Posted on November 22, 2013 at 11:23 am
Ideas! Ideas! Ideas!
Recently I was asked what would be the first things I would do to get started writing.
The first step is to get those idea down.
Then I remembered the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) event that’s held every year in November. The goal of the event is to write your book in one month. Yes, your whole book. 50,000 words.
How do you do that?
You write it down, all of it, as much as you can cover about the story, from beginning to end, without a break, without editing, without making sure all the facts are straight, allowing for diversions in plot, character, everything.
What this does that do?
It gives you a working outline, somewhere to go with the plot, and introduces you to your characters. Even though you’re the writer, you don’t know them as well as you should. No author does in the beginning. But as you get to know your characters, you realize that the way they act might actually change the plot, which is why your plot will probably also change during this time.
But does this actually work?
I give this an unqualified yes.
My second book in the Lorekeeper series, Steps of the Dance, was no more than two chapters long. But I began to see a huge number of things that I could do with those chapters if I developed them. Enough for a whole book? I didn’t know. But along came NaNoWriMo, and I gave it a try.
Now, after developing, editing, redeveloping, and refining my story, I have a book that is getting five-star ratings. I am VERY pleased.
So, your first assignment is: Write it down! All of it! Leave no stone unturned. Get it on paper or on your computer.
We will continue with more De-Scriber Workshop tools next month. Have a Blessed Thanksgiving!
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The De-Scriber Workshop isn't for you, even though you may take out a nugget or two. It's for beginning writers. I hope it does well.
And I wish you well in your writing efforts.
While I write short stories (other authors have suggested that I turn several of them into novels) swiftly with great passion, I find that writing a novel takes much longer. Probably because I don't spend enough time each day writing these days. And I find writing to contests to be too daunting like writing assignments for the many English classes I attended and have left far behind. I much prefer to write when the muse hits me, sometimes fast and furious and often slowly in spurts.
I am finishing up my autobiography. It has only taken 21 years so far. Based on the nature of the Internet, I plan to continually update and revise the copy that I will send from my website that will include photos, links, and movies. Sort of an interactive piece to complement the two-dimensional paperback.
And then I will get back to my next novel, usually taking about a year to complete, with a few short stories thrown in for good measure when I dream them up.
Ron