| Perhaps you've had success writing short stories, | | | | to create a fantasy world? Ask JRR Tolkien or J. |
| poetry, or articles but you've never thought you | | | | K. Rowling. Maybe it would be better to write a |
| had the patience to write a whole novel even | | | | historical novel. Oh, no. Talk about research. This |
| though you've always wanted to. Okay. Here | | | | might go beyond days and weeks and months. It |
| goes. The first step in writing a novel as in any | | | | could take years. |
| writing project is to have an idea. Too often, | | | | Okay. Are you ready to start again? Where are |
| that's as far as it goes. Moving from the idea to | | | | we? Oh, yes. The setting. Make one up, based on |
| the written page is extremely difficult for many | | | | what you know and the places you've been. Now |
| people. The first thing you discover is that the | | | | you have an opening sentence, a paragraph, |
| blank page doesn't fill up in a hurry when you sit | | | | characters, and setting. But do you have tension? |
| down to write. | | | | Is there a problem to be solved? This is where |
| And if you're basing your story on a factual | | | | your story line comes in. You must lead your |
| setting, you run into snags at every turn. It | | | | characters through a dilemma and allow them to |
| becomes evident that you will have to research | | | | find the answers themselves. Try adding to the |
| the facts before you can begin. Thank goodness | | | | story each day, even if it's only a sentence or |
| for Google. Once you sign in to the Internet and | | | | two. As the story moves, the characters will |
| start researching, you could spend days looking up | | | | start leading you, and the first thing you know, |
| all the sites that fit your research needs. Maybe | | | | you have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Voila! |
| even weeks. Or months. Eventually, you probably | | | | You've written a novel. |
| won't even remember what story you wanted to | | | | Put the whole thing aside now, and start |
| tell. But you'll have a lot of handwritten notes. You | | | | something new. It's like making tea. It has to |
| might even have some new ideas for short | | | | steep. After a few weeks, look it over. Now the |
| stories or articles. | | | | real work begins as you go through it and start |
| Let's start again. The first step in writing a novel | | | | revising. It could take as long or longer to do this |
| is to have an idea. Right. Forget the research and | | | | as it did to write the novel in the first place. But |
| write your first sentence. Look it over. Would you | | | | this is the most important part. This is where |
| say it has a narrative hook? No? That means you | | | | your experience comes in, and when you have a |
| have to rewrite it. And rewrite. And rewrite. By | | | | completed piece of work that you are passionate |
| the time you have a perfect sentence, the whole | | | | about, you can start marketing it. It could take |
| story changes. In fact, it's so different that you | | | | days, weeks, months, or even years to find a |
| might have to do some research before you | | | | publisher, but don't give up. Perseverance pays off |
| write it. This could take days. Or weeks. Or even | | | | in the long run. Nobody said it was easy to be a |
| months. Okay, let's not worry about the opening | | | | writer. |
| sentence. | | | | In 1984, John Gardner wrote a book called "The |
| Let's start again. Write just any old first sentence, | | | | Art of Fiction" (Knopf) that had an enormous |
| and then keep writing until you have at least one | | | | influence on me. The book has been reissued and |
| paragraph. Look it over. Oh, no! How unfortunate. | | | | continues to be popular today. Many how-to |
| The characters in the story seem flat and | | | | books repeat the same old clichés - |
| one-dimensional. Who are they? What do they | | | | "Show, don't tell" being the most common, |
| look like? What is their family background? Before | | | | followed by "Use active verbs" and "Avoid too |
| you can continue, you have to create a family | | | | much description." But Gardner goes beyond the |
| tree. Each character requires a background from | | | | ordinary and shares with his readers the |
| birth to present day. This could take days. Or | | | | nitty-gritty of writing as an artistic endeavor. |
| weeks. Or even months. Okay, let's leave the | | | | The first time I read this classic, I was intrigued |
| characters the way they are for the time being. | | | | by it, but it wasn't until I became a professional |
| We'll just start again because you do need a | | | | writer and re-read it that I truly appreciated |
| setting in which to put your characters. Is this a | | | | Gardner's command of language and his simple |
| fantasy? Because, if it is, you have to create an | | | | but effective descriptions in the chapter called |
| entire world. Even if part of your story is set in | | | | "Common Errors," as well as topics such as |
| the real world and your characters travel to a | | | | rhythm, word choices, and building narrative |
| fantasy setting, you have to know where you | | | | suspense. Try it. You can only learn from it. It's all |
| are in the real world. And your characters have to | | | | about experience, perseverance, and commitment |
| be solidly in the midst of it before you can spirit | | | | in the writing field, and, as a result, the sense of |
| them off to fantasy land. And even in fantasy | | | | accomplishment that you feel when finally seeing |
| land, there must be boundaries determining how | | | | your novel in print can't be beat. Go for it. |
| far you can go. Do you know how long it takes | | | | |