So You Want to Write a Novel (or Short Story)?PRESENTED BY AMANDA SAWYERPORT CITY WRITERS GROUPOSWEGO PUBLIC LIBRARY

You Need…

An Idea!It’s a good idea to make a document on your computer (in a word processor) or on Google Docs where you can list your ideas.

Or if you prefer, carry a notebook around with you all the time so that if you have an idea, you can jot it down.

Notes and voice recording applications on your phone work too in a pinch.

Don’t have an idea??? Try one of these!• Free writing• Observe your surroundings• Writing prompts

Know Your AudienceWho are you writing for?

• Children (pre-k – 2nd grade)

• Middle Grade (grades 3-6)

• Young Adult (grades 7-12)

• New Adult (around ages 18-25)

• Adult

• Or a combination• Some books cross over and are

appealing to more than one audience or age range.

• No matter what your audience is– write with them in mind.

Know Your GenreFiction Non-Fiction

• Contemporary• Romance• Sci-fi• Fantasy• Crime/Thriller• Historical fiction• & more!!!

There are so many options, or you can combine multiple

genres.

• Memoir• Biography• Autobiography• History• Manual (or how-

to)• Educational

To Pants or to Plan… That is the question

Pantsing• A flying by the seat of

your pants approach to writing--- anything goes.

• Allowing your story to flow or develop naturally.

• However, sometimes this makes for a super sloppy first draft.

Planning• Outlining

• Some choose to go into a lot of detail, outlining every scene

• Character Sketches

• Research

• Knowing story and character arcs that happen throughout story

Planning can be beneficial, but in some instances it puts a damper on the natural flow of your story or things change.

Or somewhere in between

People who fall in between pantsing and planning often do some planning before writing a novel, but it’s not extensive.

They may do a character sketch or two, just to get an idea of who they are writing about.

They might have a couple of plot points in mind, or outline the first couple of chapters to give themselves a decent start, but from there go where the story flows naturally.

a…plantser???

Important Elements of a Novel-Characters

Your story needs characters – people from whose POV the story is told.

Protagonist (usually your main character)- the person who you want the reader to root for!

- You can have more than one!

Antagonist - the character who causes your M.C. the most grief!

- There can be more than one here too!

Supporting Characters- other people in your main character’s world that interact with your M.C.

Important Elements of a Novel-Characters

They may change & develop while youWrite, but you should know at least some of the following:

It’s easier to know about yourCharacters before you start writing.

Who are they physically?• Age, gender, what they look

like, health, physical limitations, diet, etc.

Who are they socially?• Family, friends, career/

job, education level

Who are they emotionally? • Political beliefs, mental/emotional

issues, religion or belief structure, values or morals.

And it’s also fun (and sometimes useful) to know some of their likes & dislikes, favorite things, and hobbies.

Characters Your characters create the plot--- they need to be compelling & 3 dimensional.

Each character needs:• Your character needs

to want something & it needs to be their mission in the story to get it!

A goal

• They might have smaller goals along the way, but should be moving toward the overall goal to push the plot forward.

• A great source of conflict in a story or novel is when characters have opposing goals and are struggling against one another.

Common goals in novels are:

• Possession of something (money, the girl, etc.)

• Relief from something (poverty, homelessness, etc.)

• Revenge for something

Characters Your characters create the plot--- they need to be compelling & 3 dimensional.

Why does your character want/need to accomplish their goal?

Your character needs motivation for their goals and actions.

Why do they do the things they do?

Know this for all of your characters--- it can be attached to something that happens in the inciting incident, or in their backstory.

The reason that your character wants to achieve a goal should be a mostly internal motivation.

Characters Your characters create the plot--- they need to be compelling & 3 dimensional.

But your character can’t be perfect. Without flaws, you risk your character becoming boring, or a Mary-Sue type character (in other words, a snooze-fest)

Each character needs a flaw, a real one, that gets in the way of their goals in the novel.

It needs to affect how other characters (and readers) will see and feel about your character.

Flaws make your character realistic.

Likewise, your antagonist (or bad guy) can’t be all flaws either. They need to have at least one redeeming quality. The most fascinating antagonists are likeable some of the time.

Important Elements of a Novel-Conflict

But your characters can’t get everything they want all the time--- or even most of the time.

(that’s boring)

Seriously, you don’t want to put your readers to sleep.

So throw obstacles in their way left and right, preventing them from getting what they want.

There needs to be conflict in every paragraph, every scene even.

Conflict helps to push the story forward--- and that’s what you should use it to do!

Important Elements of a Novel-Conflict

Internal Conflict External ConflictYour character’s own personal issues.• Based on desire & fear• Gives the plot significance and keeps

the character emotionally at odds until the end of the book/story.

This should be what is really standing between your character and their goal.

Can also work in conjunction with the external conflict.

Know this: why does your character have this internal conflict.

Conflict that effects how the characters interact with one another.

War, separation, sickness, death, etc. (physical things) are all examples of external conflicts. These things are beyond the character’s control.

Remember: Conflict helps to push the story forward. Conflict stands in your character’s way. In order for them to

reach their goal they have to overcome their internal (and sometimes external

too) conflict.

Important Elements of a Novel-Setting

What time period/place does your story happen?Is it a real place/time? (If it is, you might want to do some research)

Is it imaginary?(You might want to do some world building.)

• Your characters need to react to the setting & what’s happening there.

• Setting an cause or be a great source of conflict.

• Your setting an even be a character in and of itself (of sorts)

Important Elements of a Novel-Setting- World Building

World building helps to make your imaginary world more real for the reader. What’s important here?• History of the people• Conflicts • How do your characters fit into

their world?• What is the society like? • What politics are there?

The small details are just as important as the big ones, they bring the world you created to life.

http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/tips-on-world-building-for-writers-how-to-make-your-imaginary-world-realGood resource--

So….Setting + Character + Conflict=

Story!!!Most of us have seen a plot diagram that looks something like this….

It’s good to keep story structure in mind, but remember, it doesn’t have to look like this!

A lot of times rough drafts end up looking like this…

Let’s Start Chapter 1!Here’s what you need to do:

• Introduce your Main Character (protagonist)Make the reader care about them!

• Identify what their main goal is (and why)

• Hook your reader with an exciting incitingIncident--- make them want to continue on toChapter 2.

Yay! Start writingMake a routine & stick to it!

It’s easy to put it off – don’t let that be you

The important thing is that you write As hard as it may be, don’t go back and edit your rough draft– save that for revisions.

Make notes of things that you want to changewhen you revise.

Remember…Rough drafts are sloppy--- it’s okay if yours is a mess!

No rough draft is ready to be sent to an agent or publisher--- revision is always needed.

The only way you can get that book written is to actually write.Schedule time in your day to work on your book

You only become a better writer by writing. It doesn’t hurt to study your craft--- read books and blogs about writing, plot, character development, etc.

It’s a lot of hard work…but you can do it.

If you devote time & effortto your book, you can finish it!

Great online resources:Advice, pep talks, & morehttp://blog.nanowrimo.org/

Help writing your book from beginning to end:http://www.writersdigest.com

A writer’s basic toolbox & more from author Susan Dennard:http://susandennard.com/2014/11/03/a-writers-basic-toolbox/

A blog with plenty of tips to keep you going: http://thenovelfactory.blogspot.com

Follow authors you like on Facebook or Twitter, a lot of them will post resources! And you can talk to them about writing, ask questions, etc.