Novel Ideas
Can it really be true that one person in five wants to write a
novel? If so, publishers and literary agents must be grateful
that most aspirants fall by the wayside. Writing is one thing:
getting published is another. Let’s concentrate on the writing.
Before starting, you obviously need to have a story in mind–based
preferably on something you know a fair amount about. As you
begin to develop the plot, make copious notes. Think about your
characters too, the better you get to know them, the more real
they will be on paper. Again, make notes.
I suspect that this is as far as many people get. Various
attempts are made at an opening sentence, an opening paragraph or
an opening chapter. Nothing seems quite right, and the idea is
put on one side, never again to be pursued.
How does one avoid this sorry situation? Try reading the first
chapters of as many modern novels as possible. Think about how
each author has grabbed your attention, then apply that knowledge
to your own introduction.
It’s often said that to write well, you need to read a lot. You
also need to write–and keep writing. Accept from the outset that
a novel is a marathon. Don’t expect to complete your first novel
within a week, a month or a quarter. If you do, you are certain
to be disappointed–either with the result or your progress. There
are a few incredibly fast and prolific novelists but you would be
unwise to assume that you are one of them.
Don’t accept the inevitability of writer’s bloc. It need not
happen; you just have to keep on writing. No matter how poor the
resultant pages or how many of them you have to discard, you will
eventually write your way out of your impasse.
Like everything else, writing takes practice. Your chances of
writing a best seller may be slim. Keep at it, however, and you
may just succeed.
By
Charles Dodd
Author of Code 18 published by American Book Publishing.
