Rebecah
asked
Carol Goodman:
I am trying to write a book but I don't know where to start. I have ideas for the characters and plot but I'm not sure how to tackle the whole task. Any tips or ideas?
Carol Goodman
Hi Rebecah,
Starting can be hard! I often think about a book for months (sometimes years!) before I begin. What might help is to think about those characters and imagine them in different situations. Then think about the moment when their lives begin to change. Write that moment. Don't worry if this ends up being the first chapter of the book or not--you can always go back and write a different beginning. Just get started putting down scenes. Don't worry if you haven't got the plot all figured out yet--many writers, including myself, figure it out as we go along. Remember that you're writing a first draft. It doesn't have to be perfect--or even all that good. You can go back and make it better. Just get started and keep going--which I know sounds simpler than it is but that's really the first step. Good luck!
Starting can be hard! I often think about a book for months (sometimes years!) before I begin. What might help is to think about those characters and imagine them in different situations. Then think about the moment when their lives begin to change. Write that moment. Don't worry if this ends up being the first chapter of the book or not--you can always go back and write a different beginning. Just get started putting down scenes. Don't worry if you haven't got the plot all figured out yet--many writers, including myself, figure it out as we go along. Remember that you're writing a first draft. It doesn't have to be perfect--or even all that good. You can go back and make it better. Just get started and keep going--which I know sounds simpler than it is but that's really the first step. Good luck!
More Answered Questions
Tabitha Vohn
asked
Carol Goodman:
One of the things that I love so much about your novels is the lush physical description of the various settings (the fairy tale gazebos in Seduction of Water, the underwater statuary in The Drowning Tree, etc.) Do you imagine these settings entirely or are some based on actual locations you've visited?
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