New Year holds a special regard in most of our minds as the time for resolutions - letting go of the past and planning for the future. A time to change the things we don't like and be strong in our resolutions to make our lives better.
I was reading something the other day on resolutions which suggested trying to make a resolution just for the month of January, as it more realistic and achievable. It takes us 21 days to make something a habit (if you do it everyday) so that leaves you with ten days in the month to plan, modify, reassess your resolution before it becomes habit.
I decided to have two resolutions - one for January and for the whole year. My January resolution was to write ten thousand words on one of my stories but seeing as I've already three and it's only the third I have modified that one. Now, I'm hoping to reach 25 000 words on a story I started last year by the end of the month. That's only 5000 words a week, which I think is entirely achievable. I'm only at 7626 words, but I'm feeling confident, especially with X still at home on holidays.
My resolution for the year is to complete at least ONE of my novels!! I'm so sick of having them all on the go, so I spent a good part of yesterday going over the plans, making sure that I'm happy with them and won't reach a point where I'll get bored/dissatisfied/inspired from elsewhere (fill in with the appropriate distracting adjective) and start all over again.
I also thought, seeing as I'm writing about resolutions anyway, that I'd write a bit about resolutions for writing a novel, for those of you who are interested (if you're not interested in writing a novel, that's okay, some of this advice will apply to any of your resolutions).
Step 1:
Plan - What type of novel do you want to write? The choices are vast and spending some time devoted to researching the different types of fiction is worthwhile, especially if you have absolutely no idea what you want to write. The basic storyline for any book is usually quite basic. Here are most of the popular ones:
a) I love you, I hate you, I love you - Romance
b) It's Bond, James Bond - Spy story/crime/thriller
c) Thou art too good and pure for mine affection - Historical Fiction
d) Out of this world - Science Fiction
e) General Fiction ( I couldn't think up any witty intro for this one, it's just general, alright?)
f) Classic or high literature - I'm including this one, because although I haven't read any lately, I'm sure people are still out there writing in the style of the great Russians/Dickens etc
Now this list isn't exhaustive so please don't messsage saying I forgot this or that, it's just an idea. When you have decided which one you would like to try writing you're ready to move onto step 2. (I really suggest you do it in this order, because I didn't and I've swapped genres so many times it's become a real hassle. In case you're wondering I've now settled on crime with a splash of historical thrown in for good measure :) )
Step 2:
Step 2 gives you a little bit of choice. You can plan your characters or your plot first - I think it's six one way, half a dozen the other.
But remember:
"You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club" -Jack London
So don't sit around waiting to be inspired - be disciplined as a writer and actively work to create your plot and characters. This will take some time, but don't give up. If it helps, read other works (although I suggest you don't read in the genre that you have chosen to write in as you may be tempted to borrow some ideas.
Step 3
I don't know about step 3. Some people will say plan, others will advise you to just start writing if that feels more natural to you. I've heard a lot of writers say, "I had no idea where it was going," or "I just started with this random scene, then built the story around that" (Diana Gabaldon was one of them!) Whatever works for you.
But I would advise that after you have done steps 1 and 2 don't wait too long before you start writing. You need to write A LOT. You need to re-read it A LOT. You need to edit it A LOT.
So get cracking!! And just so you know, here's the generally accepted guide on word counts:
Micro Fiction - up to 100 words (if you think it can't be done, here are some hilariously ingenious 6 word stories
Flash Fiction - 100-1000 words
Short Story - 1000-7500 words
Novellette - 7500-20 000 words
Novella - 20 000 words - 50 000 words
Novel - 50 000 - 110 000 words
Epics and Sequels - Over 110 000 words
(From Fiction Factor)
Here are some suggestions from the website of Carolyn Jewel - a romance author on how to go about writing your novel (or piece of fiction):
Find your working style and stick to it. Here's what works:
a) Start at the beginning and keep going until you get to the end
b) Start in the middle and work forward and backward until you're done
c) Start at the end and work backward until you're done
d) Start wherever you want and keep going until you're done
d) Outline everything in exquisity detail and then write the book in any of the above methods until you're done.
This can be summarized as: Start writing and don't stop until you're done.
Step 4:
The most important part of writing in most author's experience is the editing process. Re-read your work - is it believable? If it's not, you're going to lose the readers. Is it interesting? If you're bored reading it, then so are your readers. Is it grammatically correct? Most literary agents won't take on novels that have poor grammar, spelling, layout etc. It would have to be an exceptional story to fly on that account. In this regard your manuscript also needs to be formatted correctly. Here are Carolyn Jewel's thoughts on proper formatting:
- 1 Inch margins
- Left justified
- Double spaced
- 25 lines per page
- Begin each paragraph with a tab equal to 5 spaces
- For purists, a font of Courier New (12), for everyone else, anything easy to read
- Special Formatting - ie. if your manuscript includes a letter indent the whole passage
- Header and page numbering (Header should include your name, title of your book, chapter number/name)
- First page
- Example of first page (click on link here)
That's my advice on getting the book written. As for getting it published I cannot recommend highly enough that you look at Miss Snark's website. She does not post anymore but all of her advice and all the examples she has given is still available for wanna-be writers.
Good Luck - I hope the year of the Tiger brings you success and happiness!!
Love KV xoxox
P.S. A big thank you to Carolyn Jewel for her extensive advice on writing a novel.
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