“I promise to spend 15 minutes a day thinking more about story structure before writing, rather than heading for the keyboard and "discovering" the story while writing it to get better at writing better stories and articles.”
"Publishers waste millions of dollars a year buying and promoting books that fail. No amount of money or marketing can overcome a book that doesn't deliver. So your first challenge is to write a book that your networks assure you is as good as you want it to be."
(Jay Conrad Levinson, Rick Frishman, & Michael Larsen in GUERILLA MARKETING FOR WRITERS.)
This is from the Suite 101 Journalism site. I should learn something here if I spend much time. I think I'm too spread out right now, but ... I just want to concentrate on the novel, for November.
This looks helpful. I will either use it during writing dry spells, or use it before the first re-write. It is probably too much for me to consider right now.
Recommended on our NaNoWriMo 2001 mailing list: Yahoo! Clubs
_What If: Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers_ by Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter, published by HarperCollins, 1995 (there may be a newer edition out).
Dorthea Brande "Becoming A Writer"
Autobiography of any writer
-Ray Bradbury, Ananis Nin
Collections of writings-
Newsflash! - I just signed up to write a 50,000-word novel in November, so I may not have time for a lot of other things that month. We'll see! Would you like to write a novel?? November is National Novel Writing Month at NaNoWriMo! Check it out!
"Use all five senses when describing settings: touch, smell, sight, taste, and sound. Not only will it increase your word count, but it makes for good writing." -- deannajones
"Another trick is to figure out longer ways to say what you want. My grandfather taught me that... it takes some practice, but it's great for padding papers as well :) Like, instead of "probably" you say something like.. "Circumstances indicate that it would not be unreasonable to assume that the likelihood of occuring is great" or words to that effect." -- dru_dollhouse
I just had a crazy thought for padding, so just go with me on this one, 'kay, people? ..Get this: Actual Meaningful Content!! Wow. Revolutionary." --Vishal
Well, doing the first five parts of that really have helped me to know my characters and story line. I have four more parts to do, and then will take a look at some of her other articles.
"I should not talk so much about myself if there were anybody else whom I knew as well. Unfortunately, I am confined to this theme by the narrowness of my experience." - Henry David Thoreau
I want to write a novel. What premise will I use? Here's some ideas:
Suppose all the men had to have their left hands cut off on their 14th birthday.
Suppose the only meat was kitty cats.
Suppose arguing was the worst crime in the civilization.
Suppose gas supplies were suddenly cut off.
Suppose a great respect for nature would lead to having all the plants talk to you.
Suppose a novel was written all about jobs and getting them.
Suppose a tyrant walked through the area burning all the books.
Suppose all the children were herded into orphanages at age five.
Suppose I do more of this later.
