Throughout my long career, I have heard one question more often than any other, and that is the question of what it takes to be a good author. Yes, I know. Some people say "Oh, that is so easy. You simply write an award-winning novel." But here is the real question. How do you write that award-winning novel?
Today, I am going to address some of the biggest mistakes new writers in the Industry make that often hurt the success they so desperately want in this business. And while fairly complicated to the untrained eye, while it can be time-consuming, this journey is actually not as difficult as it seems. So let's get started, shall we?
You want to write a book. It's always been your dream. So you sit down at your computer and start typing. But what do you type? Before you can even begin to formulate a solid story, you need a few tools in your arsenal that are often overlooked.
First of all, do you have any idea where you want your story to go? Perhaps someone told you to outline your stories before you start writing. But while this method is no doubt helpful, it is not necessary. You see, creating a story that rivets people to the edge of their seats where they are unable to put down that book, starts with an idea that has a beginning, a middle and an end. You may only know the beginning, and you know where you want to go. But the middle is something you still have to figure out. Well, that means you have two choices. You can mold and play with the story like clay, shaping it as you go, or you can plan out a brief outline of exactly what events you see happening in your story. Both ways are acceptable, if you can create a story with flow, consistency and prose that drives your readers forward.
I am not saying that you have to know from the start what you want to do to get your story from beginning to end. Many of us do already have ideas about what happens in between the beginning and the end. But some of us need that outline to kind of get the image down that we have in our heads. However, allow room for yourself to expand and create as you go. If you are too rigid and set down an outline that has no room for growth, then you are missing opportunities to create epic scenes. Let your characters tell you what is happening. If you have crafted them with as multi-dimensional an image as possible, then they will be able to guide you on their journey. We will touch more on character creation in my next blog. When you write a story, you need several key elements to make it successful. Those tools I talked about... this is where they come in.
Next, you need to be sure your events line up in their time line, whether this is a stand alone novel or a series. Time jumping that is out of chronological order often confuses and annoys your readers. So even when shifting from one character's point of view to another's, you have to make sure the time line flows. The only exception to this is an obvious flashback or dream sequence. However, neither of these should be used too often within any story. There are some cases where they enhance, or are even necessary to the story, but for the most part, they are not commonly used. We'll talk more on these in another article. A solid timeline does two things for you: First, it lets your readers know from beginning to end where you are. Second, it gives you an easier guideline to follow, much like a thread in a woven tapestry.
Third, you need to be sure your content is solid and have key points to it. What is the conflict or the suspense in the story? What is the journey for your hero or heroine all about? What troubles do they face? What are their flaws? Just like real people, you have to give them an actual story that makes sense... the reasons for their existence and actions are what create the depth needed to take the story to the next level. From the beginning of the story through your journey, you should be building to something big. The journey can have ups and downs, but it should definitely be moving toward that one final, big event that creates resolution. It may bring key changes to a character, if in a series, and sometimes even in a stand-alone. But there should always be a journey that takes you from the beginning to the end. The action in the middle of a story is key to holding onto your audience as they breathlessly read on to find out what happens in the end.
In each of the next blogs I write about, I plan on covering the finer points of each of these points and many more... character development, how to create a hook, what pitfalls to avoid, formulas for action, conflict and suspense, and other techniques that can hone your skills to a much finer quality of story-crafting. See you soon!