done online. However, if you prefer books to online articles or want to mix up your educational-things-to-read list, then there are many bookstores out there, online and in-person, that make it easy to search for instructional books and make personal judgements as to which ones might help you the most. This is especially easy online, where you can also browse other reader's reviews on books you're interested in and read their takes on how helpful those books were/were not. That's personally my favorite way to go about purchasing books.
Alibris, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Borders are all great places to search. I'm sure there are more out there, but those are the one's I've tried. (Amazon is probably my fave. :D)
Learning about writing is a lot like homework in college: No one's gonna keep looking over your shoulder to make sure you're doing it. Either you learn the material or you don't. That's how I feel about it, anyway. In essence, I think becoming a (creative) writer is just one of those do-it-yourself kinds of things. That doesn't mean there aren't mentors out there who can give you pointers and advice along the way, though.
Now, to the Point.
Hm, this post is getting long, and I've barely brushed the titular topic! You know what? Here's what I'm gonna do: Consider today Part I. Tomorrow, I will post Part II.
"Soooooooound good?"
"Yes, sir!"
(Thinking of Inglourious Basterds there.)
Ever wonder what makes stories great? Ever wonder what it takes to write great stories? If any of these thoughts have ever crossed your mind, then you are in the right place. I, too, share these thoughts. This blog is dedicated to those who marvel at the mechanics of great storytelling, to anyone who's ever wondered, "Can I write a novel?" and to anyone who's ever tried.
February 16, 2011
February 15, 2011
Sorry!
I know changing the look of my blog in the middle of it is bad form, but I really did want something more graphic for the top banner. Using color can be tricky.
Bear with me. It should be final after today.
Bear with me. It should be final after today.
February 10, 2011
Posting Days: Now on Wednesdays
I thought I'd let readers know: I'm going to try to post something new on Wednesdays, from now on. Between Monday and Wednesday morning I usually bunker down on school projects I've been slacking on, heh, or just need more work on. By Wednesday evening I'm thoroughly pooped and homework is the absolute last thing I want to think about. Blogging provides a nice distraction to the daily grind, you know. (Plus, if I do get free time, I can write my next entry ahead of time and come back later to edit it. Not that you really care about these things.)
If I tried to write something every day I'd run out of things to say. Worse, I'd fail my classes, never see the light of day, and would never become the amazing interior designer I'd so much like to become. (I've put a lot of thought into my posts, so far, and sometimes they take longer to write than I first expected.)
So Wednesdays. Expect new posts on Wednesdays, from now on. You can write something amazing in the meantime. ;)
If I tried to write something every day I'd run out of things to say. Worse, I'd fail my classes, never see the light of day, and would never become the amazing interior designer I'd so much like to become. (I've put a lot of thought into my posts, so far, and sometimes they take longer to write than I first expected.)
So Wednesdays. Expect new posts on Wednesdays, from now on. You can write something amazing in the meantime. ;)
February 8, 2011
Inception: When a Novel Idea Impregnates the Mind
"What is the most resilient parasite? Bacteria? A virus? An intestinal worm? An idea. Resilient... highly contagious. Once an idea has taken hold of the brain it's almost impossible to eradicate. An idea that is fully formed - fully understood - that sticks; right in there somewhere."
-Cobb from Inception
Ideas can be insidious little things. I feel like I've been haunted by a few for the past four years.
My Story
On January 1st, 2007, I decided to start a journal because I had an idea: What if the world really was run by the classical or Chinese elements, and what if those elements could be controlled, manipulated? How would that affect people? How would that make their world different from ours?
Of course, I realized I was not the first person to ask these questions. The idea has been done many times before--the Nickelodeon show "Avatar: The Last Airbender," "Naruto" and "Captain Planet" (do you remember that silly show?!) are all relatively well-known examples. TV Tropes gives a pretty large list of other examples in a wide range of media, including novels. I realized then, sitting in my room with my mostly empty journal, that I needed to explore some other ways to make my take on the elements unique.
For some reason I was really drawn to the idea of making people with elemental powers outcasts, forced to live secret lives. Maybe their powers were even suppressed. Immediately, I thought of the TV show "Heroes" and even the X-men. Okay, I told myself, so that's been done before, too. But my take on this idea is going to be different.
Again, how?
Coming Up with a Premise
It's taken a lot of experimental drafts for me to finally settle on a premise that I felt really got to the heart of the things I wanted to explore about life. My premise, as it stands, reads something like this:
An aviatrix with a rare psychophysiological condition discovers the truth about herself when a clairvoyant government agent employs her in acts of espionage against an elemental terror.
27 words. It may not be perfect (the jury is still out on that one), but it does highlight the prominent elements in my story. The protagonist is an aeroplane pilot with a rare psychophysiological condition (there's a mouthful). That condition is called emelesia, something I made up along the way, and it holds the fantasy element in my story and is connected to the "elemental terror" I mentioned in the premise. That same terror highlights the antagonistic force in my novel. Also, with the mention of the clairvoyant agent and acts of espionage you get the sense that there'll be some paranormal espionage at play. The combination of all these elements is what makes my story unique.
I hope.
(You can read more about some of the characters and organizations in my work in progress at my Photobucket account, if you're interested.)
It Ain't Over 'til It's Over
The thing is, a manuscript ain't finished 'til it's, well, finished. I've still got a lot of editing work to do on mine, but I've gotten through the initial hard part of churning out the first draft (and I've been told this is a milestone in itself, as most people who start novels never finish them). It's been a long process, but that phase is complete. What I'm focused on now is refining my ideas, characters, plots, etc. and making sure everything is coherent, tells the story I want to tell and has the capacity to hold a potential reader's interest.
It's taken me four years to even get to this point.
Why? Well, for starters, I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I made the decision to turn my idea into a novel. That said, I did a fair amount of floundering about until I learned more about the writing process and writing craft. And really, I'm still learning more about these things. It's a process. (It's why I started this blog and provided a readily available list of links for writers who are as new to this process as I was/still am!)
From what I've gathered from reading authors' blogs, books and online articles, a good idea can take anywhere from a couple of months to several years to develop into a finished novel. Some writers will discover they churn out novels rather quickly. Others like to take things a little slower. The fact that it's so far taken me more or less four years does not daunt me. For me, it's just a matter of putting in the necessary effort to finish my novel to my satisfaction.
How this will pan out if I ever become published, I'm unsure of. I imagine publishers have expectations with shorter deadlines than some four years, heh, but I'm keeping in mind that this is my first novel and I've been using this experience to learn how to write one in the first place. Writing the next should be a lot easier. Also, I've never written short stories before, so I didn't have the knowledge that often comes through that process to help me learn more about storytelling before diving into a ginormous freakin' novel.
Which is fine by me. I'm the tortoise in this race; I've already accepted this fact. But I will finish this novel, doggonnit! My subconscious mind will not let me rest until I do.
I know I'm not the only slow plotter in the world. J.R.R. Tolkien is notorious for taking a long time to complete his famous trilogy. In the extra content on the Inception DVD, Christopher Nolan said it took him about ten years to make his dream become a reality. Ten years. Granted, movies probably take a little longer to develop than some novels, but ten years is still a really long time for one idea. (Don't get me wrong; I'm not trying to compare myself to these guys. I'm just saying: Some ideas take longer to come into fruition.)
Personally, I thought the concept and story behind Inception was brilliant. I still like to watch the movie over and over again. I listen to the soundtrack, too, like it's my religion. Not for a moment did I lose interest in the storyline. And don't even get me started on the cliffhanger ending--scandalous. What's more, each character contributed something unique and important to the story and--added bonus--they were all exceptionally cool.
In my opinion, anyway.
Inspiration to Write a Novel
Reading other people's novels can be a source of great inspiration, but I've also found that movies, television shows and music can do the same. Heck, anything can spark an idea for a novel. The difficulty lies in taking your initial idea and turning into an actual story--because idea and story are not the same thing. Larry Brooks discusses this in an article he wrote on concept, and how that differs from premise and idea.
Getting an idea for a novel is just the beginning. Now you have to start making some plans to help you finish it.
Think you don't need a plan to finish a novel? Think again. *hovering clouds of doom and lightning, followed by an evil cackle and roll of thunder*
How About You?
So now you know a little more about me and where I'm at in my experience of learning how to write a novel. Perhaps I'll hear of yours? :D If you're writing a story, be it a novel, a short story or anything in between, what is it about? Can you sum it up in around 25 or so words? (Trust me, it's a lot harder than it looks.) Or how about stories that aren't necessarily yours? Any favorites that you can sum up? What makes that story unique?
-Cobb from Inception
Ideas can be insidious little things. I feel like I've been haunted by a few for the past four years.
My Story
On January 1st, 2007, I decided to start a journal because I had an idea: What if the world really was run by the classical or Chinese elements, and what if those elements could be controlled, manipulated? How would that affect people? How would that make their world different from ours?
Of course, I realized I was not the first person to ask these questions. The idea has been done many times before--the Nickelodeon show "Avatar: The Last Airbender," "Naruto" and "Captain Planet" (do you remember that silly show?!) are all relatively well-known examples. TV Tropes gives a pretty large list of other examples in a wide range of media, including novels. I realized then, sitting in my room with my mostly empty journal, that I needed to explore some other ways to make my take on the elements unique.
For some reason I was really drawn to the idea of making people with elemental powers outcasts, forced to live secret lives. Maybe their powers were even suppressed. Immediately, I thought of the TV show "Heroes" and even the X-men. Okay, I told myself, so that's been done before, too. But my take on this idea is going to be different.
Again, how?
Coming Up with a Premise
It's taken a lot of experimental drafts for me to finally settle on a premise that I felt really got to the heart of the things I wanted to explore about life. My premise, as it stands, reads something like this:
An aviatrix with a rare psychophysiological condition discovers the truth about herself when a clairvoyant government agent employs her in acts of espionage against an elemental terror.
27 words. It may not be perfect (the jury is still out on that one), but it does highlight the prominent elements in my story. The protagonist is an aeroplane pilot with a rare psychophysiological condition (there's a mouthful). That condition is called emelesia, something I made up along the way, and it holds the fantasy element in my story and is connected to the "elemental terror" I mentioned in the premise. That same terror highlights the antagonistic force in my novel. Also, with the mention of the clairvoyant agent and acts of espionage you get the sense that there'll be some paranormal espionage at play. The combination of all these elements is what makes my story unique.
I hope.
(You can read more about some of the characters and organizations in my work in progress at my Photobucket account, if you're interested.)
It Ain't Over 'til It's Over
The thing is, a manuscript ain't finished 'til it's, well, finished. I've still got a lot of editing work to do on mine, but I've gotten through the initial hard part of churning out the first draft (and I've been told this is a milestone in itself, as most people who start novels never finish them). It's been a long process, but that phase is complete. What I'm focused on now is refining my ideas, characters, plots, etc. and making sure everything is coherent, tells the story I want to tell and has the capacity to hold a potential reader's interest.
It's taken me four years to even get to this point.
Why? Well, for starters, I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I made the decision to turn my idea into a novel. That said, I did a fair amount of floundering about until I learned more about the writing process and writing craft. And really, I'm still learning more about these things. It's a process. (It's why I started this blog and provided a readily available list of links for writers who are as new to this process as I was/still am!)
From what I've gathered from reading authors' blogs, books and online articles, a good idea can take anywhere from a couple of months to several years to develop into a finished novel. Some writers will discover they churn out novels rather quickly. Others like to take things a little slower. The fact that it's so far taken me more or less four years does not daunt me. For me, it's just a matter of putting in the necessary effort to finish my novel to my satisfaction.
How this will pan out if I ever become published, I'm unsure of. I imagine publishers have expectations with shorter deadlines than some four years, heh, but I'm keeping in mind that this is my first novel and I've been using this experience to learn how to write one in the first place. Writing the next should be a lot easier. Also, I've never written short stories before, so I didn't have the knowledge that often comes through that process to help me learn more about storytelling before diving into a ginormous freakin' novel.
Which is fine by me. I'm the tortoise in this race; I've already accepted this fact. But I will finish this novel, doggonnit! My subconscious mind will not let me rest until I do.
I know I'm not the only slow plotter in the world. J.R.R. Tolkien is notorious for taking a long time to complete his famous trilogy. In the extra content on the Inception DVD, Christopher Nolan said it took him about ten years to make his dream become a reality. Ten years. Granted, movies probably take a little longer to develop than some novels, but ten years is still a really long time for one idea. (Don't get me wrong; I'm not trying to compare myself to these guys. I'm just saying: Some ideas take longer to come into fruition.)
Personally, I thought the concept and story behind Inception was brilliant. I still like to watch the movie over and over again. I listen to the soundtrack, too, like it's my religion. Not for a moment did I lose interest in the storyline. And don't even get me started on the cliffhanger ending--scandalous. What's more, each character contributed something unique and important to the story and--added bonus--they were all exceptionally cool.
In my opinion, anyway.
Inspiration to Write a Novel
Reading other people's novels can be a source of great inspiration, but I've also found that movies, television shows and music can do the same. Heck, anything can spark an idea for a novel. The difficulty lies in taking your initial idea and turning into an actual story--because idea and story are not the same thing. Larry Brooks discusses this in an article he wrote on concept, and how that differs from premise and idea.
Getting an idea for a novel is just the beginning. Now you have to start making some plans to help you finish it.
Think you don't need a plan to finish a novel? Think again. *hovering clouds of doom and lightning, followed by an evil cackle and roll of thunder*
How About You?
So now you know a little more about me and where I'm at in my experience of learning how to write a novel. Perhaps I'll hear of yours? :D If you're writing a story, be it a novel, a short story or anything in between, what is it about? Can you sum it up in around 25 or so words? (Trust me, it's a lot harder than it looks.) Or how about stories that aren't necessarily yours? Any favorites that you can sum up? What makes that story unique?
February 2, 2011
Links on Writing
Please scroll down if you'd like to skip my preamble and see all the links.
Let me just start off by saying that the Internet is an amazing tool. It's ridiculous how much is out there nowadays. Really. (And it's free!)
Over the years I've done oodles of research into how to write a novel, a lot of it online. I knew absolutely nothing starting off and wanted to learn as much as I could. Along the way I kept track of all the useful websites I'd visited under my "Favorites" tab on Internet Explorer and I've been referring back to this collection of links ever since.
So, I figured, why not share the wealth?
If you're at all like me, having a voracious appetite for knowledge, then you might make great use of this resource. Please do! There are a lot of wonderful authors out there (like those listed on the right column of this blog) who have shared their knowledge via websites and blogs. If it weren't for them, I'd know next to nothing about writing.
Below is an extensive list of links to articles about writing. It is listed topically in alphabetical order (should be, anyway). That way, if you have a particular interest in one aspect of writing you can just look under that topic and browse accordingly. I plan on adding sites along the way if I come across new ones that I believe share information that might be helpful to fiction, particularly speculative fiction, writers.
Now, if you've taken a look at the list and already want to flee, I can recommend a few good sites for beginners (below) that go over the basics:
Larry Brooks does a great job of covering the basics—what he calls the Six Core Competencies of writing: concept, character, theme, story structure (plot), scene construction and writing voice—on his website, and it isn't particularly focused on any one type of genre. However, I do find his site a little difficult to navigate through at times. Still, it would certainly be a good start content-wise. Also, check out Holly Lisle's site for writers and Martha Well's list of links for beginners. (Martha lists some good books on writing to check out or purchase, too, if you get the chance.) Now, if you'd really like everything laid out in a straight line for you, then you should check out how-to-write-a-book-now.com because that's exactly what you'll get there.
Suite101 is another great free resource available to writers and has tons of articles written by professionals, not just on writing but on other topics like music, history and technology.
If anyone knows of any other links that would fit nicely on this list, do feel free to share and I will check it out and add it. I'll be sure to make a list of names to thank and credit for any additions. :)
Helpful Links for Writers:
Action Scenes
(Not sure what genre(s) you write in? Check out the "Genre Descriptions" article under All Genres. Still confused? Well, my friend, you might be writing cross-genre fiction. Many folks out there would agree that some genre definitions are a bit...vague to begin with. Do some research, read more in the field(s) you think your work fits in and maybe then you'll have a better idea of where your work fits it. We fledgling writers will need to know this eventually anyway if we plan on getting our work published some day.)
(You'll find some variances, depending on your source, and the guidelines in these links are pretty much similar, but ultimately you'll want to go with the publisher's guidelines.)
Keep in mind, too, that some of these links cover multiple topics and some are even from the author links I've posted on this blog.
If you happen to visit one website and find yourself liking most of the content on it, then why not add them to your favorites? I admit, I'm going to be putting up a ridiculous number of links and the thought of it overwhelms even me. Having a resident go-to how-to site, if you will, that you feel most comfortable with is a lot less daunting than having a huge list in front of you. (Though, I personally believe it's good to diversify and read from multiple sources, just to cross-reference information.)
Again, this is just a resource. What one writer may find immensely helpful another may think is useless and utter crap. I'm just putting it all out there because you never know what you might learn from someone else's perspective.
A Final Note
If there's one prominent thing I've learned in my experience so far, it's this: There is more than one way to write a novel or complete a story. Lots of these links will suggest multiple strategies for achieving results, and not all of them may work for you. As a new writer you will have to try different methods and learn what works best for you. It can be a tedious, frustrating process, but I believe that the writer who knows himself well will have a better time of knowing what to write and how to write it. Keep that in mind if you ever feel overwhelmed with your project because becoming a good (or rather a great) writer takes lots o' time.
I should know; I'm still trying to get there!
Let me just start off by saying that the Internet is an amazing tool. It's ridiculous how much is out there nowadays. Really. (And it's free!)
Over the years I've done oodles of research into how to write a novel, a lot of it online. I knew absolutely nothing starting off and wanted to learn as much as I could. Along the way I kept track of all the useful websites I'd visited under my "Favorites" tab on Internet Explorer and I've been referring back to this collection of links ever since.
So, I figured, why not share the wealth?
If you're at all like me, having a voracious appetite for knowledge, then you might make great use of this resource. Please do! There are a lot of wonderful authors out there (like those listed on the right column of this blog) who have shared their knowledge via websites and blogs. If it weren't for them, I'd know next to nothing about writing.
Below is an extensive list of links to articles about writing. It is listed topically in alphabetical order (should be, anyway). That way, if you have a particular interest in one aspect of writing you can just look under that topic and browse accordingly. I plan on adding sites along the way if I come across new ones that I believe share information that might be helpful to fiction, particularly speculative fiction, writers.
Now, if you've taken a look at the list and already want to flee, I can recommend a few good sites for beginners (below) that go over the basics:
Larry Brooks does a great job of covering the basics—what he calls the Six Core Competencies of writing: concept, character, theme, story structure (plot), scene construction and writing voice—on his website, and it isn't particularly focused on any one type of genre. However, I do find his site a little difficult to navigate through at times. Still, it would certainly be a good start content-wise. Also, check out Holly Lisle's site for writers and Martha Well's list of links for beginners. (Martha lists some good books on writing to check out or purchase, too, if you get the chance.) Now, if you'd really like everything laid out in a straight line for you, then you should check out how-to-write-a-book-now.com because that's exactly what you'll get there.
Suite101 is another great free resource available to writers and has tons of articles written by professionals, not just on writing but on other topics like music, history and technology.
If anyone knows of any other links that would fit nicely on this list, do feel free to share and I will check it out and add it. I'll be sure to make a list of names to thank and credit for any additions. :)
Helpful Links for Writers:
Action Scenes
- Action? Write spare to get the most. - Night Bazaar
- Thriller: Writing the Action Scene - FM Writers
- Writing Action Scenes - About.com
- Writing Action Scenes - Magical Worlds
- Agent Query
- Guest Blog: Ginger Clark on How to Handle an Offer of Representation - Nathan Bransford
- How to Find a Literary Agent - Nathan Bransford
- Publishers Marketplace (requires a monthly fee of $20 for access to some of the information, though not info on members--i.e. agents!)
- Dividing a Novel into Chapters - Suite101 (I'm guessing chapters then to be a bit longer for fantasy and epic fantasy novels, but this article is still good reading, I think)
- How Long Should Your Story Be? - Fiction Factor (general guidelines to go by)
- How to Write a Strong Novel Chapter - Suite101
- Antagonist in Fiction: He Is Powerful - Writing.com
- Building Character(s) - Deep Genre
- Characterization - Writing Corner
- Choosing Your Main Character and His/Her Essential Counterpart - How to Write a Book Now
- Creating Archetypal Characters To Fill The Dramatic Functions in Your Novel - How to Write a Book Now
- Creating Memorable Villains: Four Steps to Creating Unforgettable Fictional Bad Guys - Suite101
- Creative Writing Tips - Have You Established Your Main Character At The Start? - Advancing Women
- Defining and Developing Your Anti-Hero - Writer's Digest
- Direct vs. Indirect Characterization - Fiction Factor
- Fiction Writing: Characters Rule the Story - Men With Pens
- Fiction Writing: What Makes Readers Care About Your Characters? - Men With Pens
- Holly Lisle's Create A Character Clinic (requires an online purchase for the PDF file, though is quite affordable at $9.95 and very informative)
- How to Create Characters That Are Believable and Memorable - How to Write a Book Now
- Kameron Hurley, Author of God's War, on "Bring Me Your Heroes" - Omnivoracious (Kameron Hurley talks about anti-heroes)
- Realistic, Engaging Characters in Fiction: How to Build Character in Novels and Short Stories - Suite 101
- The Other in Fiction: Creating Wonderfully Wicked Villains - Horror Factor
- The Story Crucible: The Factor that Keeps the Character in Trouble - Suite101
- Villains - Fiction Factor
- Villains vs. Antagonists - SF Novelists
- Ways Minor Characters Improve a Story - Suite101
- What Are You Talking About? write here, write now (a look at gender and archetypes)
- Writing Authentic Male Characters - Superhero Nation (being female, I found this useful)
- Writing the Male Character - Fierce Romance (generalizations, though again, probably most useful to females)
- Reaching Climax in a Novel Requires Planning - Suite101 (it really does)
- Rising to the Occasion: the Climax of Your Novel - SFWA
- Troubleshooting a Weak Climax in a Novel - Suite101
- Troubles With the Plot Climax - Finding Figments
- Concept Defined - Writer's Digest (Larry Brooks; really an excellent article; also addresses the terms "idea" and "premise")
- Using Concept To Focus The Story - The Visual Writer
- Increase Character Conflict: Make Characters and the Story More Interesting By Increasing Conflict - Suite101
- How to Write Dialogue in Fiction - Associated Content
- Writing Compelling Dialogue in Fiction - Suite101
- Writing Effective Dialog - The Writer's Ezine
- Writing Excuses 5.20: More Dialog Exercises - Writing Excuses (podcast - 24min.)
- Elements of a Novel: Editing - Musik Therapie
- One-Pass Manuscript Revision: From First Draft to Last in One Cycle - Holly Lisle
- Revision Technique - NaNoEdMo
- Creative Writing Ends With Conflict Resolution - Suite101
- Editing - Suite101 (lists a whole collection of topical articles on editing)
- Writing the Novel – Guidelines for Effective Endings - Suite101
(Not sure what genre(s) you write in? Check out the "Genre Descriptions" article under All Genres. Still confused? Well, my friend, you might be writing cross-genre fiction. Many folks out there would agree that some genre definitions are a bit...vague to begin with. Do some research, read more in the field(s) you think your work fits in and maybe then you'll have a better idea of where your work fits it. We fledgling writers will need to know this eventually anyway if we plan on getting our work published some day.)
- All Genres / Genre in General
1. Fiction: Genre vs. Mainstream vs. Literary - Toasted Cheese
2. Genre Descriptions - Agent Query
3. Mainstream vs. Genre - SFF World (Kat G., a former agent for Penguin, sheds some light on the difference between the two in a discussion forum) - Fantasy
1. Fantasy Fiction - Suite101
2. Quality in Epic Fantasy - Strange Horizons
3. The Fantasy Novelist's Exam - RinksWorks (do take this with a grain of salt; use this list to help you lookout for common fantasy cliches in your own writing and aim for originality) - Literary Fiction
1. How to Create Literary Fiction - Absolute Write
2. Literary vs Commercial Fiction - Ezine @rticles
3. What Is Literary Fiction? Literary Editors Share Their Views. - Writing World
4. What Makes Literary Fiction Literary? - Nathan Bransford
5. What’s a “Literary” Novel? - Daily Writing Tips
6. Writing a Novel — The Literary Fiction Genre - Suite101 - Mystery
1. Whodunnit, Howdunnit, And Whydunnit: 10 Tips For Writing Your Mystery Novel - PoeWar (scroll towards bottom to see the article) - Noir Fiction
1. Noir Fiction: Money, Sex, and Revenge - The New Yorker - Romance
1. 20 Steps to Writing Great Love Scenes - Writing World - Speculative Fiction (Science Fiction, Fantasy, Alt. Historical Fiction & Horror)
1. Genre: Speculative Fiction - Suite101
2. Help! I Want To Be A Speculative Fiction Writer - The Dabbling Mum - Urban/Contemporary Fantasy
1. Contemporary Fantasy: Setting the Fantastic in the Everyday World - Writing World
2. Urban Fantasy - TV Tropes
- Bold or Italics? - Artemy Lebedev
- Guide to Grammar & Writing - Capital Community College
- Handling Internal Dialogue in Fiction: Using Quotation Marks and Italics to Express a Character's Thoughts - Suite101
- How to Correct Run-On Sentences & Comma-Splices: Ways to Identify & Punctuate Using Semicolons, Conjunctions, Periods - Suite101
- How to Use a Colon and Semicolon - Suite101
- Hyphen everything2.com (who knew there were so many types!)
- Parentheses in Fiction - Crawford Killian
- Passive Voice - unc.edu
- Punctuation Rules of English Ellipses and Braces - Suite101
- Semicolon Use - Suite101
- The Humble Hyphen - Punctuating With Hyphens, Em Dashes, and En Dashes Ezine @rticles
- The Proper Use of "Lay" and Lie" Grammar Tips (this eluded me for the longest time...)
- When and How to Use a Dash in Writing: Used to Interrupt, Introduce, Repeat, Separate & Clarify Sentences - Suite101
- Novel Writing Ideas: How to Get Them - How to Write a Book Now
- Writing Excuses 5.10: John Brown and the Creative Process - Writing Excuses
- Sanderson's First Law - Brandon Sanderson
(You'll find some variances, depending on your source, and the guidelines in these links are pretty much similar, but ultimately you'll want to go with the publisher's guidelines.)
- A Quick Guide to Manuscript Format - Writing World
- How to Format a Manuscript - Holly Lisle
- How to Format an Unpublished Novel in Word 2007 - eHow
- Manuscript 101–Introduction & Basic Manuscript Format - Kaye Dacus
- Carol Berg on Book Releases - Night Bazaar
- How to Create a Facebook Page in 3 Easy Steps - Author Tech Tips
- Your Blog as Stage: Building a Believable Author Brand - Storyfix
- Creative Writing: How Long Should Your Novel Be? - Ezine @rticles
- Uncle Orson's Writing Class: Novel Length - Orson Scott Card
- What Is the Ideal Novel Length? - Novel Writing Help
- Organic Plotting - Jodi Henley
- Organic Writing (mind-mapping) - From the Crow's Nest
- SOLVED: The Outlining vs. Organic Writing Debate - write to done (Larry Brooks)
- Holly Lisle's Novel-Writing School (yes, it's free)
- How To Create A Plot Outline In 8 Easy Steps - How to Write a Book Now
- Outlining Your Novel in Thirty Minutes - SFF Net
- Writing an Outline of Your Novel - How to Write a Book Now
- Multiple Points of View - Tara K. Harper
- Story Perspective - Storymind
- Conflict and Character within Story Structure: The Basic Three Act Structure - Musik Therapie
- Good Plots Take Time - Highlights Foundation
- How to Plot Your Novel - Spacejock
- Plot Development: Climax, Resolution, and Your Main Character - How to Write a Book Now
- Plots & Stories - Tameri
- Plot Versus Character: Which Drives the Story? - Hear Write Now
- STORY STRUCTURE: PART ONE (Asking the Right Questions) - SFF Net
- The "Basic" Plots in Literature - ipl2
- The Best Approach To Story Structure: From Aristotle to Dramatica - How to Write a Book Now (debatable, but still worth reading)
- The Story Goal: Your Key To Creating A Solid Plot Structure - How to Write a Book Now
- The Top Ten Plotting Problems - SFF Net
- Tips for Plotting: How to Create a Fascinating Plot for Your Story - Associated Content
- Writing Excuses Season Three Episode 12: Subplots - MBarker at Live Journal (transcript of a podcast discussion on subplots featuring fantasy author Brandon Sanderson; link to original podcast provided)
- Playing it Straight With Plot Twists - Dave King Editorial Services
- Pondering the Prologue: Should You Keep it or Kill it? - The Other Side of the Story
- Prologues – This Side of Hell - Behler Blog (from an editor's POV)
- The Prologue - When to Use One, How to Write One - Foremost Press
- Where to Begin? When, Where and How to Write a Prologue - Writing World
- CompletelyNovel (a combination self-publisher/social network; read a review by Self-Publish Review here)
- Lulu: Self Publishing & Book Printing Solutions (a review from PCMag here)
- Publishers Marketplace (requires a monthly fee of $20 for access to some of the info)
- The Pros and Cons of Self Publishing - Suite101
- To POD or Not to POD? Some Pros and Cons - Writing World
- How to Write a Query - Agent Query
- Query Letter #... - Call My Agent (an Australian literary agent posts some examples of query letters and explains what works, what doesn't and why)
- Avoiding Writing Scams - Night Bazaar
- Warnings About the Schemes, Scams, and Pitfalls That Threaten Writers - SFWA
- Scenes: The Building Blocks of Novels - Suite101
- The Essential Scene List - Kay Kenyon
- Writing in Scenes, Part 1 - Kay Kenyon
- Short Stories: 10 Tips for Creative Writers - Dennis G. Jerz
- Tips for Writing a Short Story - Write 101
- How to Write a Novel - Justine Larbalestier
- How to Write a Novel (Part 1) - DeepGenre
- How to Write a Novel - Spacejock
- How to Write a Novel: The Snowflake Method - Advanced Fiction Writing (not recommended unless you have a clear vision of your novel before starting)
- Stages of a Novel: Writing the Rough Draft - Katie Ganshert
- The Tyranny of the First Draft - Karen Miller
- What Starts a Story? - Kay Kenyon
- Writing Your Books In Multiple Drafts - AutoCrit
- Checklist: Elements of Literary Style - teachers.lakesideschool.org
- Passive Voice - unc.edu
- Send up the (Red) Flag: Words That Often Spell Trouble - The Other Side of the Story (gives some great examples of the problematic use of certain words)
- Style: the Rhythm of Prose - Fiction Factor
- Turkey City Lexicon – A Primer for SF Workshops - SFWA (meant for science fiction writers, though it has great pointers for writers in general; scroll down to "Part One: Words and Sentences" for the helpful stuff)
- How to Write a Synopsis - Writing-World
- Mastering the Dreaded Synopsis - Condensing Your Novel - Fiction Factor
- Synopsis vs. Outline - Fiction Factor
- Trilogy Synopses - Fantasy Factor
- Choosing a Theme for Your Novel - How to Write a Book Now
- Does Your Fiction Novel Have a Theme? - Men With Pens (a guest post from Larry Brooks)
- Finding Your Themes - Holly Lisle
- The Elusive And Confounding Core Competency That Is “Theme” - Storyfix (Larry Brooks again!)
- Plotters vs. Pantsers: How To Make Sure Writers Block Doesn't Kill Your Dream - How to Write a Book Now
- Writing Groups - The Writer Magazine
- A way with worlds: 14 - Creating new religions - SFF World (try to ignore the annoying ads)
- Choosing a Setting for Your Novel - How to Write a Book Now
- Creating Worlds, Part 1: Overview and Uniqueness - The Write Thing
- Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions - SFWA
- Holly Lisle's Create A Culture Clinic (requires an online purchase for the PDF file, though is quite affordable at $9.95 and very informative)
- Holly Lisle's Create A Language Clinic (requires an online purchase for the PDF file, though is quite affordable at $9.95 and very informative)
- How to Draw Nice Maps - Zompist
- On Religion in SF and Fantasy: An Interview with Orson Scott Card - Writing World
- The Mythopoet's Manual - Loren J. Miller
- Worldbuilder Questions - Lars Eighner (tip: try pressing Ctrl+A to highlight all text and make it stand out if it's too hard to make out on the graph paper background)
- Worldbuilding 201: Normalizing the Absurd - Kameron Hurley
Keep in mind, too, that some of these links cover multiple topics and some are even from the author links I've posted on this blog.
If you happen to visit one website and find yourself liking most of the content on it, then why not add them to your favorites? I admit, I'm going to be putting up a ridiculous number of links and the thought of it overwhelms even me. Having a resident go-to how-to site, if you will, that you feel most comfortable with is a lot less daunting than having a huge list in front of you. (Though, I personally believe it's good to diversify and read from multiple sources, just to cross-reference information.)
Again, this is just a resource. What one writer may find immensely helpful another may think is useless and utter crap. I'm just putting it all out there because you never know what you might learn from someone else's perspective.
A Final Note
If there's one prominent thing I've learned in my experience so far, it's this: There is more than one way to write a novel or complete a story. Lots of these links will suggest multiple strategies for achieving results, and not all of them may work for you. As a new writer you will have to try different methods and learn what works best for you. It can be a tedious, frustrating process, but I believe that the writer who knows himself well will have a better time of knowing what to write and how to write it. Keep that in mind if you ever feel overwhelmed with your project because becoming a good (or rather a great) writer takes lots o' time.
I should know; I'm still trying to get there!
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