Yes, yes, I know I'm hopelessly behind but all is not lost. I can do it!
Just last week I would have told you I was running out of steam, that my plot lacked real substance, and that things were far too easy for my heroine. She would have lived, suffered and triumphed all within 20,000 words.
That was before my literary muse stepped in and the resulting inspiration was the jolt my waning storyline needed. Optimism has returned, as has a renewed stubborn resolution to see this through.
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| Photo by Bachtiar Rahady on FlickR |
Have you ever thought about writing a novel? I hadn't really. It's a huge step up from a few blog posts, that's for sure.
These are a few of the things which seem to be helping:
1. Invest time up front to structure your story.
You may want to jump straight into the creative process, but simply defining what your story is about is immensely helpful for keeping the story on track. Trust the formula:
Disturbance: An event (can be small), that interrupts the main characters blissful life. It could have happened before the story begins.
1st Doorway: The event that pushes the character out of their comfort zone and sets them on the path to face the novel's conflict as they can't go back to their ordinary life without seeing the story out.
Midpoint: The point where the character stops reacting to what's going on around them and starts being proactive.
2nd Doorway: The event which sets the main character on the unavoidable path to the climax and resolution of the story.
Then organise it into the Three-Act
Structure:
Act I (The Beginning) – Introduce the character/overall story problem and creates the bond between the reader and the main character (the sooner the better). The world of the story is established, as is the tone, pace, opposition etc. The beginning ends when the character passes through the first
doorway.
Act II (The Middle) – The confrontation takes place, subplots play out and plot twists keep the reader motivated and engaged, caring about the characters. This builds to the climax in part three and ends when the character passes through the second doorway.
Act III (The End) – The resolution. The climax takes place and the reader learns whether the main character achieves their goal and what happens. Loose ends are tied up.
If you can fill these out with simple sentences, like your elevator pitch, then you're away. Once I know where I'm going, I've been surprised by how enjoyable and easy the writing is. The voices appear in my head and I'm really just transcribing their conversations on my computer like a diligent court reporter. It's funny, in any other context transcribing the voices in my head would mean I was probably going nuts. Perhaps I am...
Trust the formula.
2. Make Time for Writing
Unfortunately for me I'm working longer hours than usual this month, which is not ideal for writing, but in the spirit of 'you can do anything for a month' I'm getting up at 5.30am each morning to write for a few hours before work, and then after work taking at least an hour off to clear by brain and give my eyes a break from staring at a computer screen all day before writing until around 11pm. Tonight I also had to bake muffins for a charity bake sale we're having at work tomorrow, so I'm working a bit later than usual. They're delicious by the way.
3. Do. Not. Edit. As. You. Go. Do not do it.
This is incredibly difficult for me. I spend so much time deleting sentences, correcting spelling mistakes and pausing to contemplate which synonym sounds better in the sentence. Do not do it. What ever you have to do to stop yourself editing, do it. Do not stop writing. At the moment I am typing with my eyes shut so I can't see the mistakes I'm making. It's actually working well. It helps me focus on the story and how my characters sound, and the words seem to flow better.
Next time I'll fill you in on some of the ways I've bolstered my word count. There are tons of ticks out there, some of which I think are a little outrageous and completely undermine the quality of the writing, but some of them are actually genius.
If you're a bit behind like me don't give up!! There is still one full weekend and one working week left. You can do it!!
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