Writing a novel

Writing a novel can be one of the most rewarding experiences you can have. Many people want to write a novel. They sit down with great intentions of writing the work to finish it, hoping to get it published. What beginning writers don’t know is that writing a novel is a time consuming task. It is not something they are going to finish in a week or two. It takes, time, dedication and determination to write 50,000 plus words. The writing can take an unexpected turn because the characters have a mind of their own and want to take charge of the story.

It is at this point that you can become discouraged and throw the project in. Usually, the discouragement for me comes from not understanding my characters and their motives, or I can get lost in where the story is taking me. Here are four steps I follow to resolve this issue:

1. I stop writing and take a long hard look at what I’ve already written. Sometimes I’ll find a scene hasn’t quite done its job to hold up the plot to keep the story moving forward. I review the scene to see why it’s not doing the job I wanted it to do. I check the structure of the scene and ask what is the purpose of this scene? I re-write until I get it just the way I want it. Sometimes this process can take many drafts, so I keep calm by taking a few deep breaths, I go for a walk to clear my head, and most of all I’ve learnt to be patient. All that re-writing is worth it.

2. I don’t know my characters as real people. Sometimes I haven’t gone into my character’s personality to understand them at a deep level. This means knowing how they will react with various situations. Do I know how they are going to react when they meet a homeless person in the street? Is my character going to be repulsed because the homeless person is looking unkempt? Will my character be open and friendly? Or will my character ignore that person and walk right past because of private prejudices? It’s important to know how your character will react in this situation. Your character’s reaction will determine where the story goes. When you let your character take charge of the story, i.e. character driven story, you will find the story will write itself. When the writing flows and you are racing behind them writing as fast as you can to keep up, is knowing your character at a very deep level.

3. Are you being congruent with the theme of the story? Perhaps your character has shown themselves as wanting something that is outside the theme of your story. You may need to ‘interview’ your character to find out why they are acting in that way. Sometimes, especially if the motivation is well outside your original theme, you may need to rewrite a lot of your work to be consistent with the theme of your book, or worse, change the theme. This may require many, many hours of extra work, but trust your instinct and do the work.

4. Sometimes I can be impatient, wanting to get the words done quickly. While I’m writing I have a niggly feeling I’m putting words down for the sake of getting my daily word quota done. This is where I push my keyboard away, take up a pen and paper and write by hand. The physical writing by pen and paper slows me down physically and mentally; slowing my breathing slows my mind. This process helps me to re-align with my heart and the love for my characters. It’s amazing how this slowing down creates more space for my thoughts as my heart and mind begin to listen to, and hear each other.

A gentle reminder: writing a novel is not easy, there will be starts and stops and starts, as you get to know your characters and the interactions they have with each other. This is the fun part of writing a novel. Enjoy the process and reward yourself when the work is done.

COVID-19, Moving House and Writing

Gold Coast, Australia

Welcome back!

A lot has happened in the world with COVID-19, and in my own personal life since I posted on January 31 2020. My goodness is it really two months ago! My sincere apologies if you have been waiting for further posts.

My life has been busy with moving and all the challenges that come along with that. I am now back on the Gold Coast after being away for three years, meeting new people, doing research for my next book and also learning to paint with water colours for my future projects. The painting is going to take some time to perfect. Just like writing, it takes practice and it takes time. I have never been one to let a challenge go by.

So here I am back on the Gold Coast, settling back to my writing projects and adjusting to life with the COVID-19 restrictions. I love art work, so my paintings are in position on the floor ready to hang. That’s my job this weekend. The veggie patch has been turned and sown with broad bean seeds, and tomato seedlings, with rocket and peas to follow in the next couple of days. I am grateful for the sunny position of my garden beds that promote photo-synthesis for healthy plant growth. Let’s hope I get a bumper crop so that I can share with my neighbours.

So back to writing and regular posts from now on to encourage you to write and express yourself in the way that you want to. I want to re-cap on my last post. How did you go with the exercises? Please leave any comments below. I really want to hear from you what problems you may be having with your writing. I am here to help.

1. Do you like words, and are you up to speed with your grammar? Have you found a good book that will help you in this area. A good place to start is “The Elements of Style” by William Strunk Jr. and E.B White. This is a small book containing an index that is really helpful for finding what you are looking for quickly. For all of you who love working with online technology you might like to try Grammarly. You can have this app turned on while you are working or you can post text into the program to check for any grammatical errors. Please be aware that you don’t have to follow all the ‘rules’. Sometimes it comes down to your personal writing style and any art you want to put into your writing. More about that in future posts. Let’s not get too hung up on grammar at this stage. Let’s get the project written before you start revising your writing and developing your style. Take a few minutes a day to study a point in grammar to fine-tune your skills.

2. How many books have you read in the two months since I posted? Have you begun reading every day? What are you reading? I am reading “Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself” by Dr. Joe Dispenza. This book has some interesting information about how our brain works. I read in all genres: fiction and nonfiction. Reading helps you understand other writers’ styles and help you to develop your own.

3. How is your writing practice coming along? Are you managing to find at least ten minutes every day? I hope you are finding those ten minutes are extending into half-hours and then into hours as you get in the zone. New habits can form from regular practice over twenty-eight days. Is writing a regular practice for you now?

4. You may be a writer who likes to revise as you go. While I don’t encourage revising until the first draft of your project is done, I have heard some writers like to revise as they go. Having tried both ways, I have found it is more beneficial for me to complete the project before I go back to revise. Revising during the first draft slows me down considerably and I lose the momentum of the writing. Some writers revise the work they did the previous day before they start the present day’s work. They say reviewing helps to get them in the zone more quickly. The first few months or years of your writing career is to find what works for you, so try different ways and work with what comes naturally for you, and be open to change as you become more experienced.

I encourage you to keep writing, even though it can be slow going sometimes. Perseverance is the name of the game. Until next week, happy writing!