Pauline Rowson's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing-a-novel"
Some tips for writing a novel
Many people love writing and many would like to tackle writing a novel but are not sure how to do it. The Internet is packed full of writing advice and there are conferences and courses where you can pick up some valuable tips. Of course, this is no substitute for actually doing it. So here are a couple of tips for anyone wishing to dip their toes in the water.
Start writing
No excuses. Start writing. Make time to write. That could be early morning before you go to work or get the children up, lunchtimes, evenings or just a couple of hours at the weekends, but you must write. Rather obvious, I know. When I was working full time and running my marketing and training business I could only write on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. But I was fortunate to be doing that and religiously I would write, because I loved doing so. I didn't have a word count. I just did the best I could for that day. I also carried a Dictaphone with me while working, and when stuck in traffic jams travelling between client appointments I would dictate my ideas, plot outlines etc. into it and would jot down characters and plots in a notebook during my lunchbreaks. I still always carry a notebook with me and now have the luxury of being able to write every day.
Write the first draft quickly
The first creative draft is often the most enjoyable and the most painful because you have so much in your head that you want to get down on to paper or computer screen and yet you might have gaps in the plot and in character development. I also like to research as I write my marine mystery crime novels so that will hold things up a bit. However, the key is to get an outline down as quickly as possible probably within four months. This will be a very rough draft with incorrect spellings, missing words and the character motivations and descriptions not fully formed. The key is in letting the creative juices flow, just brain dumping them on to the page.
Don't give up on it
You'll have good days and bad days but don't give up. Set yourself a goal to finish that first draft no matter what. Also give yourself a time frame to work to: four months, a year, two, whatever suits you. If you get stuck either write through it, go for a walk, do some gardening or cleaning, knitting, sewing or anything you enjoy but which also lets your mind continue working in the background. Then return to your writing. And keep writing.
Blood on the Sand
Start writing
No excuses. Start writing. Make time to write. That could be early morning before you go to work or get the children up, lunchtimes, evenings or just a couple of hours at the weekends, but you must write. Rather obvious, I know. When I was working full time and running my marketing and training business I could only write on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. But I was fortunate to be doing that and religiously I would write, because I loved doing so. I didn't have a word count. I just did the best I could for that day. I also carried a Dictaphone with me while working, and when stuck in traffic jams travelling between client appointments I would dictate my ideas, plot outlines etc. into it and would jot down characters and plots in a notebook during my lunchbreaks. I still always carry a notebook with me and now have the luxury of being able to write every day.
Write the first draft quickly
The first creative draft is often the most enjoyable and the most painful because you have so much in your head that you want to get down on to paper or computer screen and yet you might have gaps in the plot and in character development. I also like to research as I write my marine mystery crime novels so that will hold things up a bit. However, the key is to get an outline down as quickly as possible probably within four months. This will be a very rough draft with incorrect spellings, missing words and the character motivations and descriptions not fully formed. The key is in letting the creative juices flow, just brain dumping them on to the page.
Don't give up on it
You'll have good days and bad days but don't give up. Set yourself a goal to finish that first draft no matter what. Also give yourself a time frame to work to: four months, a year, two, whatever suits you. If you get stuck either write through it, go for a walk, do some gardening or cleaning, knitting, sewing or anything you enjoy but which also lets your mind continue working in the background. Then return to your writing. And keep writing.
Blood on the Sand
Thinking is an essential part of writing
You think about the plot and sub plots. You think about the characters and their motivations. You think about the weather and the time of year the novels takes place. And you think about the locations. In fact you think about everything there is to think about when writing a novel, and rather than spending my time sitting in a room and staring out of a window thinking, I prefer to do most of mine while walking. Not only does this help to keep me fit but it's a well known fact that exercise also improves one's mental powers.
In addition, thinking while walking has the added advantage of getting good location description, as well as providing descriptions of the weather. It also means coming across some very interesting characters, who might inspire a character/s in my novel. These aren't necessarily main characters but usually secondary or walk-on characters. It might be just a glimpse of someone walking over the Downs, strolling along the promenade between Sandown and Shanklin on the Isle of Wight, or striding out along the Hayling Island Coastal Path. Or it might be someone I end up talking to on the train, or in a cafe or shop.
The other morning on the train from Shanklin to Ryde (after a seven mile walk)I made a study of people's toes and found it quite fascinating. Of course this can only be carried out in the summer months in England. There were deformed toes, tattooed toes, dirty toes, painted toe nails and toes with long nails, (mine were safely ensconced in walking boots). As a creative writing exercise I could simply list these and ask students to form visual descriptions of the owners of the toes and then pen character sketches of them. It would be fascinating to see what the students came up with.
Then I made a study of the faces belonging to the toes, surreptitiously I might add, I didn't want to be accused of staring. There were youthful faces, worried faces, alcoholic faces, and vacant faces. And that's just the edited version of the descriptions I tucked away in my mind. It's all good stuff for the next and future Andy Horton marine mystery crime novels.
In addition, thinking while walking has the added advantage of getting good location description, as well as providing descriptions of the weather. It also means coming across some very interesting characters, who might inspire a character/s in my novel. These aren't necessarily main characters but usually secondary or walk-on characters. It might be just a glimpse of someone walking over the Downs, strolling along the promenade between Sandown and Shanklin on the Isle of Wight, or striding out along the Hayling Island Coastal Path. Or it might be someone I end up talking to on the train, or in a cafe or shop.
The other morning on the train from Shanklin to Ryde (after a seven mile walk)I made a study of people's toes and found it quite fascinating. Of course this can only be carried out in the summer months in England. There were deformed toes, tattooed toes, dirty toes, painted toe nails and toes with long nails, (mine were safely ensconced in walking boots). As a creative writing exercise I could simply list these and ask students to form visual descriptions of the owners of the toes and then pen character sketches of them. It would be fascinating to see what the students came up with.
Then I made a study of the faces belonging to the toes, surreptitiously I might add, I didn't want to be accused of staring. There were youthful faces, worried faces, alcoholic faces, and vacant faces. And that's just the edited version of the descriptions I tucked away in my mind. It's all good stuff for the next and future Andy Horton marine mystery crime novels.
The stages in writing a novel - I'm at the 'excited' stage
Each stage of writing brings with it its joys and frustrations. I'm at the 'excited' stage at the moment where I've worked up several ideas for the next DI Andy Horton marine mystery crime novel, which will be number nine in the series and my eleventh crime novel. I've sketched out some key characters, and the theme is developing nicely. I have a body, and a location, which is, as usual, Portsmouth, England and the Solent area on the South Coast of England. There are other inicidents knocking around in Portsmouth CID; Andy Horton is on his Harley, still getting aggravation from his ex wife, and trying to put together pieces of his past and the mystery of his mother's disappearance, and Sergeant Cantelli is back from his holiday. It's the beginning of September.
The next stage is 'bashing it out' where I'm trying to get as much of the story written and as quickly as I can while the ideas are there and I'm keen to see how it all hangs togther. Many writers find this first draft frustrating and a bit of a pain and I've often wished I could brain dump straight on to computer, perhaps one day we will be able to do this! For now it's fingers to the keyboard, for me. I'm pleased to say that I now have the first three chapters written, just over twelve thousand words, and I'm starting on chapter four. In between writing the first draft I'll be doing some location research, some more plotting and further general research.
Once the first draft is written, I can relax a little and start to flesh out and shape the novel. This takes many revisions and often further research until finally I check that everything hangs together, all the unanswered questions have been answered and that the words and phrases used are the correct ones. All in all usually a nine month process for me.
Meanwhile DI Horton number eight is with my editor and DI Horton number seven, A Killing Coast has just been published in hardcover. You can check the order of novels in the DI Horton series and get more details on all my crime novels and other books on my web site at http://www.rowmark.co.uk
A Killing Coast
The next stage is 'bashing it out' where I'm trying to get as much of the story written and as quickly as I can while the ideas are there and I'm keen to see how it all hangs togther. Many writers find this first draft frustrating and a bit of a pain and I've often wished I could brain dump straight on to computer, perhaps one day we will be able to do this! For now it's fingers to the keyboard, for me. I'm pleased to say that I now have the first three chapters written, just over twelve thousand words, and I'm starting on chapter four. In between writing the first draft I'll be doing some location research, some more plotting and further general research.
Once the first draft is written, I can relax a little and start to flesh out and shape the novel. This takes many revisions and often further research until finally I check that everything hangs together, all the unanswered questions have been answered and that the words and phrases used are the correct ones. All in all usually a nine month process for me.
Meanwhile DI Horton number eight is with my editor and DI Horton number seven, A Killing Coast has just been published in hardcover. You can check the order of novels in the DI Horton series and get more details on all my crime novels and other books on my web site at http://www.rowmark.co.uk
A Killing Coast
The Perfect System For Writing A Novel
All writers have different ways of working and finding the ‘perfect system’ for planning, researching, plotting, structuring and writing a novel is often a matter of trial and error until something clicks. That’s how it was for me anyway.
Before I struck on my 'perfect system' I tried all sorts of ways of compiling my research, plotlines, and character outlines, from using note books to wall maps, from card indexes to ring binders. None of them worked. The ring binders looked nice and neat, all properly indexed, but because of my civil service training my mind told me that something in a file, was 'filed away,' and therefore actioned, finished with and a novel is a work in progress.
Read full article on my website blog at http://www.rowmark.co.uk
Death Lies Beneath
Before I struck on my 'perfect system' I tried all sorts of ways of compiling my research, plotlines, and character outlines, from using note books to wall maps, from card indexes to ring binders. None of them worked. The ring binders looked nice and neat, all properly indexed, but because of my civil service training my mind told me that something in a file, was 'filed away,' and therefore actioned, finished with and a novel is a work in progress.
Read full article on my website blog at http://www.rowmark.co.uk
Death Lies Beneath
