| If you are stalled with your novel writing plans, | | | | is just thinking and perhaps jotting down notes. |
| forgive yourself and start moving upward and | | | | There is no right or wrong answer about theme. |
| onward with your writing. Some of you are | | | | It's your story...make it what you want. But look |
| working on a novel in progress. Just pick up | | | | into yourself and your feelings and attitudes so |
| where you left off and begin writing. If the novel | | | | that you know how you feel about the meaning |
| is finished and you want to reshape it, then | | | | of your novel. |
| instead of writing, take a red pen and sit down | | | | Example: |
| with a print out of the book. And begin to read it. | | | | "But I just want to write about how I met the |
| Make notes in the margin as you go. Side note: If | | | | love of my life." |
| you began with your hero or heroine waking up in | | | | "Why?' |
| the morning and getting out of bed, preparing for | | | | "Because it was so unusual." |
| the day in which his or her life changes, thus | | | | "Why?" |
| setting the stage for the novel, throw out that | | | | "Well, there I was in New York City and I met |
| scene. It's the kiss of death to begin a novel with | | | | this guy and it turned out that his roommate was |
| that scene. | | | | from my home town so we met and I was |
| Ideas for novels are everywhere. Once you get | | | | thinking how odd that I had come all this way to |
| the idea, you have to focus on the principal | | | | the big city and there I was, meeting the guy |
| subject matter of the idea. Even more, you have | | | | from down the block." |
| to understand your own attitude toward the | | | | "It's a coincidence. What makes it unusual?" |
| subject matter and your attitude should be strong | | | | "Well I fell in love with the first guy I met, not the |
| and clear. | | | | guy from down the street in my hometown." |
| Example: I want to write a novel about Elvis. The | | | | "And what's unusual about that?" |
| principal subject matter is an ordinary country boy | | | | "Oh - the thing is, I don't believe in romantic love. I |
| who captures the imagination of millions of people. | | | | think it's just a scam dreamed up by advertisers |
| My attitude is that people need heroes for very | | | | to sell perfume and flowers and things like that. I |
| personal reasons. | | | | was just caught up in the coincidence of meeting |
| The next step is to come up with the approach | | | | this guy from my home town and because we |
| you want to take. Why do you want to write this | | | | knew each other we started hanging around |
| book? You need a statement of purpose to | | | | together and I kept meeting his roommate and |
| clarify your approach. | | | | then he moved out and suddenly I realized I |
| Example: My purpose in writing about Elvis is to | | | | missed him and that I was in love with him and it |
| prove that people need heroes so badly they will | | | | was very unusual. And then I discovered that he |
| refuse to acknowledge the reality of the heroes | | | | moved out because he was falling for me but |
| they chose. | | | | didn't think I cared so he wanted to get away |
| My theme is fame. My approach to fame is that | | | | from me before he got too attached to me." |
| people in our society need fame so badly they | | | | That's how it goes - you keep talking to yourself |
| create people to carry fame for them without | | | | about the novel you want to write until you chase |
| any regard for how those people really feel. | | | | down the core of it. This example above seems |
| The first important step is to focus yourself on | | | | to have this theme: love is more powerful than |
| your theme. If you are writing a romance novel, | | | | reason. That's the theme as I see it. You may |
| the theme most likely will be love. Your approach | | | | see it in another way entirely. But how we see it |
| to love should be positive. Otherwise, you will be | | | | depends on our life experience and attitudes. |
| writing fiction that you don't believe in. At this | | | | There is no right and wrong. What we take from |
| stage, where you begin in your first appointment | | | | something is a reflection of our personality. |