OUTLINING YOUR THOUGHTS
You have a thought for your novel but you may feel frozen with how to get started. Every author has their own way of putting their story together and you will discover in time what makes you comfortable. Many of us just need a hand with taking the first steps. These writing skills, hopefully, will help get your fingers on the computer and lead you in the right direction.
First of all, begin today. Spend every day, or at least three days a week, with your writing. Put all things aside and come up with the best hours that give you time alone. Don't find excuses. Set a routine. As I mentioned before, forget the emails, television or talking on the phone during this time. Make this your number one project. Look at it as a job. Only you can want it. You'd be surprised how a half hour a day can not only give you the drive to continue but it will allow you to see it coming together. The ideas will just flow. That's what gives you the confidence to continue.
Start with a draft. Write down the title to the chapters. Giving your characters names will help with the plot. You will also discover what you want to have in your story. What details do you want to cover in the book?
CHARACTERS
Try to get your characters out right away so the reader will be drawn into your story. Describing them can be fun. Think of people you know. Watch their actions. Are they always happy, loving, sad, patient, miserable or just mean? What do they look like? How do they wear their hair, does the man ignore shaving or are their eyes their best features. Watch people you come in contact with at airports, stores, family gatherings or social events. Listen to their conversations. What are their body movements when they are reacting to the person they're talking to? Take notice to their expressions when they are fighting or showing anger.
Readers want to be pulled into a character. If they are mean and rotten, describe it. The worse you show them, the better the reader likes it. They also enjoy reading about the poor abused person, but at the same time, they want to look forward to when the character comes out fighting. Show the change in their personality when they are hurt. What made them weak?How does that person feel inside?
Using action words is what editors mean when they say "Show don't tell." You're going to hear this a lot from other authors, especially in writer's groups. Don't' talk about how someone got beat up or was hurt with a break-up. Describe it in detail: How was their facial reaction when they got angry. If it was a woman, did she cry or yell? Describe her feelings in detail. Don't tell about it. Readers want to feel the emotion of a situation as though they're right there. Pull them in!
Watch what's happening around you. Do you witness a car accident? Was someone crossing the street to cause the two cars to come to a screeching stop? Describe the scene. Watch a person's actions during a conversation. Did the person talk with their hands or were they being ignored by others around them? A complete stranger you come across can become a wonderful character in your story.
Don't add a character if they aren't contributing to the story. If they're distanced from the events, omit them. Readers don't want to be searching for that person and be left wondering what happened to them.
PLOT
Now you need a plot. Plots are the major events that change direction unexpectedly. Without a plot, you have no story. You must show it throughout. There are three sections to a plot. The first is the complication. That's the main reason for telling the story. The second is describing the crisis in detail. The last part is the solution to solving the problem; whether it be a mystery, romance novel or a memoir.
RESEARCH
Be careful on doing a research. Have you ever gone on the internet to find information and found yourself tied up for hours because you may have gone from one topic to another? You may suddenly realize that you've gone from one link to three. This completely takes you away from your writing and it can also confuse you on what you were looking for in the first place. Get what you need and go back to writing. If you can't find it, make a note on the site and go back for it at another time.
POSTING THOUGHTS
I keep the last page of my writing just to add any thought or event that immediately comes into my head. I call it my "Light Bulb" section. As soon as it hits me, I paste it on this page so the idea wouldn't get lost. This way I didn't have to work on it the instant it had hit me. I could blend it into the story anytime. You'd be surprised how long the list can be. That's okay. You can always delete a section if it doesn't seem important to the story. At least the idea will remain with you.
EDITING
Don't spend hours trying to edit your work as you go along. Just write what's in your head. You'll be returning numerous times to change things. Get the ideas flowing first. Editing will make you lose your train of thought. You can highlight a thought in the middle of a sentence in bold. It will stand right out when you return later to find it. Editing will be your last process.
These few suggestions should get you moving to start that novel. You've put it aside long enough. It will never become a book if you don't write. Don't talk about it...do it.
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