If you’ve been dreaming of writing that novel, now is the time to put your dream into action~ If you’ve been dreaming of writing that novel, but didn't know how to get started, now you've got some help. Download 'Write Your Novel!' here: www.joanhallhovey.com/writeyournovel.html   1 hour. Award-winning author Joan Hall Hovey has written short stories, articles, novels published by a leading New York publisher, and been a creative writing instructor for over 30 years.  She has created this audiobook "Write Your Novel!" to help you write your own. Not that anyone can really know as much about your novel as you, but she can help you stay confident and even avoid some of the pitfalls that can await the new novelist at every turn. In WRITE YOUR NOVEL she talks about everything from getting the idea for a novel and developing it, to getting your novel published, with the hope that one day she'll be reading YOUR autographed novel.  *** Joan Hall Hovey is an award-winning novelist and creative writing instructor. Her new audio book is designed to help you WRITE YOUR NOVEL! "...one of the best writing aids I’ve come across in recent times..."Reviewer~ Lorraine Williams Lakeview Magazine Excerpt It's been over 20 years since I wrote my first novel LISTEN TO THE SHADOWS. I wrote it while expecting my youngest son, who is now grown and married, and typed the final version on an old Underwood typewriter. TOOLS - LONGHAND VS COMPUTER There's a lot to be said for the old methods, less distractions then when you're at the computer, and perhaps there is a more natural flow from the heart to the hand that holds the pen. Many writers think so, and still write their novels in longhand, or on a typewriter, needing to hear the click of the keys to tap into their creativity. But most of us have moved on to the computer, and with the delete button more convenient than crossing out a sentence or phrase you don’t want, and the ability to move sentences and paragraphs around, it definitely makes the actual physical act of writing faster and easier. I still like to pick up a pen for making notes, working out a scene or a plot problem. I like a 3-ring binder for this purpose. That way I can shift things around, move a scene I’d written to a different chapter because it works better in chapter 8 than in chapter 2. But it's not important what tools or methods you use, only that they work best for you. John Steinbeck insisted pencils must be round. Hexogonal pencils cut his fingers after a long day. Agatha Christie needed only a steady table and a typewriter. “a marble-topped bedroom washstand table made a good place, the dining-room table between meals was also suitable. There are as many approaches to writing a novel as there are novelists. And every novel has its own particular set of challenges. WRITING TRUE/YOUR VOICE Write your novel your way, out of yourself. It's much too hard to write a novel and not write the novel you really want to write. Trying to follow publishing trends is always a mistake. Anyway, by the time you finish your novel that trend may be over. Better to start your own trend. Don’t try to write like a ‘Writer’, by which I mean the way you think a good writer would write. That approach leads to pretentious, self-conscious writing. Don’t try to effect a style. Your style is you. Hemingway wrote like Hemingway, Faulkner like Faulkner. Steinbeck wrote like Steinbeck. Each of these writers had their own distinctive voice. Write like yourself, write true. Stephen King wrote as Richard Bachman because his publisher thought they were putting too much of his work on the market. One, or probably more than one of his fans, recognized King’s ‘Voice’. Stephen King’s voice is distinctly recognizable - a powerful engine that pushes the story forward, and keeps his readers turning those pages, book after book. It’s fine to emulate your favorite writers in the beginning, it’s how we learn. But we must eventually find our own voice. That is where the originality lies. Because each of us is an original human being. There has never been another you in the world, nor will there be. No one sees things quite the way you do, or responds to life’s experiences in quite the same way that you do. And that’s the gift you have to share with the world. Your perceptions, your heart and mind, your voice.

Professional Reviews
WRITE YOUR NOVEL!
Whether you're an aspiring or experienced author, a plethora of how- to material is available to help you with your writing. Some are excellent, many repetitive, several pompous. As an author and writing teacher, I examine such material regularly. This CD by New Brunswick author and writing instructor Joan Hall Hovey is one of the best writing aids I've come across in recent times, incorporating all the advice necessary to get you started.

First, you'll be struck by her friendly voice. That's important when you're settling down to hear an hour-long lecture. Hovey's tone is also authoritative and totally lacks condescension towards beginners. Rather, it's the opposite - she really challenges would-be writers to believe in their writing dreams, and then proceeds to tell them how those dreams can become a reality. As she puts it, "Tell your demons to take a hike!" but also warns, "You've got to hang in there. You've got to want it badly enough."

She next moves to the nitty-gritty of writing a novel, although the principles she elucidates apply to any genre of writing. She admits it's difficult to know where to start. "It's like skating with an octopus. What arm do you reach for first?" She warns us to stop talking about that novel we're going to write and start writing, explaining "once you've told your story, then there's really no need to write it!" Her practical tips include: setting up a three-ring binder so you can move scenes around, creating a comfortable writing area for yourself, and writing in your own distinctive voice. Forget about literary trends.

Other essential topics follow. Figure out what sort of novel you want to write. Decide whether you work best by outlining your story, or just write as it comes to you - beginning, middle or end chapters. What's going to be your point of view, or are you going to use more than one POV? What's your theme? Do you want the novel to be primarily driven by character or by plot? Do you want to start your novel with a bang, or are there other possibilities for an opening paragraph or chapter? Watch your dialogue - don't use passive voice excessively, go easy on the adverbs, avoid clichés and have a good dictionary and thesaurus handy.

Hovey stresses the importance of developing the characters and their motivations. She's adamant about creating discipline in your writing life. "Use at least two hours of your day writing." If you make it as automatic as brushing your teeth everyday, you could get two pages done a day. "In six months you could soon have a first draft ready." Pretty inspiring stuff!

She urges writers to join a writers group, where one finds mutual support. "Write about what you know emotionally." She also explains the concept of writing a STORY as opposed to an INCIDENT.

I don't want to give away the entire contents of this wonderfully instructive CD. However, everyone can benefit from her advice on other topics as 'Middle of the Novel Blues' and her reminder that great novels aren't written; they are RE-written.

She sprinkles these topics with generous concrete examples from her own and established writers' experience. If you've been hesitating to take the plunge into any kind of writing, this is the best shove you could get. Gird your loins, though. As Hovey reminds her listeners, the plunge is not for the faint of heart.

(To obtain the CD Write Your Novel, contact Joan Hovey's web site . You'll find instructions either to download the ebook from your computer for $3.99 or send for the CD for the same price, plus postage.)

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