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Novel Writing: A Primer
by Kerri Buckley
Because life can operate to remind us we aren’t heroic or courageous, stories can provide the shortest path for many people to have their "need to matter" fulfilled. That’s why issues such as courage, redemption, renewal, love and honor are most often at the hearts of stories. A well-told story is an arrangement of words and images that re-creates life-like characters, issues, ideas and events in a way that promises dramatic fulfillment of our needs, and then delivers on that promise. A story, then, is a promise. ("A Story Is A Promise" by Bill Johnson)
I’ve been writing for over a decade, but I’m a beginner again. Until now, most of my work has been nonfiction and poetry, but lately I’m unsettled by a new quest; I’m finally writing a novel. The part of me that is an information junkie has to sit on the sidelines a bit more, while I let another part explore. All of the parts of me that contribute to my writing, in fact, have to experience a sort of union. It is risky business, and I feel exposed, vulnerable to falling flat on my face - and incredibly happy at the same time.
I began researching novel-writing a few years ago, but one can do that only so long before it’s time to actually start writing. There are so many things to think about - story line, premise, plot, characters, character names and the actual writing of scenes. I interviewed Seattle author Waverly Fitzgerald (www.waverlyfitzgerald.com) last spring and told her I was getting ready to start my novel. She told me she does NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month every November. I decided to check it out at www.nanowrimo.org. After more research, I vowed that this was the year for me to join others around the world in writing the first 50,000 words of my work. It is with a bit of humility that I begin my novel this November. I’m sharing my journey of learning with other novices because in my searching, I’ve found some treasures.
How does one learn about writing a novel? For me, the foundation of novel-writing begins with classics such as Aristotle’s Poetics, The Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Egri and Robert McKee’s Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting. Even veterans I’ve talked to who aren’t crazy about these books have read them, and gleaned some wisdom out of them. If you are serious about writing fiction, these books will teach the basics. A really good basic novel-writing class will probably include them, and every aspiring novelist should consider them.
Does every novel-writing venture need a plot in place before you begin? While learning more about NaNoWriMo, I discovered it was founded by Bay Area journalist Chris Baty in 1999 with 21 participants. Five years later, in 2004, it had over 250,000 from around the world. I bought his book and interviewed him when he was in Portland last summer. The book, No Plot? No Problem! contains a history of NaNoWriMo, and a week-by-week strategy to get you started, keep you going, and help you finish. The goal of this event is to write 50,000 words in thirty days. It begins at midnight, November 1, and ends at midnight, November 30. You upload your finished novel at the end, and it is deleted after you are listed as a "winner". Baty’s book is so different from the classics that reading it is like standing in the rain: it’s a bit odd, quirky and has some great kinetic twists in its approach to writing a novel. No Plot? No Problem! convinced me that if other first-timers are doing it, so can I! Inspiring? Yes. It also offers a heaping portion of reality with first-person accounts like these:
"Our lives certainly had taken on the feel of cursed things: Giving over every free moment to one’s novel meant no sleeping-in on weekends, no matinee movies, and no languorous dinners with friends. Instead, we spent our downtime prodding at lifeless characters and wondering how long a human body could subsist on an all-ramen and Coke diet before liver functions ceased entirely.... "
"Week Two came and went. Then some strange things started happening. The aimless, anemic characters we’d invented in the first fourteen days began to perk up and do things."
NaNoWriMo is a light-hearted approach to a serious project, or for some, it is another adventure - an avenue of growth. One of Baty’s subtitles in an early chapter is Plot Happens. Section One is prefaced with the words A Round-Trip Ticket to Novel-land; Gearing up for Your Writing Adventure! The book covers scheduling time to write, The Month-Long Novelist Agreement And Statement of Understanding, tips on enlisting the help of friends and family, holding "ruthlessly productive group-writing events," interviews with former participants, advice on research, and caution against too much planning.
A certain degree of planning is an absolute, though, if you’re hoping to see your book in the stores. There are other resources that complement NaNoWriMo, and are also good teachers. Occupying space on my desk right now is Portland author Bill Johnson’s book, A Story Is A Promise. It truly is a wonderful book for understanding the human need for stories. It includes information on designing your own story, premise, plot, and characters. It further offers suggestions for outlining your manuscript and getting started, and provides reviews of many classic works, such as Romeo and Juliet. A Story Is A Promise helps you understand why your work matters. Find Bill Johnson’s website at www.storyispromise.com.
Another valuable thing in Johnson’s book is his description of the experience he had reviewing submissions. He observed, astutely, that many new novelists begin their story at around page 40. He talks about the importance of beginning it on page one, and tells how to do that.
For the preparation and design of novels, there are two other interesting options. One is a 10-step Snowflake Method of designing novels that can be found on Randy Ingermanson’s website at www.rsingermanson.com. Ingermanson is another novelist from the Bay Area. His website has other articles for fiction writers, including one on writing scenes. The steps are there for you to read, print out, and use. When I first found his site, it took me a long time to complete Step 1.
Paring my novel’s description down to fifteen words was incredibly difficult, and one of the most satisfying things I’ve ever done with my writing. It made me appreciate short, short stories all the more, their essence in reduction - the power and the simplicity of authors like Hemingway.
Another light, but really effective book on planning is The Novelist’s Notebook by Laurie Henry. It includes lots of exercises and tools for designing your novel, getting to know your characters, writing scenes and using diagrams throughout the design process. Within the book are quotes by famous authors on writing novels. For writers who want a more in-depth and systematic approach, there are two other books for you to check out. The first, The Novel Writer’s Toolkit: A Guide to Writing Novels and Getting Published by Bob Mayer, has descriptions of the internal characteristics of writers and tons of advice. According to Mayer, the number one rule in novel-writing is simply to write.
The second book, The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing: A 16-Step Program Guaranteed to Take You From Idea To Completed Manuscript by Evan Marshall, takes you by the hand and teaches you each step of writing your novel, detail by detail.
Finally, there are three other excellent books that just have great novel-writing advice. The first of these is How to Grow a Novel: The Most Common Mistakes Writers Make and How to Overcome Them by Sol Stein. This book is like sitting in on a class and begins by discussing the reader’s needs and desires. The advice is terrific.
The second, Bestseller: Secrets of Successful Writing by Celia Brayfield, is a wonderful book full of tips and stories on novel-writing from a British author who has created several best-selling books, and tells why these books are successful.
The third gem to consider is The First Five Pages: A Writers Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile by Noah Lukeman. This is a small book that is indispensable. In its pages is a diagram of plots and subplots that every writer can use, a list of the three main types of character conflicts, his careful approach to preparing manuscripts for mailing, examples of amateurish dialogue, and more.
So, this Fall I take the plunge. Each person, of course, will have to find what works best for her, but the samplings offered here are great beginnings.
You can check in with me on my blog at www.kerribuckleysnanowrimo.blogspot.com to see how I’m doing. Also check out the NaNoWriMo website, sign up online to participate, and maybe find a gathering at a coffee shop in your area where you can commiserate with other
November novelists. I’m sure there will be days when my hair will be standing on end, and I may lose track of time - it feels like preparing for a working vacation. If you have your own NaNoWriMo story, drop me a line, and if you’ve ever wanted to write a novel, join me and thousands around the world in taking the writing plunge - oh no - you do not want to miss this worldwide writing opportunity!
Resources
Books
- Aristotle’s Poetics, Art of Dramatic Writing, by Lajos Egri
- Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting, by Robert McKee
- No Plot? No Problem!, by Chris Baty
- A Story Is A Promise, by Bill Johnson
- The Novelist’s Notebook, by Laurie Henry
- The Novel Writer’s Toolkit: A Guide to Writing Novels and Getting Published,
by Bob Mayer
- The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing: A 16-Step Program Guaranteed to Take You From Idea To Completed Manuscript, by Evan Marshall.
- How to Grow a Novel: The Most Common Mistakes Writers Make and How to Overcome Them, by Sol Stein
- Bestseller: Secrets of Successful Writing, by Celia Brayfield
- The First Five Pages: A Writers Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile,
by Noah Lukeman
Web sites
Kerri Buckley is a writer who lives in the Pacific Northwest. Her
work has been published all over the country in publications for women and parents.
In addition to writing non-fiction articles, she writes poetry and is currently working on
her novel. She is the host of The Literary Cafe radio show on the Oregon Coast, a show for
and about writers and writing. Visit her blog or email her
at goldenwordsmith@yahoo.com
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