Tuesday, February 7, 2012

How To Write Novels | The Board Magazine

Can anyone learn how to write novels, or does is require a bachelor?s degree? The nub of this is about skill and ability. Arguably, writing is a skill, but the quality of your work will depend to some extent on ability.

Here are my guidelines to help you along the way writing books. Many writers will tell you that going on creative writing courses is essential. This assumes that you are not using novel writing software for the task.

Know The Competition

Read widely ? you need to read the competition, particularly the best selling writers. This is a great start to learning how to write novels, because you see what sells.

Map Out The Story (Or Not)

Many successful authors start out with a plan for the novel: start, middle and end, charted on a whiteboard. I just can?t write books this way. For me, writing a work of fiction should be a journey of discovery for me as well as the reader.

How To Write Novels ? Sit Down And Write

It will force you to think about ?point of view?. Who is speaking in the story you are writing? There are many technicalviewpoints, but the rule is simple: decide your POV and stick to it.

A Plot Develops

Don?t worry if you don?t have a plot. It will come. Picture your main character (MC), and start describing her. Then, describe the character?s appearance. Where is the MC ? is there a place you know well? Many authors set their stories in their home county. Then inject randomness to that place ? maybe they witnessed a crime. What was behind that incident? Or, take any news story, and think about how it got to you ? did it come from a reporter in Afghanistan or Paris?. Write about the story itself.

The very process of setting the words down will release your creative side.

The school of life is a wonderful teacher, so draw on your experiences whenever you can. Writers write best about what they know. Research topics you don?t know well, making notes as you go along.

Show And Tell

Many writers tell the story using dialogue between characters (?showing?) in preference to a plain narrative, which can be boring unless the writer is highly skilled.

Grammar And Punctuation

If you are weak in these areas, don?t worry, a proofreader can fix them. Writing books is about much more than this if you have a good story. If you really are blow par in this respect then it might be advisable to hire an editor before sending your manuscript to an agent or publisher.

Finally

The main ?rule? is ? just do it. Write the first sentence then the paragraph and so on. Don?t be too ambitious with your early objectives. Write your next hundred words. As you write, ideas will come ? capture them on a separate ideas page, for later work. Join a writers? forum, and talk to others ? there are thousands of aspiring novelists learning how to write novels, and swapping ideas. It is a great way of improving your craft.

James writes thrillers and non-fiction too. Get more guidance on how to write novels at his web site and discover other pointers to writing books and developing stories. There?s always more to learn!

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Source: http://theboardmagazine.com/2012/02/how-to-write-novels/

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