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Showing posts from October, 2010

Find the Time to Write your Novel

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You can find the time to write that novel. Even if parental commitments, caring responsibilities or work pressures take your day. Here are some tips to find the time to finish that novel. Novel Writing Organiser Time constraints may make a routine impossible for some novel writers. This means setting realistic and flexible goals. A weekly target is better than a daily one, as some days will be more productive than others and some may even be non-productive. Much can be done in three hours per week, which could be achieved all in one go, or half an hour per day with one day off. Some writers like to put aside a little time each day. Anything from an hour to ten minutes is time well-spent. But it is important to accept the body is not a machine and that every writer is different. This means getting to know the best time to write, which could be early morning for some; late in the evening for others. When it comes to a creative space, a bureau, the kitchen table or even a beds...

There is no Tension in My Novel

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The aspiring author may read the first draft of a novel to find that one scene merges into the next in a humdrum way without any tension in the plot. The scenes lack suspense and the characters have no motivation or drives. How can the writer create suspense in novel writing? Writing a Thriller with Suspense click to buy from Amazon Before improving the novel, the writer may reflect upon the problems with the scenes in order to identify practices at fault. This will help with creating a novel that is full of suspense and compel the reader to keep turning the pages. The following may need addressing. Allowing characters without drives to drive the story which could create a plot without pace. Having characters within the story that have similar views and motivations. Allowing stereotypical situations to occur within the story which could be predicted by the reader. Having too much of one element within the novel, such as too much dialogue. Dialogue tends to quicken the...

My Characters’ Dialogue Sounds like a Soap Opera

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Putting words in character’s mouths for novel writing may feel like pulling teeth for some. Dialogue sounds stilted, clichéd or lack distinction. Scenes containing character conversation ramble in a monotone way or fail to drive the story forward. What can the author do to write great dialogue for characters that make the novel sparkle? How Not to Write Dialogue Narrative Ficiton click to buy from amazon Before making improvements to character speech within the novel, the writer needs to address the culprits such as the following. Having too much dialogue within the story, particularly if the scenes contain a spitfire kind of discourse between people that can make the reader feel pummelled over the head such as the following example: “What do you mean by that?” he demanded “It wasn’t how it sounded,” she whispered. “I’m going,” he said leaving. “Wait!” she uttered. Another culprit is allowing dialogue to leak into the story that serves no purpose, such as ...

My Writing Style is Rubbish, What do I Do?

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Cliches, platitudes and wordy descriptions may dog the the novice writer who needs clear guidelines on how to improve writing style. Conflicting advice and overwhelming influences may leave the writer confused on how to put ideas in writing. What clear cut advice will help the author improve narrative style? Simple Tips on Great Writing Style A Classic Book for Authors click to buy from Amazon An author inspired with a great story idea may find it hard to put these ideas into writing. Although good narrative style is not easy, the theory can be simplified. But first, an old saying “Don’t get it right, write it down.” is helpful when completing the first draft. Once the ideas have been crystallised in a novel, the author may begin to edit. Here are some essential tips on developing as a writer. How Not to Write Novels Passive writing can be like wood rot to writing style. Passive sentences imply things happen to nouns rather than the nouns doing anything. Here is an exa...

I can’t Describe Emotions in my Novels

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The developing writer may struggle to find the right words to describe feelings within narrative, resorting to “Her heart stopped in terror,” to describe fear, or “He felt a bolt through the heart,” to describe love. Such clichés are likely to leave the reader unmoved. How can the novelist describe feelings in novels? Example of Active Writing Have a listen to a short excerpt taken from one of my audio books, Nora . The main character, Nancy has broken into the home of playboy millionaire, Vince after suffering a horrific car crash. Here, she suffers a flashback which is conveyed through physical sensations: her breaths, her vision, her hearing and a panicking inner voice. Generalizations and cliches are avoided, but specific words that propels the reader into Nora's world. Now to break things down. Writing Emotions for Novels Before making changes to prose that fails to incite emotions, the following culprit practices need to be identified. Using abstract words and...