Zoe Belew's Blog, page 3

Fiction Addiction- How Do You Write A Novel?

What is the best way to start a novel?

Truthfully, there is no right or wrong way to sit down and start a novel, or any story for that matter- poetry, novellas, short stories, etc. Writing is entirely subjective, no matter what the intent for the story or idea is. The endgame of writing is this: write, write, write. Most writers do not simply sit down and jump straight into writing. Most have a plan, an outline, that they follow to allow for easier structure and flow of the story. As the writer of my first upcoming novel, I know that there is a lot of work put into writing and perfecting any piece of work. Still, I know of a few strategies that writers can use to create and form their very own masterpiece in the form of poetry, novellas, or complete novels.

1. Inspiration- This alone can throw people off to the idea of writing. That being said, no story can be written without some form of already grasped inspiration. As such, there are a lot of ways one can find inspiration. A walk in the woods can lead to a story of a family who loses their child on a camping trip. A hectic day in school can help inspire the story of the average student who turns into the teen heart breaker thanks to some help from friends. A simple conversation can lead to many avenues a story can take. The inspiration is where the thoughts stem for a story, and it is very important that this comes first. However, inspiration cannot be forced. It has to be waited on to be properly utilized.

2. Brainstorm/Outline- Despite what I said earlier, this is actually entirely optional. However, it is important to have some idea of where a story is going to end up, even if all those ideas are stored mentally. By creating an outline or a storyboard, a writer can ensure that the story will fall in an adequate that makes sense to both the writer and the reader. This is important for the structure and overall base of the story as this is the time when the story can start coming together.

3. Write, Write, Write!- This is I start stressing things. Once the inspiration has hit and the outline is accepted (to an extent; it can be changed), the story can begin to be written. This is when the writer takes all the storyboard articles and writes around them by adding scenes in between the broad ideas and overall concept to reach a main goal. This is the step that takes the longest. An average 300 page book can be written in three months with three days written a day. Not to mention all the reworks and such that the writer is sure to put in as this process continues, though the big changes tend to come in the next step. It is important to write something- anything- every single day. The writing stage must be taken with great discipline. You must be prepared to write if you are really serious about trying to build your book up to perfection.

4. Big Changes- This step occurs at the end of the first draft. This is the step where scenes can be added, deleted, or rewritten to match the stories concept as a whole. Major edits such as continuity issues and such are also fixed at this time.

5. Edit 1- First edits are where the writer hones in on the bigger, but still gritty, details of the draft. This is where the book is perused for massive errors from continuity issues to grammatical errors. The story is only skimmed at this time, however, so the truly minuscule issues are not fixed at this time.

6. Edits 2- This is when you rip the now second draft from your hands and fork it over to someone else. Yes, you read that correctly. By the time the major issues are fixed, the draft must be handed off to other eyes for closer perusal. I recommend getting, at minimum, two to three different editors. Give them strict instructions to only check for issues in plot as well as grammatical issues. They are definitely looking for typos! This is when the tiny details are taken into account. The end of this stage will bring about the existence of the third draft.

7. Edits 3- Once the story is returned with edits in hand, the writer begins to add these edits to the story, as well as ignoring certain edits. Editors are not always right! It is your story, and they have no right to change every single word of it. That being said, grammatical issues should be fixed! The fourth draft comes out now.

8. Final Edits- You are finally getting as close to perfection as possible! This stage is when a writer should be able to peruse their work thoroughly and find minimal mistakes, if any. By the fifth draft, the story should be coming to a close. Even so, extra edits are also implied here as far as grammatical errors. Otherwise, the content itself should be pretty set in stone by this version of the story.

9. Title- I’m sure some of you are scratching your head right now. Still, you decide on the title after the entire story has been written. In doing so, there is a better chance of picking and sticking with a certain title instead of changing it numerous times. At this stage, you should look at your novel as a whole. What quality does it represent, if any? Is there a certain word used in it a lot that classifies the whole story? From these types of questions, a writer can ascertain what the title of the story should be.

10. Move On- This is the stage where you format your story as a manuscript and begin sending it out. I am going to be a self published author. That being said, I have had a few run-ins with publishers, and I found the experience very not enjoyable. However, this is where you will format the manuscript, a query letter, an outline (if called for), and send it out. From there, it is up to the publishers!

Alright, everyone, there are ten steps to starting and working through writing your own novel! I hope these tips helped, and if you have any questions, add a comment- if possible. I will try to answer what I can!

Best of luck to all you writers like myself out there.

Happy reading!

~ Zoe

* Zoe is the author of her upcoming novel, Decimation, which debuts later this year *