If you've decided to take the plunge into the world of novel writing, I'm not going to discourage you and tell you you're crazy. I'm sure you've got well-meaning friends and family members for that. Okay, I might tell you you're crazy, but I mean it in the best possible way. Trust me on that.
While there are no hard-and-fast rules to the process, a beginning writer would do well to at least learn some guidelines. As you hone your craft and gain more confidence (and the talent to back up said confidence, one would hope), you'll get a feel for when you can and cannot break the rules you've learned before.
It really doesn't matter if you begin with a vague plot idea or simply a character you're dying to put on the page, but you have to be absolutely passionate about what you're writing. Yes, it's a good idea to be mindful of the market since you don't want to shop out a Bridget Jones type of book ten years too late, but don't write a vampire book simply because vampires are the latest thing right now. By the time you write (and revise!) the book, get an agent, and go through the publishing process, that bandwagon book you wrote will likely go out of style.
The point is, you have to love what you're writing or else your readers will be able to smell your apathy like a gallon of Axe body spray on a 13-year-old boy.
In order to write well, you have to read, read, read. You'll find that advice in a lot of books about writing, and for good reason. I was watching a panel discussion on the writer's craft a long time ago and one creative writing instructor (I wish I could remember his name) had some great advice in that vein:
1. Read literary fiction and classics so you'll know what's good.
2. Read popular fiction so you'll know what's appealing.
3. Read poetry so you can learn how to economize your words.
If you still feel like you're flying blind, it would probably be a good idea to buy or check out some good books on writing. The titles I suggest are in no way a comprehensive list, but they'll at least help you get started.
1. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. Necessary for those days when you need a cheerleader. She's funny, she's irreverent, and she gives you permission to write a bad first draft (or the Shitty First Draft, as she calls it).
2. Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. This isn't a technical manual on how to write, but once you read it, you'll want to buy a bunch of notebooks and fill them up as soon as possible. Writing begets writing, so anything that inspires you is worth the money.
3. The Weekend Novelist by Robert J. Ray. Since you'll want something more technical, this book serves as a writing class you can stick in your totebag. It covers everything from character development basics to setting to organizing your plot in a cohesive fashion.
4. Characters and Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card. Since you can't have a book without characters, this book gives you in-depth information on how to create characters your reader will care about.
So there you go. There's really nothing else to do now but to spread on some butt-glue, grab a chair, and start planning your novel.
No comments:
Post a Comment