The dummy's guide to writing a novel?

donfers

Often the advice/tips are based around the writing itself but I want more practical advice relating to the process and structure of the writing.

So how do you get started? What software do you use? Do you set up a chapter in a certain way? How do you save your work, in individual chapters or all together? Do you have a limit of words that you want to write each day or a set time dedicated to writing each day? How do you plan your novel, merely jot down a few notes or have a software that enables you to cross-reference etc.? What line spacing, font, font size do you use etc.? How do you write spoken dialogue in your novel, using inverted commas or using a hyphen? Do you stop after writing a synopsis and the first chapter and send it off to an agent? Do you get feedback as you write or wait until you're finished?

Enough has been said about the editing process and the style of writing. The questions above are the small practical things that come to mind for me when I think about writing. I'm sure there are other queries that I haven't mentioned that perhaps others will care to post here and much gratitude for any replies.

ToasterSparks

Hi. Let me start off by saying that I am by no means any expert or authority on writing, but here's my two cents on some of the issues you raised. I'd love to hear answers to some of your other questions though.

So how do you get started?

You get started by writing! Write, write, write. Write anything. Just get pen to paper or fingers to keyboard and just start writing something. The only way you will write a novel is if you are practising and putting words down on paper all the time. Once you limber up, you can start the process of writing a novel.

What software do you use?

As I said above, writing is the most important part. No amount of fancy software will make writing that novel easier, because the story has to come from you. I imagine that most writers would either write with basic pen and paper, or use a basic program like Microsoft Word, or Notepad.

Do you stop after writing a synopsis and the first chapter and send it off to an agent?

I would imagine that a rookie writer would definitely need to have the full novel written before any agent or publisher would dare to touch you or take a gamble on you. Unless you are really, REALLY good. But even then!! I would strongly encourage you to put off thinking about publishing the novel until you've written a good chunk of it. Right now, the novel is in the planning stages. Many people can get to Chapter 1. It's writing Chapters 2, 3, and so on to the end chapter that it becomes a little more difficult.

dawvee

I've only just started the writing process again myself after a long (nearly 10 year) break, but oh boy, do I have opinions!

So how do you get started?

ToasterSparks has it. Get writing, keep writing. If you have words on the page at least you have something to work with, but there's not much else you can do with a blank page.

What software do you use?

Word or OpenOffice.org work well, or just about any text editing program. Notepad is not a good option though, as it can't handle anything much larger than a few thousand words. Depending on how you work, you may find you need a good solution to organize notes and text snippets. Scrivener is supposed to be good for that, though I've never used it personally.

Do you set up a chapter in a certain way?

I like to structure chapters more or less as scenes. I try to make sure each scene has a single dramatic focus, and works as either plot or character development for the larger narrative. Put simply, each scene needs several reasons to exist as part of the narrative, otherwise I just cut it and fill in any important details elsewhere.

How do you save your work, in individual chapters or all together?

Because they don't end up being terribly long chapters, I save them all in one file. I also intend to keep version control for drafts with SVN or git or something (programs used for versioning software source code, but works on any raw text file - which unfortunately means it doesn't work well on Word documents).

Do you have a limit of words that you want to write each day or a set time dedicated to writing each day?

I try to write 2000-3000 words in a day, but I alternate writing days and planning days. On planning days I make sure I have a scene arc, notes and research details all set for the next day's writing, so I can just sit down and work.

How do you plan your novel, merely jot down a few notes or have a software that enables you to cross-reference etc.?

I'm hopeless at this. I have notes files that are just massive brain dumps where I write out every detail I can think of about characters, settings, relationships, snippets of dialogue, events, you name it, all as they come to me.

What line spacing, font, font size do you use etc.?

I use a sans serif font, because I find it easier to read long passages of text than a serif font. Which one doesn't really matter. I usually double-space the lines, since my partner reads over my work for me right away and reading masses of single-spaced text is a pain.

How do you write spoken dialogue in your novel, using inverted commas or using a hyphen?

In my notes files I write dialogue with hyphens, but always inverted commas in the text itself. I can't imagine writing dynamic dialogue with hyphens, as I try to integrate dialogue, action and description pretty tightly.

Do you stop after writing a synopsis and the first chapter and send it off to an agent?

Good lord, no. By the end of the first chapter I barely have a clue what the book will even end up being about, since I try to stay open to ideas that arise spontaneously through the narrative. Personally, I couldn't just write to a synopsis with no improvisation as I went - I know from experience that I'd lose interest sooner or later.

Do you get feedback as you write or wait until you're finished?

As I said, my partner reads over my work more or less straight after I've finished it. I trust her opinion implicitly, and I can gauge how well I'm doing by how excited she is to see the next part.

pickarooney

So how do you get started?

Usually an idea forms when I'm somewhere far away from a computer or desk. I try to expand on the idea while it's fresh and as soon as I can I get some sort of paper and writing implement. I often have about 50 of these - post-its, tissues, supermarket receipts etc. with barely legible scribbles on them before I get around to opening a text editor. The worst thing, I find, is to put these ideas aside and wait until I'm in front of a computer. The more I think/write, the more it starts to flow. A lot of it ends up being ditched, but that's to be expected.

What software do you use?

OpenOffice, although I ratehr stupidly used Word one day because I couldn't find a particular editing feature in OOO and since then I've never got it to display fully correctly in OpenOffice. I advise against mixing and matching software and not bothering with complicated formatting until the book is absolutely finished (about 3 years after you first write 'THE END').

Do you set up a chapter in a certain way?

Not exactly. I imagine the scene and write it until it exhausts itself. Then I add some line breaks and when it's all done stick a number before it. I'm not particualrly good at chaptering, it has to be said.

How do you save your work, in individual chapters or all together?

One file. I email myself a copy and keep one in work, one at home, one on a USB stick. I keep version numbers and point numbers (e.g. I have a Version 1, Version 2, Version 2.1... Version 5.4)
N.B. Check all your pockets before putting trousers in the washing machine.

Do you have a limit of words that you want to write each day or a set time dedicated to writing each day?

When I had the luxury I used to write for 1.5 hours every day. Now, it's whenever I get a moment, which is rare.

How do you plan your novel, merely jot down a few notes or have a software that enables you to cross-reference etc.?

Initially a rough sketch of it from beginning to end. As I write, this tends to change dramatically. I found myself using an Excel spreadsheet during the second rewrite to make sure character descriptions etc. were consistent. It's amazing how you (I) can alter basic aspects of a character between chapers without realising it.

What line spacing, font, font size do you use etc.?

I wasn't bothered with this until I got through a couple of drafts; I just used the editor's default (TNR 12pt with single spacing I guess). At one stage I switched because antialiasing was not working so well with certain fonts on my home PC and have been using Calibri since then, although this could have been around the time I started using MS Word.

Short answer - who cares?

How do you write spoken dialogue in your novel, using inverted commas or using a hyphen?

I had to experiment with lots of variations on this and am still not settled on it. I use quotation marks in all cases though.

Do you stop after writing a synopsis and the first chapter and send it off to an agent?

That's frankly a ridiculous idea.

Do you get feedback as you write or wait until you're finished?

For my first novel, it took me a long time to show it to anyone, by which time it was too late and I'd created an unreadable mess. Not even my girlfriend or my sister could get through it. Lesson learned for next time. You need to get feedback from various sources and preferably people with no emotional connection to you.

LegacyUser

I usually wing it in all regards. I get a tiny slip of an idea and keep building on it.

But I think I need more structure so I've been reading about the snowflake method and might give it a try.

http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/art/snowflake.php

Has anyone here tried it yet?

Antilles

donfers wrote: »

So how do you get started?

I keep a moleskine notebook and a pen with me most of the time. When I have an idea, I jot down as much as I can. If the idea is good, I'll write up a synopsis when I get to a computer. If its bad, I'll cross it out. If its decent, I keep it in the notebook. When I'm stuck for an idea in a story, I flick through the unused ideas in my notebook for inspiration.

What software do you use?

Microsoft Word, OpenOffice, notepad, Google Docs. Whatever I have that's handiest. I use Google Docs to store my stuff, because I can access it wherever I have a computer, so most of my stuff is done through that.

Do you set up a chapter in a certain way?

Every chapter should have a purpose. No chapters should just be "filler" to get from one place in the story to the next. Every chapter should have something in it (new ideas, charaters, mysteries, etc) to keep the reader going to the next one.

How do you save your work, in individual chapters or all together

I have whatever chapter I am working on currently in its own file. I have another file containing everything I've written so far, and add to it as I finish each chapter. Once the first draft is written, I create a new file and copy/paste chapters into it from the first draft, editing them as I go until a complete second draft is in the second file. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Do you have a limit of words that you want to write each day or a set time dedicated to writing each day?

I try to write a few hundred good words a day. That usually means writing four or five times that, and then editing it down until its tight.

How do you plan your novel, merely jot down a few notes or have a software that enables you to cross-reference etc.?

I write a high level overview, then divide that up into scenes, then write up scene overviews so I know exactly what happens and when. I then take each scene's overview, and write out my first draft using the overview as a guide.

You should note that seat-of-the-pants type writers would disagree. I've know at least one writer who never uses outlines. He just has a general idea what he wants to write about, and lets the story tell itself. That's definitely not for me though!

What line spacing, font, font size do you use etc.?

That's a matter of personal taste. I believe editors like double-spaced so they can add comments/corrections.

How do you write spoken dialogue in your novel, using inverted commas or using a hyphen?

"I love Alice," said Bob.

Do you stop after writing a synopsis and the first chapter and send it off to an agent?

Yes, but I'm secretly Stephen King.

Do you get feedback as you write or wait until you're finished?

I get feedback a year or so after I've "finished it", and after I've had time to let it cool so I can go back over it and review it again.

Antilles

pickarooney wrote: »

Initially a rough sketch of it from beginning to end. As I write, this tends to change dramatically.

Yeah I use Excel for stuff like that sometimes too. Its far too easy to forget character/plot details on the fly. The first novel I wrote featured a chacter with a mysterious limp. It was going to be a major character point, but near the end of writing, I realised not only had I failed to resolve it (gunshot wound), but I hadn't even mentioned it since the third chapter. D'oh.

SirJolt

I've wanted to ask this for a long time, but it's a strange one so I'd never thought of anywhere to pose it.

I write tech news stuff for a living, about 4,000 words of it a day. I'm trying to get back into creative writing and get some real practice, but I'm not sure how to approach it. I fear that not all writing is good practice writing.

Anyone got any suggestions on easing my way back into a more creative writing style of doing things?

pickarooney

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Other than that, just write about the first thing that comes into your head.

dawvee

SirJolt wrote: »

Anyone got any suggestions on easing my way back into a more creative writing style of doing things?

I can sympathize. Jumping from news or article writing back to creative writing can be tough, but Pickarooney is right - you just have to start writing anything that comes to mind. Try thinking of a situation, a character, or a setting, and just write a short passage about it for practice. Then, keep doing it. So much of it is just down to practice.

SirJolt

Thanks guys, will be without an internet connection for a big chunk of the weekend, so I look forward to giving it a go

EileenG

The others have said it. The most important thing is to write and keep writing. And when you are not writing, think about what you are going to write when you sit down the next time.

Write the whole book, then go back and edit. And edit again. And again. Don't even think about an agent or publisher until your book is as perfect as you can possibly make it. Then get an objective reader to pick it apart and work on it some more.

The software etc is just a detail. There are submission guidelines for when you finally get it polished enough to think about publication. At this stage, your priority is to get words on the page and bring your story to life.

AnBealBocht

Dublin writer wrote: »

I usually wing it in all regards. I get a tiny slip of an idea and keep building on it.

But I think I need more structure so I've been reading about the snowflake method and might give it a try.

http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/art/snowflake.php

Has anyone here tried it yet?

* What differences, if any, for the writer?.
* Different approach?.
* Better ' market ' for one over the other?.
* Any publishing of novels chapter-by-chapter, a la Dickens, any more?.

EileenG

You might be able to do a chapter by chapter approach as a series for magazines, but even then, you'd be expected to have the whole thing done and perfect before you start. You will never be able to sell it raw chapter after raw chapter. Apart from anything else, as soon as you have the whole thing written, you'll see all the loose ends and unnecessary scenes, not to mention the holes where there should be clues and additional scenes.

I honestly wouldn't think in terms of market at this stage. Write, and keep writing, and perfect your skills. When you have something that makes you feel really excited, where you want to drag passers-by off the street to read it, then you can start looking for a market.

Livvie

I was recently told that Century Gothic will use less ink. I tried it on a 17 page chapter, and it did condense to 15 pages.

Useful for your own hard copy, even if publishers demand Times Roman or something else.

Miranda7

Depending what genre you are interested in I think it's good to start with short stories. They are quite difficult to write but because they are short you obviously get them completed more quickly than say a novel. It is a good way to practise. It encourages you to have a structure and you are less likely to end up with a mess. When you have written a few short stories which you are reasonably happy with it might be the time to start something longer. However, I love the short story and have mostly written them over a period of about 20 years - on and off.