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TECH: Get That Novel Started (8)
Nov. 4th, 2012 01:20 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
mbarker.livejournal.comOriginal posting 23 Sept 2012
The book is called Get That Novel Started! (And Keep It Going 'til You Finish). It's by Donna Levin. We're in the middle, part two, the taming of the novel. Chapter 6 helped us layout at least a rough picture of what our novel was going to be about. Chapter 7 focused on the beginning.
And chapter 8 talks about What It Looks like When You're Finished. Wait a minute, we were just starting, and now she's going to talk about what it looks like when you're finished? Well, yes. Basically she describes a number of elements or characteristics of a well-written novel, and points out that this is the model that you are working towards while you write. Admittedly, there are many variations in form, and you should feel free to experiment. So it's not quite as simple as telling you what to do after you've written your beginning, but by pointing ahead towards the goal, Donna gives us a direction to work towards. So what are these different pieces?
1. The many different shapes of characters. People are what fiction is all about. And yet, we need to separate round characters from flat characters. Your main characters are going to be round. We're going to see them grow and change and feel like they are people who might come in and sit down at your table. Flat characters are more background. They probably don't change, and they may come and go. You don't have to spend as much time on them.
2. The main character is the star. Make sure that your main character is active, is doing things. Start by focusing on what their goal is, what their motivation is. Then make sure that they're struggling.
3. Dialogue. Readers like dialogue. Make sure that any time you've got stretches of description, there's a balance with pages of dialogue. Lots of back-and-forth, meaningful, meaty dialogue.
4. Overall structure. Novel is not just a collection of short stories glued together. Typically, it's a chain of events that leads up to a purposeful climax. We learn something usually in the process. Some people call this the premise, others call it the theme. Where is your story going?
5. Pace. Most novels start with some excitement, slow down a bit, and then start picking up the pace until they roar into the climax. Whatever the pace of your story is, make sure that it works. Don't go too slow, don't go too fast. Keep it dramatic and exciting, but don't overdo.
6. Narration and scene. Scenes, just like those in a play or movie, should make the reader feel as if they are there. You need to select the right details, and keep things moving. Narration lets you describe events and compress time. Don't overdo it. And make sure to include important scenes.
7. Point of view. Most of the time, you're likely to be using third person. You should be aware of first-person, second person, and omniscient, and use them if they are appropriate. Still, the most common approach right now is probably third person. Even then, you need to decide if you're going to stick with one character (limited) or with multiple (omniscient). Admittedly, third person limited is likely to be the default, but think about it.
8. Voice. This is one of those terms that English teachers and other people use a lot, and yet it's really hard to pin down. Which makes improving it and practicing it even more difficult. Voice or style is probably easiest found by doing a lot of writing, and not fretting too much about it. Then one day, someone will tell you they recognized your voice when they were reading that novel.
9. Setting. Your characters and your plot don't happen against a gray, neutral background. They happen in a specific time and place, with a bigger world beyond that. Use your setting, but don't forget that even in Las Vegas, it's not all about the flashy lights.
All right? The characters, the plot, the way you arrange things, the setting... This is the craft that shapes your book. Or as Donna ends her chapter, "To get that novel started: Learn your craft. Be patient as you master the use of the fiction writer's tools that will enable you to build a novel, one word at a time."
So in chapter six and seven, we roughly laid out what we're going to work on, and spent some time on the beginning. Now in chapter 8, we're working on the rest of the novel. We need to balance several different parts, ranging from the different characters that we're dealing with, through the sequencing and rate that we walk through events and scenes, and the setting that holds it all together. But basically, we are writing!
Or as so many have advised, BICHOK -- butt in chair, hands on keyboard.
Incidentally, Donna has four more chapters before her concluding chapter. So we've got lots more advice to keep you going.
The book is called Get That Novel Started! (And Keep It Going 'til You Finish). It's by Donna Levin. We're in the middle, part two, the taming of the novel. Chapter 6 helped us layout at least a rough picture of what our novel was going to be about. Chapter 7 focused on the beginning.
And chapter 8 talks about What It Looks like When You're Finished. Wait a minute, we were just starting, and now she's going to talk about what it looks like when you're finished? Well, yes. Basically she describes a number of elements or characteristics of a well-written novel, and points out that this is the model that you are working towards while you write. Admittedly, there are many variations in form, and you should feel free to experiment. So it's not quite as simple as telling you what to do after you've written your beginning, but by pointing ahead towards the goal, Donna gives us a direction to work towards. So what are these different pieces?
1. The many different shapes of characters. People are what fiction is all about. And yet, we need to separate round characters from flat characters. Your main characters are going to be round. We're going to see them grow and change and feel like they are people who might come in and sit down at your table. Flat characters are more background. They probably don't change, and they may come and go. You don't have to spend as much time on them.
2. The main character is the star. Make sure that your main character is active, is doing things. Start by focusing on what their goal is, what their motivation is. Then make sure that they're struggling.
3. Dialogue. Readers like dialogue. Make sure that any time you've got stretches of description, there's a balance with pages of dialogue. Lots of back-and-forth, meaningful, meaty dialogue.
4. Overall structure. Novel is not just a collection of short stories glued together. Typically, it's a chain of events that leads up to a purposeful climax. We learn something usually in the process. Some people call this the premise, others call it the theme. Where is your story going?
5. Pace. Most novels start with some excitement, slow down a bit, and then start picking up the pace until they roar into the climax. Whatever the pace of your story is, make sure that it works. Don't go too slow, don't go too fast. Keep it dramatic and exciting, but don't overdo.
6. Narration and scene. Scenes, just like those in a play or movie, should make the reader feel as if they are there. You need to select the right details, and keep things moving. Narration lets you describe events and compress time. Don't overdo it. And make sure to include important scenes.
7. Point of view. Most of the time, you're likely to be using third person. You should be aware of first-person, second person, and omniscient, and use them if they are appropriate. Still, the most common approach right now is probably third person. Even then, you need to decide if you're going to stick with one character (limited) or with multiple (omniscient). Admittedly, third person limited is likely to be the default, but think about it.
8. Voice. This is one of those terms that English teachers and other people use a lot, and yet it's really hard to pin down. Which makes improving it and practicing it even more difficult. Voice or style is probably easiest found by doing a lot of writing, and not fretting too much about it. Then one day, someone will tell you they recognized your voice when they were reading that novel.
9. Setting. Your characters and your plot don't happen against a gray, neutral background. They happen in a specific time and place, with a bigger world beyond that. Use your setting, but don't forget that even in Las Vegas, it's not all about the flashy lights.
All right? The characters, the plot, the way you arrange things, the setting... This is the craft that shapes your book. Or as Donna ends her chapter, "To get that novel started: Learn your craft. Be patient as you master the use of the fiction writer's tools that will enable you to build a novel, one word at a time."
So in chapter six and seven, we roughly laid out what we're going to work on, and spent some time on the beginning. Now in chapter 8, we're working on the rest of the novel. We need to balance several different parts, ranging from the different characters that we're dealing with, through the sequencing and rate that we walk through events and scenes, and the setting that holds it all together. But basically, we are writing!
Or as so many have advised, BICHOK -- butt in chair, hands on keyboard.
Incidentally, Donna has four more chapters before her concluding chapter. So we've got lots more advice to keep you going.
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