Letters to KEL: YOU GOTTA HAVE A PLAN

Another simple, nifty little writing book to recommend to you.

Why?

Because it gives you templates, because it doesn't cover the entire gamut of what it means to be a writer, and because you NEED to know what this author is talking about.

SO YOU WANT TO WRITE A NOVEL, by J.P. Kurzitza. I got it as an e-book from Amazon. Short and easy to read.

The author deals with a very important part of writing your novel: the PLAN. You have to have some idea where you're going, what you want to do, and what has to happen at various points in your novel to keep the action moving forward. He includes essential questions you need to ask yourself before you start writing -- or, questions that must be answered before you send that book off to be published, or else your readers will be very upset with you.

For you pantsers out there, who break out in hives at the mere thought of that dreaded 7-letter word (outline!), you can use the templates included in the book as checklists after you've written the book, to see if you've provided the steps the author recommends. There are three templates, depending on the kind of story you want to write.

Template #1: Victories and Defeats
Template #2: Twists and Turns
Template #3: The Tragic Hero/The Absent Antagonist/Three Strikes

Good building blocks. Look for the book. Apply what works, and as I keep saying -- throw out what doesn't work for YOU.