I WILL fill that cork board.
It's very exciting to be beginning 'The Novel' by actually putting words onto paper - rather than have them whizzing around in my head. I read with interest this morning a great blog post by Carol Hedges, you can read it here, which spurred me on to the next stage! So, thank you Carol, you have helped me get to 'sketching.'
And sketch I have done. I have quite detailed sketching, as this is how I roll. But it has enabled me to begin to 'live' the characters lives a bit today and make them more three dimensional. I also have an opening scene and although I have a feeling this may need to change at a later date, I feel more positive having made a start.
If I'm honest, I only have a vague idea of an ending, which is bothering me a bit. I have read many, many different viewpoints on this, some saying you must know the ending. However, I know my story is a complicated one, and I think that as I write and get further into the process, the ending will become evident. I hope!
There is research to be done. But for now I think that if I begin that, it will take me away from my current progress. I am pretty sure I can get a fair way without in-depth research as yet because I can use my own knowledge for a chunk of it.
So, no excuses now. Are there?
You've done better than me - I haven't even started mine yet!
ReplyDeleteBut I am sure you have been busy writing something though :)
DeleteI have only managed 2000 and some words as yet, I am confusing myself already about what order I want scenes. Hmmm...going to take much longer than a novel should me thinks!
Good luck with it. I'm not a lot further on than you, Sam, and it can feel quite daunting to look ahead, can't it? I can recommend a book based on the novel writing course I went on by our tutor Lynne Barrett-Lee called 'Novel: Plan it. Write it. Sell it.' She is a published author herself and the book is very practical and may be of help to you. It's available on Kindle.Thanks for the link to Carol Hedges's post by the way.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recommendation Jan - I am finding it difficult to get my head around the order I should put things! I think I should just write, any which way - then worry about how it will fit together further down the line - as my fussing is stopping the actual writing! All part of the fun! :)
ReplyDeleteI have followed all sorts of advice: postcards for outlining, large paper planning and plotting, character profiling, excel sheets etc. All had a little helping hand in organising my thoughts but I haven't quite found my 'working method' yet. However, I plod on and have a lot of fun. Now at 15,000 words of first scribbled draft. Good luck and much fun Samantha. The most useful tip I got, to date, is that from James Loquist. He told me (yes, I do believe all these books I read are especially for me :)) to tell not show in the first instance. Get it all down first, which increases wordage, and then once the first draft is there, that is the time to play with words and craft the novel. So far, this works for me.
ReplyDeleteHaha, me too re: books being especially for me!
DeleteI SO TRY to just write, write, write - without messing about with the way it reads, or words used - but I have thus far FAILED! I don't seem to be able to help myself, even though I know it is preventing the novel getting anywhere near finished :( Perhaps by the second novel...
15,000 words is great Nicola well done, I am at 11,600 or so. Let me know how you progress!