tips on writing tuesday

What is the Process of Writing a Novel? Part 1 (Tips on Writing Tuesday #2)

One of my readers asked me last week, “How do you get from having a simple story idea to the completed manuscript?”

I talk to people all the time who have a wonderful book idea.  Unfortunately, they don’t ever see it come to fruition because they don’t know where to start.  The thought of going from a small ten word sentence to 150-300 page book is daunting…for all of us.

Almost three novels and hundreds of thousands of words later, this is the twelve step process I have become most comfortable with to get from point A to point B.  It will not work for all, but I believe within the list are tried and true principles that will work for most.  Over time, you will be able to adapt the list to fit your needs.

So you have a great idea for a story, now what?

A 12 Step Novel Writing Process
Part 1: Steps 1-6


1. Basic Story Arc – You don’t have to have it all down overnight.  Start small.  Who is the main character?  What is their goal?  What stands in their way?  How will they overcome and prevail (or not)?

2. Brainstorm – Now that our idea is more than a passing thought, we need to flesh it out even more.  What is the setting?  Who are other characters?  What makes them tick?  What is the conflict?  What genre?  Lots of notes and ideas will run together.

3. Scene Outline – This is where it gets hard.  A scene outline is a simple, step by step walk through of your story.  A one to two sentence description of each scene…that’s it.  So important, but easier said than done.

I look at this step much like story boarding for a movie.  A director is not going to start shooting a film until they know exactly what is happening, frame by frame.  As a writer, it benefits you to do the same.

I cannot stress this enough – your story is made up of scenes, a book is made up of chapters.

Write in scenes!  

A scene is a vital part of your story where characters interact.  Chapters are simply logistics you can figure out later as you put the book together.

4. Character Profiles – I used this step for the first time with Maiden, and I will never write another book without it.  How can you write a story about characters who have thoughts, feelings and dreams if you don’t have a very firm grasp on who they are, what they want, and how they get it?

Answer…you can’t.

I open up a word document with a page for each character and list traits, background, goals, and even a picture of who I would cast in that role if it were a movie.  For example, my current novel has a main character named John.  He is an honorable but flawed military captain I see as a cross between Captain Mal from Firefly and Arturius (Clive Owen) in the newest King Arthur movie.

5. Scene Summary – With a scene outline and a good grasp on character, now it’s time to expand.  A scene summary takes your one or two sentences and turns them into three or four paragraphs.  You are putting meat onto the bones and your characters and their story are coming alive.

By the end of the scene summary you know exactly what your story is about and all the major plot points.  You know when and how your characters interact with each other, when the bad guy gets in the way and when the good guy prevails, the climax and the ending.

It’s all right there.  All you are really missing is the dialogue to bring everything to life.  But before you start actually writing (and all this time you thought you were writing) you need to make a…

6. Synopsis – I would recommend a 1-page synopsis, but no more than 2-pages.  After outlining, profiling your characters, and creating scene summaries, you should be able to create a 1-2 page synopsis.

A synopsis is vital!  It’s the back of the book blurb that wets the appetite and paints a vivid picture.  It is your blueprint moving forward to pull out when times get tough and you can’t remember why you started writing in the first place.

Click here for Part 2 and steps 7-12.

If you have written a story, or have thought about writing one but haven’t started, I would love to hear about it.  Leave me a comment below.

When Do I Find Time to Write? (Tips on Writing Tuesday #1)

Over the last two weeks the question I have received the most, by far, is:

“When do you find the time to write?”

That’s a great question, and a question that anybody that is serious about writing needs to ask.  But more important than just asking the question, any serious writer needs to find the answer.

It takes time.

It takes patience.

It takes above all else, diligence and commitment.

How bad do you want to have the idea or the story that’s rolling around in your head on paper?  How intense is the feeling inside of you to share part of you with others?  Do you want to really bring your characters, your places, and other worlds to life?

If your desire to see a finished product is not strong enough, you will always be busy.  There will always be something else to do.  The things that you fill your time with will usually be good and worthy and things that need to get done, but it won’t be writing.  A day turns into a week, turns into a month, turns into a decade and the story you have “always wanted to write” is a nice dream that you tucked away.

But if you had set aside, say, 15 minutes a day, a few days a week, to write a hundred, two hundred, or five hundred words…the results are amazing.

The average page of a 6×9 book contains roughly 250 words.  If you are just typing away on your normal Word document without any special formatting the average page will have about 500 words.  That’s a lot of words!   Every book, whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, you have ever read has a story with A LOT OF WORDS!

So what is the answer to the question: “When do I find the time to write all those words?”

TODAY!

(and tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after…)

If you wait until tomorrow, then you will wait until next week, and then it will be next year.

Don’t wait.

Writing is methodic.

Writing is practice.

Writing is about being able to forgive yourself and commit to keep moving forward.

Above all else – when you make the time to do it – writing is rewarding.  Not just for you, but for those who want to read what you have to say.  I promise, there are others that want to read what you have to say.  The fact that you are reading this post proves it.

Start writing and keep writing, a little a time.

When are you going to find time to write?

PS – When do I find time to write?  Monday through Friday from 6am-7am and then I can usually fit in a few days from 4pm-5pm, right after work (yes, my REAL job).  This post is exactly 466 words, took thirty minutes to write, and about ten minutes to polish.