Étiquette : Novel

How to write a novel in 3 months Wait, but… why?

When you’re doing research about writing a book, it seems like we have to write a novel in 3 months.

I totally did it, by the way. Wrote a novel in 3 months. It’s a middle-grade/tweens novel, 52 000 words long, or it will be when I am done with the second rounds of revisions.

I am proud of that novel, but… I am exhausted !

Why write a novel in 3 months?

In my case, I wrote a novel in 3 months because I noticed that a publisher was seeking contemporary middle-grade/tweens novels. So that is what I wrote, and wrote fast, for that window will not be open forever.

The publisher might not buy my book (here, in my little North-American francophone bubble, no literary agent; us, writers, are solo player by default) but I least I can say that I tried. Plus side, it was such a joy to write.

Still, I am exhausted. I am a slow writer, a slow reviser, a slow type of gal in general.

Although the end result is a fun book I am proud of, writing a book in 3 months is not my cup of tea.

If it’s not for a professional requirement; if it’s not to prove yourself that you can finish a novel or what have you, I am here to tell you: don’t bother trying to write a novel in 3 months.

Instead, make good art. That is what I will focus on.

Money, the name of a tired game

I dream of being able to earn a living as a traditionally published author. Yes.

Here’s a dirty little secret though: I don’t want to be rich.

I want my books to be enjoyed by as many readers as possible. I want to be able to buy food, clothes and finish paying the house.

See, money is a depressing reality that makes the entire world miserable, and has made the world miserable for millennia. Money and guns and bombs. But I digress.

There is no guarantee what so ever that if you write a novel in 3 months, you’re gonna get published and hit the bestsellers list. No guarantee what so ever.

Why put yourself through on a rough, though working path for money.

Writing books is not a highway to millionaire-land (what a sad land that is, a bunch of people that could help feed half of the children dying of hunger every day with their pocket change *sigh*). Forget it.

Make good art

The words of Neil Gaiman not only touched my heart. They found a place in my soul.

Make good art, write the best stories to make readers dream and hope, that is my now my goal.

I hope this post helped you take that pressure off your writer’s shoulders.

There’s enough characters problem to think about as it is.

How to write a novel ​: 3 tested tips to get things started

Here’s 3 tips that served me well over the years, and some bonus thoughts on this « how to write »!

Beside from sitting your bum on chair and, you know, write.

Not long ago, a friend asked me for some help. She wanted to write a novel but honestly didn’t know where to start.

She had not so much of an idea, but she knew what kind of book she wanted to write.

Even though I have been writing for more than twenty years, I had to think things through before answering. 

How do I start writing a novel again?

Please welcome the great, the marvellous, the incredible Ideas!

Well, the first thing you need when you want to write a novel is an idea. There’s really no way around it.

You need a character that goes on a quest to obtain something essential to her/his life or else.

Where to find ideas then?

Here are 5 tips on how to find ideas for a novel, that served me oh so very well over the years.

I got those tested tips from the creative writing class I use to take, as well as from authors interviews, channels or books.

Tip #1 : Read the newspapers

An actual paper newspapers. It is FULL of sparkling ideas, I promise.

Read the headlines for sure, but take the time to read all those little articles about the local news, or the local news in other countries. What I like the most is the political crisis in little countries or this old law that just got overruled (mostly laws about the proper use of horses).

That being said, I more than often much more weird, disturbing, sad news, perfect to start a thriller or a mystery novel for example.

In French, we have a say: la réalité dépasse la fiction. Meaning that reality is, very often, less believable than fiction.

The newspapers holds many proofs of that.

Tip #2: Take public transport

You will help decrease pollution worldwide AND you will be able to study other humans in their natural habitat. Plus, you can do some very inspiring ears dropping.

It’s crazy how a spectacular outfit, a burst of peculiar laughter, an incredible amount of egg shapes freckles covering the entire face of a beautiful person (true story, the impossible green of her eyes still haunts my writer dreams), can spark the creative flow.

Who’s behind that rainbow tailor suit; why is that person talking about quantum physics in Russian on his/her phone at 7 in the morning; geez, I really didn’t need to know about that young woman gynecologist appointement (true story).

Tip #3: Get out

I mean it.

Take a walk, a normal, no counting how steps you’ve taken or how many calories you’ve burned walk. And take that opportunity to leave stress behind.

Better yet, get out there. Travel. Meet new people, taste new things. No need to break the bank. A little imagination goes a long way

Still, the best way to travel for free is: read books.

When in doubt, go to the library

Novels can transport you through time and space. You can hear different voices, you get to be confronted by different realities.

To read novels is to travel far beyond our own prejudices, beyond the walls we built in our heads, beyond what we thought was true.

Ideas live in books. And in a library, they are many, many books.

I will now digress a little, if I may, and share opinions. Disclosure: I mean no disrespect to anyone. I do mean to bash or put to shame anyone either.

I am hopeful that your public library buys books from every author in the World, and does not censure anything, even the crap I know think is pollution both for the mind and the environment.
Because we all have the right to read whatever the frex we want, as long as it doesn’t make one a complete psychopath-racist-shallow jerk (ends all those crappy books I wish were not published).

Anyway.

It goes without saying. To write a novel, you need to read novels…. Or so I thought.

Depressingly enough, some people will argue that they can write a book, since they play video games and watch movies and tv series.

Oh my dearfrexing Gosh.

No no.

No no no.

To write a novel, you NEED to read novels. End of the discussion. See you at the library!

Sources

Here are some people whom might be able to help you too!

Very good one from Amina’s blog, of Numawork Creatives.

Writers Digest gets you started with basic stuff.

A Well Told Story is coming at you with her usual great tips to get writing.

So many tools you can use to help you along your writing journey. I like the ones from Writers helping writers, but there is many more.

One of my favorites author helping others, Paula, helps you with the dreaded first chapter.

Book of the week: Brightly Burning

With Brightly Burning, I took such a risk. And I am so very frexing happy I did!

She had me at  » I woke up regretting all my life choices. »

What I miss the most about being a book shop girl is being surrounded by books. Every book. Ones I knew on the spot I would love, ones I would never touch, ones I would have put directly in the recycling.

(Nobody needs a book shaped like a pizza, full of grammar mistakes and bad recipes. Nobody.)

Also, I miss the book shop people. Reading books that you know you’ll love is great, but letting yourself be convinced by another book shop person to read a novel you first scoffed at was even better.

I am so grateful to have been able to read so many stories I would have never even glance at.

Of course, sometimes I would politely put the book I was convinced to read away, without finishing it. Most of the time though, it turned out well.

Now, alone in the world where I have to either wait forever for my library to get the books I wanna try out or buy every last one of them (I have about 50 books I wanna read since February started on the French only), I rarely get to take the risk of reading something out of my liking range.

With Brightly Burning, I took such a risk. And I am so very frexing happy I did!

The retelling era in YA

Don’t get me wrong, I love the guy.

Nevertheless, sometimes, I do blame Shrek for that retelling trend. Not that is was such a new thing when the movie got out, of course not.

Somehow thought, it kinda spread the word. Retelling of fairytales and beyond worked. Big time.

No offense intended to any of the great authors writing a great retelling of any kind, but I will rejoice the day the retelling trend fades and vanish for a little while.

Still, I loved Alexa Donne AuthorTube sooo much (check it out, fellow writers, for she shares her deep knowledge of the industry in a super fun way, plus she always does her research, hurray!), I took a shot, went on and buy her retelling of Jane Eyre, which was set in space.

Basically, I bought a retelling set in a sci-fi universe. Two literary genre I usually stay away from.

The 100 Pages Rule

On my first time around in a University, my creative writing teacher told us about his rule regarding books.

If, after 50 pages, the writer did not mange to captivate him, he would stop reading and move on.

He’s point: too many books, too little time. I adopted that rule ever since.

Brightly Burning got me at page 33 of my hardcover edition. (Oh yeah, I even bought the book even before it got out in trade paperback like I was frexing rich or something.)

At page 33, reading the first sentence I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I said to myself: ok, look at it this way, woman; it is a novel inspired by one of your favorite classic read.

Once I got off my high-horse twisted snobby thinking, I fully got onboard.

Well written, fast-paced, the novel is a true page-turner, and a real good one at that.

The twist on the whole mystery lurking in the source d’inspiration of the novel is very well thought through. Sprinkled that with fun characters, spaceships and a very obliging AI, and you got yourself an afternoon or two well spent, and in really good company too.

No need to read the source d’inspiration to fully enjoy Brightly Burning, a very entertaining YA sci-fi retelling of Jane Eyre.

I cannot wait to read the upcoming work of Alexa Donne. The next one is set in the same universe, but quite a few years before.

And yes, it is inspired by a Jane Austen novel. And yes, I am very excited to read it.

I think Brightly Burning is available everywhere, but sadly for all the YA francophones readers out there, in english only.