How to start a novel - The then what?

Like any true procrastinator, I went back over our previous blogs, not in search of inspiration, but in search of an excuse - I was in true PRO-CRAST-IN-NATING form.  It's actually kind of fun to look back at all that Erika and I have done.  In less than six months we have accomplished:

# of hits: +2300
# of posts: +70
# of rejections: +10 (and always counting....sort of)
# of parties: 1

And what I have learned from all this is.....

We need to have more parties!

Anyway.....so while I was PRO-CRAST-IN-NATING, I came across a blog I did on starting a novel.  It's something that comes up a lot.  Writing is daunting in itself and then when you actually sit down and get the first few scenes out of your head and on paper (or screen) - well that's when the real confusion starts.  Then what do you do?  Where does the story go?  How do you organize your thoughts?

Hence, How to Start a Novel - Part 2 - the then what?

Organization is a huge part of writing.  Remember back in the day when your English teachers turned into ruler-smacking, red ink totting Nazi's?  Opening paragraph, three supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion.  Well writing a book is kinda like that - without the ruler or the red ink.  The freedom comes from being an adult, trying, failing, and trying again, and finally - understanding what works best for you.

Here are 3 ideas on how to get organized.  (I've tried them all and suggest trying them on different projects to see what works best - or perhaps there's something else that works better for you - who knows!)

Note - Cards: I've seen this suggested a lot, most recently at WriteOnCon with Author Katy Longshore.  When I tried this, my note cards weren't as detailed as Ms. Longshore suggests, yet still helpful.  I have a lot of flashback woven into my story and having different colored note cards helped me know where I had too many flashbacks and where I was lacking.  Noting characters and places, etc. like Ms. Longshore suggests could help you see where you use a supporting character too much/ not enough, etc.

Outline: Think back to High School and you'll know what to use for an outline.  I feel like these are self explanatory, so I won't say too much about them.  They can be anywhere from 1 page to several and can be as detailed as you want them to be.  An outline could be done for the book as a whole, or even specific characters, scenes - anything.

Synopsis:  (The "S" word of the literary world) Ask most pre-published authors for a synopsis and watch the squirm in their seat, let out a heavy sigh, and then act as if they're invisible. As much as I fought the whole synopsis thing, I have found that they are actually quite helpful.  A synopsis is a lot like a glorified outline, query letter, note cards, and jacket cover all rolled into one. The most helpful thing, for me any way, when writing a synopsis is to remember you are pitching your book.  The whole point of a book jacket is to get the potential reader intrigued enough to buy your book - the same can be said for a synopsis.

There are literally hundreds of resources out there for us - websites and books - use them.

Here's few, in case you don't know where to start:

Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King

Literary Rambles Blog (If you aren't already following this blog, you should!  Especially when you are ready to query agents!!)

Well, hopefully something helps/makes sense!

Best of luck!

Toni

DearEditor.com Contest!!

Contest...who doesn't love contests?

Well here's a way to win a free edit!!!  Whoo hooooooo!

Dear Readers…

To celebrate the end of the summer writing season, the Editor is giving away a FREE Substantive Edit of a manuscript up to 80,000 words.Deadline: August 28, 2012. Read on for rules….

Enter here at DearEditor.com!!

Motivation Monday

 "A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort."

- Herm Albright

We love to celebrate fellow authors successes! So big round of applause for up and coming author:

Lisa Ard!!!

Lisa just won the Kay Snow Award for Young Readers for her new book Saving Halloween. Saving Halloween will be released on Sept 15th and sounds very interesting:

 When book-smart Anne Parson meets Halloween Spavento, she sees exactly what she wants to see -- a friend. Halloween waves away trouble, magically silences school bullies and offers Anne unfailing friendship. But, when the Spavento family's enchanting exploits are exposed, will Anne face her fears and save Halloween?

A spellbinding tale of outcasts who find acceptance, a girl who discovers the true meaning of family, and characters who are not always what they seem.

Congratulations Lisa!  Well done! We are very excited for you!

Stayed tuned for more info on the book release and a fun interview with very talented Lisa Ard!

Click here to visit Lisa Ard's website.

Motivation Monday

"Did you ever see an unhappy horse?  Did you ever see a bird that had the blues?  One reason why birds and horses are not unhappy is because they are not trying to impress other birds and horses."
- Dale Carnegie

One day left....Writeoncon!

Don't hit me for pitching this AGAIN, but....

you really, really, really, really (you get the idea) should check out writeoncon!  It's a free, online writer's conference.

Read my previous post about writeoncon

and then......

check it out!  You only have 1 day left but look at all the AMAZING things going on tomorrow:

Wednesday, August 15:
6:00 AM: Plotting with 3×5 cards by author Kimberley Griffiths Little

7:00 AM: Knowing When Your MS is Ready to Query by literary agent Lara Perkins

8:00 AM: Authors Lenore Appelhans and Phoebe North discuss Reading like a Book Blogger

9:00 AM: Being Orphaned by author Joy Preble

9:30 AM: Building Characters into Real People by author Frank Cole

10:00 AM: All Your Publishing Questions… Answered! by editors Molly O’Neill and Martha Mihalick, and literary agent Holly Root

11:00 AM: Blogging Basics by literary agent Pam van Hylckama Vlieg
– 11:15 AM LIVE FORUM EVENT: Q&A about social media/blogging

12:00 PM: He Said, She Said, Creating sexual tension through dialog by author Jessica Martinez

12:30 PM: Rhoda Belleza of Paper Lantern Lit talks Elements of Writing

1:00 PM: Gennifer Albin LIVE FORUM EVENT – critiquing previously submitted material in a Building Better Sentences Workshop

2:00 PM: Live Event with literary agent Sarah Davies and author Megan Miranda

3:00 PM: Differences between YA and MG (for the Writer Who Does Both) by Claire Legrand

3:30 PM: The Inside Scoop: Get Your Query Noticed by editor Leah Hultenschmidt

4:00 PM: Stacy Abrams, Heather Howland, and Alycia Tornetta of Entangled Publishing answer questions and take twitter-style pitches - FORUM EVENT

5:00 PM: The Lucky 13s “Back to Basic” Writing Tips by various PB, MG, and YA authors debuting in 2013

9:00 PM: Live Panel of Professionals — literary agents Katie Grimm and Sarah LaPolla, and editors Sara Sargent and Alison Weiss

Motivation Monday

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."
- Marcel Proust

Don't short change yourself

A friend of mine, one who has wanted to write a book for awhile, recently caught the "writing bug" (despite the negative connotation of "writing bug", deep down inside my creative self is somewhere between jumping for joy and writhing her hands while letting out a deceitful little "Mwwhahaha" - another literary victim!! Um....I mean welcome to the club ;)



While my friend and I were talking she brought up something and I couldn't help but think "this is perfect for a blog".  It's something that really bothered me, mostly because I have done it.  She, without really knowing it, short changed herself, her talent, and her self confidence.  (My inner creative self is glaring and pointing a very stern, warning finger at my friend - tsk.tsk.tsk.)

My friend was explaining how she had started planning her book yesterday and how she had spent a good amount of time doing this while her sweet husband took their kids out for a few hours.  When her husband got home the simple question was asked, "So what'd you do all day?"

I am sure you can guess how this conversation went.  Now, this is what my friend told me, in so many words, however, as a writer, I can't help but...embellish - again, because I've been there.

Husband: Exhausted from hauling three kids around all day, he looks expectantly at his wife, "So, what'd you do all day?"

Friend: "Um..." Silence overwhelms her as she debates the lie pushing toward her tongue.  "I wrote."  Her face flushes with guilt.

Husband: Silence.  He's awestruck, dumbfounded, and slightly confused.  "That's it?"  He looked around the house, duly noting the list of things she could have done; the vacuuming, dishes, laundry, etc.

For those of you that don't know me, take this is to consideration - this would have been my answer.

"Yes!  It was great, I finished three chapters.  My antagonist thrashed through the pages, bringing the ending together.  Oh you won't believe the twists I came up, no one is going to see the protagonists' mother as the evil alien enchantress. Thank you so much for taking the kids, it really helped having the house quiet.  You know, I think I might set up regular "writing times" like this in effort to really focus on my creativity."

Now I would have said this for 2 reasons.  A) Honesty.  It IS amazing when you can bust out chapters, use it to your advantage.  Writing isn't a guilty pleasure - it's a creative pleasure - let it be your escape.  And be PROUD of your writing.  Tell your spouse about your writings/books/poems, include them in your dreams - no one likes to be left out!  B) Payback.  How many times has your husband sat on the couch in a zombie-like fashion watching some sporting event only to re-hash every touchdown, interception, rebound with the same fervor?  My husband.....all.  the.  time.  So I keep him updated on my characters and their relationships/ who's killed who/ new ideas all the time....it's actually entertaining to watch someone's eyes gloss over.  (It's also the perfect time to mention things like shopping trips and dented car doors!)

Bottom line: My dear friend(s), don't feel guilty for doing what you love.  Love what you do and someday everyone else will too!

Motivation Monday

"Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations.  I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow them."
- Louisa May Alcott

Olympic-like talents

Who could resist tying in writing to the Olympics?  Not me - obviously.  I figured while I wait for art forms such as writing,photography, and scrapbooking, to be highlighted at the Olympic games, I would at least remind the rest of us, that although we may not have a double, half-pike, back-handspring, triple McTwisty in our repertoire or strut around with a negative BMI index, we too have amazing talents that we can share with the world.

Creating even nurturing stories, characters, emotions, relationships, it's not easy - it's a talent, and although most reading this blog are relatively unknown, it doesn't mean things won't change.  One day we will stand on our own podium wearing a medal, looking out into the eyes of those that have cheered us on all along.  Whether a persons' goal is to the be the world's best gymnast or a New York Times Best Selling author, the goal is the same.  The roads, although they twist and turn at different places, are the same uphill battle.

Take for example the dream of being the worlds' best gymnast.  When I was a little girl, I wanted more than anything to be a gymnast.  I wanted to feel the bars in my grip as I flew around them, I wanted to run across the floor in a stream of back-handsprings's, and I wanted to hear the roar of the crowd clap along to the rhythm of my routine.  Obviously that didn't work out for me, but a dream is a dream.  For the girls in London this year, they have spent countless hours in the gym training, working out, and crafting their talent.

The National Lottery, which supports many Olympians, recently did some research in which they concluded the following:
The average athlete:

Consumes more than 1.1 million calories per year, equivalent to eating three Christmas dinners a day
Commits six hours a day, six days a week to training and competitions
Has been working towards their Olympic or Paralympic goal for 11 years
Seriously took up their sport at the age of 14 and now competes in seven international competitions per year


As writers, we don't consume as many calories (at least I hope not!) nor do most of start at the age 14, although I am sure there are some.  But there are a few things we have in common with the above-mentioned Olympians - things like dedication, drive, and desire.  Like Olympians, if we are to succeed, we have to spend countless hours reading, writing, and editing our works; we have to endure hundreds of rejection letters and times of doubt and then, when we have perfected our talents to the like of the Olympians, then we will see our dreams come true.