Time To Set Your Creativity Free!
The first three entries in this series are so basic that they apply to every bit of fiction writing from a high school English project to a full novel. You need a good protagonist and events to force the action. I led with determining the setting and strange factors within that environment for a reason. Setting can be so vital to the overall strength of the project, so I gave it the top spot in my hierarchy. Besides, it's a good starting point for constructing this world in which you want your characters to live.
Now comes the good part. I am not going to suggest details because this is where your creativity as an author comes in. Take those three basic steps and run with them. Create characters that speak to you or for you. Put them in that perfect setting. Shower them with events that spawn troubles aplenty. It might take you tens of thousands of words to construct your personal masterpiece. Good.
I will touch on a major issue here, the length of the project. The novel on which I'm currently working is far shorter than it was a couple of months ago. My word count after the first two drafts was more than 94,000 words. That's a hefty amount for an author who doesn't have name recognition. Yes, you can find an agent who wants to handle something that large for a newbie, but most reject such length because publishing houses are leery of it. My third draft is more than 5,000 words shorter, and I did it while STRENGTHENING the work. I axed a lot of interpersonal angst between spouses. I lopped off two chapters that were descriptive but rather unnecessary in the grander scheme of things. I rearranged chapter flow to accent more key elements earlier in the story.
There is another matter, and that's the knowledge that all that hard work is only the starting point. A literary agent will suggest changes, and if you agree you will hammer away at your copy to bolster the story. Gotta feel pretty good, eh? Just wait. A publishing house will likely suggest other changes, and you will hammer away to meet their great guidance. I talked to author John Hart about his original published work, The King of Lies, and he said the final project was vastly different from his first submitted manuscript. If you're going to enter this literary world, you must bring a thick skin and a dash of humility because criticism from others, and you must be dedicated to this goal of refining your writing. You have to love it despite the travails. It is part of your personal DNA. After all, you are an author.
Now comes the good part. I am not going to suggest details because this is where your creativity as an author comes in. Take those three basic steps and run with them. Create characters that speak to you or for you. Put them in that perfect setting. Shower them with events that spawn troubles aplenty. It might take you tens of thousands of words to construct your personal masterpiece. Good.
I will touch on a major issue here, the length of the project. The novel on which I'm currently working is far shorter than it was a couple of months ago. My word count after the first two drafts was more than 94,000 words. That's a hefty amount for an author who doesn't have name recognition. Yes, you can find an agent who wants to handle something that large for a newbie, but most reject such length because publishing houses are leery of it. My third draft is more than 5,000 words shorter, and I did it while STRENGTHENING the work. I axed a lot of interpersonal angst between spouses. I lopped off two chapters that were descriptive but rather unnecessary in the grander scheme of things. I rearranged chapter flow to accent more key elements earlier in the story.
There is another matter, and that's the knowledge that all that hard work is only the starting point. A literary agent will suggest changes, and if you agree you will hammer away at your copy to bolster the story. Gotta feel pretty good, eh? Just wait. A publishing house will likely suggest other changes, and you will hammer away to meet their great guidance. I talked to author John Hart about his original published work, The King of Lies, and he said the final project was vastly different from his first submitted manuscript. If you're going to enter this literary world, you must bring a thick skin and a dash of humility because criticism from others, and you must be dedicated to this goal of refining your writing. You have to love it despite the travails. It is part of your personal DNA. After all, you are an author.
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