McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft

How do I start a first novel?

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Wordmaker:
Once you have tyour rough plot and characters in mind, just dive in, all guns blazing, and write. Don't sweat on how to start it, remember that anything you're not happy with you can change once your first draft is done. And yes, transform your vocabulary, both in conversation and in thought. A strong, positive attitude can give you the inspiration to keep working even when the work gets hard.

I'm always thinking about my writing. Going to and from work, watching a movie, listening to music, I'm always remembering how these things can influence my writing and working out what happens next. You don't have to be a master of mental multi-tasking, but try to fill up as many "empty" parts of your day with thoughts about your characters, who they are and what they're doing.

Remember that planning doesn't stop once type the words "Chapter One." You keep planning, keep researching. Sometimes you'll discover something that means you need to change what you've written. Resist that temptation. If you get into the habit of always going back to edit, you'll never get finished. Finish the thing, then fix what's wrong with it.

Lord Rae:
Lay out the things you do have in your mind on paper. If you have to write them with pencil in a notebook somewhere. The basic rules of your universe. The driving force and motivations of your characters. The big picture of your story and the start/end points you want to hit along the way. Also list characters, descriptions, items they wear, tattoos scars, eye color....things like that.

That way when you go to actually write the story you have everything working and going and you don't have to scrounge for what you were thinking about that time at the office. I get a lot of ideas while driving and listening to music... so I try and write stuff down later so I don't redo or over-think one particular scene or plot point.

meg_evonne:

--- Quote from: Beefstew on April 18, 2011, 07:23:36 PM ---In my head it's actually a pretty well developed world, but every time I sit down to write it, my brain *giggles* and runs away, and I'm stuck staring at a white screen.  If I force something out, I'm literally cringing as I write it.  ...

I don't have any problems with short, nonfiction stuff.  ...


--- End quote ---

Beefstew,  It sounds like you have a world or a place or a set to stage your novel. You have characters in need of a plot perhaps? They have the place to play, are defined, but they have no place to go?

forget the massive, scary novel bit. Write a series of very short stories. Maybe one for each character. Nothing honking complicated--that will come. Write one character walking down the street on his way to the grocery store. Write what he sees, feels, smells etc.  Write a whole new character (you the author is fine) arriving on the bus in the middle of your world. Don't worry about 'what happens', but write down this new character's point of view of this great world that is bottled up inside you.  make sure you have them walking, interacting with others on the sidewalk, maybe have them buy a starbucks while they look around the shop. Throw your main characters onto separate tables and write what they look like, how they act.

Once your characters have you literally by the balls--you won't be able to stop writing.  Believe me on that.  Being a woman, I'm using an image described by male authors, but it's pretty accurate from what I hear. LOL

If that, and the other great ideas above aren't working? Maybe you aren't ready yet--emotionally or perhaps you lack the time commitment that you know this will take. Don't let that faze you. You have a long life. Your world won't go away and it will be there when the time is right.

Try some collaborative writing sites. While you 'play' with other writers, you can test out your characters, letting them develop while bouncing off creative juices with other writers.  This is a bit more fun than sitting at the scary desk and keyboarding out novels, but it's a way to explore in your world while typing.

After you try that, let me know how it went. I think you'll be surprised how quickly these characters refuse to remain at their separate tables. They'll start to bump against each other, interact, and the 'do' something. Little bits and pieces will swirl around and congeal into a plot eventually.  

Their stories are there to find. You just haven't found them yet. You will.    

Beefstew:
Well thanks for all the advice.  I think my problem is that my world is too complex, and the idea of sitting down and writing it all out can be overwhelming.  I've got too much material for one single novel, and I haven't been able to figure out where one begins and ends in the entire mess.  Maybe I will try just sitting down and writing a few short stories to get some of it out of the way.  It might make things a little clearer for me.

meg_evonne:
Suggestion: Simply let your complex world exist in your writing. Try not to get caught up in 'explaining' how things work. Let it simply be evident in what you see, hear, and feel. Don't feel like you have to explain anything in your shorts. You'll find out that less is more in so many ways. You'll have lots of time to round out the edges later.

It might be that your mind has been overwhelmed trying to figure out how to explain everything. Or perhaps your mind resents having to write what it already knows. So don't. Play in this wonderful world as you write. It's only for you at present anyway. You can 'explain' it later.  Does that make sense?

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