So now you are set to begin to write your story. You have everything together in your mind and think you know where the story is going to go. Sorry, but this is where you have to stop and organize yourself. Take a piece of paper and start to plan out your chapters. I sometimes open blank pages in word, mark them chapter 1,2,3 etc. and write where the story should be and what happens in that chapter. I don’t write a lot, just things like “meet Abigail, go for dinner, or get rid of Fred”. Anything to remind yourself where the story is going, and, don’t forget, as your writing progresses, you can always go back and add extra action etc.
I have read a lot of advice from experienced authors. All of them take breaks while they write. This I have found very helpful. I have tried, when feeling tired, to push on and get the chapter finished, only to go back the next day and wonder who wrote it. I now take a break every hour. Fifteen to thirty minutes is good. I do whatever I want in that break to relax my mind. Watch tv, walk the dogs, anything away from the computer. When I restart my session, I find I am set ready to go again with a clear mind and relaxed body.
At the beginning of every session, I go back and read what was written before my break, to refresh myself with what is happening. As I finish a chapter I try to move on to the next one before I finish for the day. This gives me the starting place for my next writing. It is very important to go back and read writings you have finished to ensure they flow the way you want. I wait a few days before I re-read the piece. I use an online editor to check sentence length, writing style, grammer and punctuation after I have read it and again after the edit to make sure it still makes sense.
Also check how many words you have written while working. It will surprise you when you think you must have written 1,000 words to find you only wrote 600. They say most novels have some 80,000 words. I noticed when I read novels that there is a lot of what I call padding. I am sure you have come across it. The story is progressing nicely when a new character is introduced. This will take up to 5 pages and about 1,000 words to describe him, his education and clothes and what he is going to bring to the story. By the time the description is finished you have lost track of the story, and then find the character is written out of the book 3 chapters later. In my first book I cut the descriptions down to as little as possible while still giving the reader enough information for them to relate to the character. This cut my total word count down to approximately 45,000 words, but kept the story moving, and I have had numerous readers thank me for it, telling me how they found the story moved along nicely. I do have 20 odd characters in the book so I suppose I could have padded up to the 80,000 words.
Category: Blogs
To Be An Author
To write is a labor of love. You will sit at a table or desk, looking into a computer screen, and wondering where you will start and what you will write about. You will probably have some idea of the story you wish to write and now, looking at that screen, you will probably have forgotten what it was or how to start it. Just sit and start writing anything, a load of rubbish works well. When you have finished, your fingers have warmed up and your creative juices are flowing, go to a new page. At the top write Chapter One and away you go.
I was asked the other day how long it takes to write a novel. I told them that everyone is different but with the happenings of every day life, unless you dedicate yourself, you can bank on at least a year. Then you have all the editing and re-writes, choosing a name for your masterpiece, book cover and publisher. It all takes time so do not rush it. That is when expensive mistakes can happen.
You may also find that you become more withdrawn. When writing you are immersed in the life of your hero and his friends. People outside of this, it really is a friendship you develop on the page, do not know that you are walking around planning what is going to happen to your new friend next. They will just think you have a lot on your mind and leave you out of the conversation. Fine by me. My new friend knows everything and is good company. I can sit quietly by myself. When I get home then all the thoughts that have worked themselves out, new action that needs to happen, will all get written down and the book progresses.
The other thing you will find is that you start people watching. This is when your significant other will say something. “You are with me so stop ogling that woman or man.” Try to focus on the person without staring. Watch their mannerisms, the way they walk, sit, stand and how their face moves when they talk. Ignore what they are saying but listen to their voice and how their eyes light up when they smile.
You might wonder why you people watch. What a waste of time you think, but remember. You are now an author, budding perhaps, but still an author. You are writing your first book and when you are people watching, you are actually still writing your book. Sounds crazy weird right? But think. To move your story along, you have to have a person drinking in a café, walking down the street or sitting watching the tv. You need to describe them. Cast your mind back. How about the guy you watched in the supermarket. He will work for the café guy. The woman leaving the parking lot will be a perfect fit for the person walking down the street. The guy sat eating lunch is perfect to be watching tv. You have these people in your minds eye so you do not need to struggle to invent a person. You have people watched and brought them home to your pages.