How To Write a Novel: A Writer’s Toolkit
I’ve come to realise there really is no right way to be a writer. Each has their own unique way of doing things, and no two novels are written in the same way. This is good news for the creative within, but daunting if (like me) you have no idea where to start, or question whether you are doing it right.
I’ve spent years attending book festivals and workshops by notable authors, eager to glean the secret ingredient: how to actually get a novel written. But asking someone how to write a novel is like asking them to teach you how to think or how to breathe. All they can do is try to loosely sum up their internal machinations as best they can, but really the only person who can do it is you.
There are those who methodically sit for a set time period every day to painstakingly form a habit, learning to switch their creativity on at will, those who set themselves the challenge of a daily word count that they meticulously stick to (even stopping mid sentence when their quota has been reached), and those like me who are ruled by spontaneity and the unreliable whims of inspiration, unable to manufacture the “mood” as it were. Or so I thought. Following the principles of NaNoWriMo, I set myself a seemingly insurmountable writing challenge - to write 70,000 words in the month of August. It turns out that I am completely capable of maintaining a steady, fulfilling writing practise.
Here are some of the best and most useful resources I have come across, which have really helped me to get as far as a good, workable draft. I hope they can be useful to you too. xoxo
Essential Reading For Every Writer
Writers & Artists’ Yearbook
The Yearbook should be every aspiring writer’s first port of call - c’est la bible. Full of advice from industry leaders, practical tips and a directory of everything you could possibly need to know (literary agents, awards and prizes, funding options). It is a resource of epic proportions.
Their website is also packed with essays, articles and resources.
Bird By Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
by Anne Lamott
First published in 1995, Bird by Bird is as relevant now as ever. My favourite book about the act of writing - beautifully written, Lamott distils every little bit of what it feels like to write for a living.
Writing a Novel: Bring Your Ideas To Life The Faber Academy Way
by Richard Skinner
Richard Skinner draws on many years as a creative writing teacher to offer clever strategies & frameworks from which to build characters & plot points. Filled with wisdom, quotes & examples from every genre.
Assume The Position: Getting Started
The Snowflake Method
Rather than writing a story from start to finish in a linear format, The Snowflake Method has writers begin with a one sentence summary of their story (harder than it sounds). They then build it up to a paragraph, and continue bulking the story outwards rather than in a straight line. I never follow the actual “rules” of this method but it does resemble most closely the way I write long form text.
Write A Postcard
Vintage postcards or even random photographs can make great creative writing prompts. When I travel, I like to write what I see, smell and hear on the backs of postcards from where I’ve been that day. Pinterest is great for this too, I keep a board of writing prompts and exercises at the ready:
Flipping The Narrative Voice
Play with point of view. Write the same scene in the first person then in the third person and it really helps decide where you want to settle within the story, and what feels like the most natural perspective to write from.
Write in motion!
The notes in my iPhone are full of descriptions of things I see and experience when out and about. The 2020 equivalent to whipping out a notebook to scribble into.
Mapping Out A Time Line
I’m a very visual person, so I like to assemble mood boards and mind maps and anything I can surround myself with to really capture a feeling of time and place. Often I will hang string across the room and use little wooden pegs to hang up postcards, photographs of the places in my story (or the real people my characters are based on if it’s Historical Fiction). Sometimes my study looks like a forensic operation is underway.
For every novel idea I have, I fill an A3 sketchbook with mind maps, and always like to plot out an overview of my story on a timeline (or sometimes I will do this digitally via Time Toast).
I also like to screenshot my Apple Calendar for a given year, print it out and scribble all over it. Details like getting the right day of the week for the date matter a lot to me. I map out the most important local festivals, my characters’ birthdays, any reason at all there might be a celebration or a gathering. For example my current novel is set in India so I’ve drawn in the drastically different seasons as a reminder, to make sure I’m not conjuring up a week of dry sunny days in peak monsoon season.
Once I’ve decided on key plot points, I write all of the “scenes” / chapters on tiny sheets of paper and split them into an Act I, II and III - reordering them across my floor until I’m happy.
Plotting The Journey:
Google Maps is one of the most underused tools in a writer’s arsenal. The option to build your own map opens up so many useful ways to keep track of a story or a character’s journey. The satellite view helps to understand topography and the dangly orange man means you can walk down almost any street in the world - super useful.
Virtual Writing Retreats
Since the beginning of Lockdown, I’ve enjoyed regular digital writing retreats with Urban Writers Retreat. Run by amazing Charlie, they take place in a dedicated Facebook group, beginning with some breathing exercises to help get in the zone. Writers fill in a goal sheet for the day ahead and check in regularly with their progress. It’s a really supportive space for writers to feel part of a community at this weird time (and they are currently free, with donations welcome). From committing to myself just a day at a time, I’ve been able to adopt better writing habits and wrangle myself into position. The Guardian praised Charlie’s retreats, saying they “..might just prove to be the most productive day of writing you’ve ever had.” I concur.
NaNoWriMo
National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo is a worldwide writing challenge undertaken by writers every November to put pen to paper / fingers to keys and execute a 50,000 word project in just 30 days.
I really like to be able to track and watch my progress. The more stats I have on my work-in-progress, the more organised and on top of it I feel. I’ve used two different word tracking programmes at different times, Write Track and Work Keeper. I also use this percentage calculator to see how far from a certain goal I am. There are two useful articles on estimating your book page count here and here too.
Keeping Your Writing Organised
I use Evernote all the time. It’s a clever app designed for note taking and organising, splitting “digital notebooks” into individual “notes” (which I use for each of my chapters, or for topics of research). There is a useful tagging function that helps sort notes in even greater detail - like “characters” / “setting” etc. As the app can live on multiple devices (and crucially, auto saves!) I’ve found it the most practical software for my writing projects to live on. Author Michelle Richmond has written a useful guide to keeping your novel organised in Word too.
Writing Playlists:
For basic concentration I find lovely calming piano really helpful, and loved the Delicate Rébellion Writing Playlist. I always try to curate music that matches the setting of my work. If I’m writing about France in the 20s and 30s, I’ll fill my space with Josephine Baker, Charles Trenet & Django Reinhart.
Some Good Author Newsletters To Sign Up To:
New York Times Bestselling Novelist Michelle Richmond aka The Caffeinated Writer has put together some practical novel planning worksheets, and her bi-weekly newsletter is great. Jericho Writers send weekly updates with genuinely helpful writing tips.
An author herself, Charlotte Duckworth specialises in Squarespace sites for authors. Her newsletter is really worth subscribing to, with a number of free resources on SEO Guides for Writers, support with setting up your own author’s newsletter and a survival guide for debut novelists.
I’d love to know about any writing tips or tricks you use, let me know in the comments below?
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