>How to write a novel: part 5

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Writers can sometimes be the worst procrastinators. Why do today what you can do tomorrow, right? But in order the sharpen your writing skills, it’s important to keep writing. It is a craft and you must keep at it in order to hone your skills. It’s important to establish some writing discipline.

Set up a writing schedule. Determine how many hours a day you want to write. Two hours? Three? Four? Also determine what time of day is best for you to write. Do what works best for your schedule. If you have work and/or have family responsibilities, maybe the early morning hours will be right for you. Or perhaps the late evening is the best time to get your creative juices going.

Write every day. Try to write as much as you can. This can be a paragraph or even just a sentence a day. This will keep you in the rhythm of writing. Even if you don’t feel like writing (there’s that old procrastination kicking in), jot down something in your notebook or journal. Usually, when you force yourself to write, the creative juices start kicking in and you become inspired. Never wait for the muse to get you started; you’ll be waiting a long time.

If you’re working on a particular project–a short story or book, for instance–set up a mental note about what you want to have completed by a certain time. You might, for instance, want to write a chapter a day. Or you might want to complete a certain amount of pages within a week. Determine what works best for your pace and try to achieve that goal. Don’t kick yourself, though, if you don’t meet your goals. Just try to do the best you can and keep that project moving.

Keep a calendar. This will give you something to look at directly to see how far you’ve come on your project and how far you need to go. You might also want to schedule your writing hours into your schedule book as well.

Keep a journal. Journal writing is also a great way to develop writing disciplines. Sketch something in your journal at least once a day. Write about your observations, feelings, or whatever strikes your fancy. You can even write your grocery list. Just as long as you write something and you are sticking to a routine.

Join a writing workshop. Workshops are great in that they allow writers to focus on their writing once a week and to complete projects for the following week. They also put you in a community of writers. Writing is such a lonely activity, so being in a community of writers gives you a chance to share ideas, gain inspiration, and create a network of similarly inspired friends.

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>How to write a novel: part 4

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The most common grammar mistakes can sink an otherwise excellent manuscript with a potential publisher. People need to be very diligent about learning and relearning the rules in the English language. The more polished your manuscript is, the more likely a publisher will be to take interest. The story can be expertly crafted and the characters can be incredibly compelling, but if you don’t seem to care enough to edit for basic errors before submitting it, a publisher will not give you the time of day.

So what I’m going to do here is illustrate some very common errors found in manuscripts and how to correct them.

Dialogue

Incorrect: “Let them eat cake.” Said Marie Antoinette.
Correct: “Let them eat cake,” said Marie Antoinette.

The reason why dialogue and dialogue tags are separated by a comma in a continuous sentence is because they form a complete sentence together in most cases. In the incorrect line, Said Marie Antoinette., is a sentence fragment. If it was reversed, you would be writing: Marie Antoinette said, “Let them eat cake.” You would not write: Marie Antoinette said. “Let them eat cake.” That doesn’t make sense. Therefore, the incorrect version is a sentence fragment and the correct version is a complete sentence. If you aren’t sure, try removing the quotation marks.

Usage

There, their, they’re. These words are used incorrectly all the time. Even though they are pronounced virtually the same, they mean different things and are NOT interchangeable! There is a term of location as in “over there”. Their is a term of plural possession as in “their stiletto heels”. They’re is a contraction of they are as in “they’re gorgeous”. Can you see the difference?

Your vs you’re. This one is very simple and I find it maddening that more people don’t understand it. Let me make it very simple. You’re is a contraction of you are and should ONLY be used in sentences in which you mean to say something like, “You are a moron.” Your is a possessive word and should ONLY be used in sentences in which you mean to say something like, “You’re a moron and your brain must be lacking a few cells.” There you go. Very simple.

Affect vs effect. Like above, these two words are pronounced virtually the same but they mean different things and are NOT interchangeable! In the majority of cases, affect is paired with a verb (an action word like going, walking, strutting), while effect is paired with a noun (a person, place or thing). Effect basically means a result of something. So you could say, “She put twinkle lights in her back yard and the effect was stunning.” Affect, on the other hand, means a feeling. So you could say, “The movie affected her heart and mind.”

Redundancy

And etc. Etc. is short for the Latin et cetera which means literally “and so forth.” Therefore, when you say “and etc.” you’re really saying “and and so forth.” This is clearly redundant. Just say “etc” (or preferably “et cetera”). (It may help you to remember that “etc” was once abbreviated &c.)

ATM Machine. The letters ATM stand for “Automated Teller Machine.” Therefore, when you say “ATM Machine” you’re really saying “Automated Teller Machine Machine.” This is obviously redundant. Just say “I’m going to the ATM.”

PIN Number. PIN stands for Personal Identification Number. Therefore you’re saying “Personal Identification Number Number.” Again, redundant. Just say “I need my PIN.”

HIV Virus. Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Are you sensing a trend?

SAT Test. Scholastic Achievement Test. You get the picture.

Comma Splice

A comma splice is the incorrect use of a comma to connect two independent clauses. (Recall that an independent clause is a phrase that is grammatically and conceptually complete: that is, it can stand on its own as a sentence.) To correct the comma splice, you can: replace the comma with a period, forming two sentences; replace the comma with a semicolon; join the two clauses with a conjunction such as “and,” “because,” “but,” etc.

Incorrect: I like Xena, she is very sexy.
Correct: I like Xena. She is very sexy.
Correct: I like Xena; she is very sexy.
Correct: I like Xena, because she is very sexy.

Dangling Participles

A participle is a verb-form that ends in -ing. It is called “dangling” when it doesn’t agree with its subject. “While walking down the road, a tree caught Xena’s attention.” The subject of the sentence is “a tree,” but it is not the tree that is doing the walking, therefore the participle “walking” is dangling. To correct the sentence, write: “While walking down the road, Xena noticed a tree.” OR: “A tree caught Xena’s attention as she walked down the road.” Remember that not all words that end in -ing are participles (e.g. thing) and some participles are gerunds depending on context. (A gerund is a participle that is functioning as a noun, e.g. “My favorite activity is sleeping.”)

Ending a Sentence with a Preposition

Contrary to popular belief, there is no agreement on this one among English professionals. In general, especially if your audience is strict about rules, don’t end a sentence with a preposition. Prepositions are little words that indicate position and such: with, at, by, from, etc. In general a preposition should come before (“pre”-position) the noun it modifies. So you should change: “That’s the warrior I must talk to” to “That’s the warrior to whom I must talk.” However, if too many “to whom”s and “of which”s are making your writing unnecessarily clumsy, go ahead and end with the preposition, especially in informal writing. Remember the famous example (credited to Winston Churchill) that goes: “This is the kind of thing up with which I will not put!”

Split Infinitives

An infinitive is the form of a verb that begins with “to.” (This problem does not exist in any other language of which I’m aware, since infinitives are single words in every language but English.) Splitting an infinitive means placing another word or words between the “to” and the infinitive. This is considered bad by purists, but, like the sentence-ending preposition, it’s mostly a matter of style.

Incorrect: Xena seems to always win a fight.
Correct: Xena always seems to win a fight.

Some semi-purists say it is okay if only one adverb separates the “to” from the infinitive: “To boldly go where no one has gone before.” As with the sentence-ending preposition, though, don’t worry too much about this. Especially if the split infinitive makes your sentence clearer or more graceful, go ahead and use it.

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>How to write a novel: part 2

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Go here to read the first lesson: http://jessicajewettonline.blogspot.com/2011/05/how-to-start-novel-part-1.html

Today we are going to learn about character development. The process of character development is the most important of writing a well-crafted novel. If your characters are poorly written, transparent, predictable, boring, or cliched, then the rest of the novel will fall apart. No amount of planning the most fantastic plot can make up for the poorly written character.

Motivation is the driving force in the character that makes the novel progress through the plot. It’s important because it helps you write a better story when you know the reasons behind your character’s actions. Also, your readers have to believe in your character in order to buy into the character’s storyline. You can demonstrate your character’s motivation through action or through your character’s words. You don’t have to spell out your character’s motivations by writing, “Kim never had her father’s love so she choose bad lovers.” Trust the reader to follow the story by showing motivation through examples. In a scene, show the relationship between her and her father. Then scenes later, show her relationship with the men she meets. Readers will make the connection without you connecting the dots for them.

That brings me to another very important point in writing a novel. Show. Don’t tell. By that I mean, use your words like paint on a canvas. Make the reader see your points without spelling them out in a direct manner.

An important tool in character development is choosing the name of each character. Select character names that makes sense for characters. Never choose a character name simply because you like the sound of it. The name should represent the character and not your taste in names. Clever or exotic names can take the reader out of the story when the name is selected purely for the “cool” factor. The name should make sense for the time period, economic status, social background, etc., of the character’s setting. You wouldn’t name an eighteenth century duchess Shaniqua, for example. History and trends dictate the perception of names. Names that were popular decades ago such as Bertha and Ethel have evolved into older woman’s names. As a result, readers may not buy a young sexy starlet name Bertha. At the same token, readers may cringe at a seventy year old grandmother named Crystal. Invest in a baby name book. Reading through names jars your creativity and gives you access to names you may never have thought of on your own.

Learn the difference between a protagonist and an antagonist!

A protagonist is the main character in a story. In order for your character to work for the reader, the protagonist has to be believable. The main character is a good guy or gal. The reader roots for his or her success. The protagonist usually evolves as a person by the end of the story.

An antagonist in the story is the bad guy or gal. He or she puts obstacles in the protagonists way. Some writers believe the antagonist should be in his or own way likeable. The key is that you make the antagonist believable. The antagonist can also be a nonperson. For example, in Of Mice and Men, Curley is the antagonist but so are society and the cruel, predatory nature of human life (source: SparkNotes). Additional antagonist examples include: To Kill a Mocking Bird – Bob Ewell. Jane Eyre – There are several antagonists, including Aunt Reed, Mr. Brocklehurst, and Bertha Mason. Harry Potter – There are also many antagonists, including Draco Malfoy and Voldemort.

In order for your readers to buy into your story, creating believable character’s is important. Through character description, you can bring readers into the fold. Before you start working on your story, take the time to develop character descriptions for all the major characters in your book. Think about your favorite characters. What is it about the characters that draws you in? How did the author develop the protagonist, antagonist, and other characters? When you create character descriptions, you can include some or all of the following information. The character’s…

Name
Occupation
Physical Characteristics
Plight
Personality

You can write as much or as little as you want. For some stories you may need light character descriptions and for others more detailed character descriptions. There isn’t a right or wrong approach. All that matters is that you have the necessary information to create wonderful characters.

This is the character development worksheet that I use for all of my main characters.

CHARACTER CHART

Character’s Full Name:
Reason or meaning of name:
Nickname:
Reason:

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE:

Age:
How old does s/he appear?
Eye Color:
Weight:
Height:
Type of body/build:
Skin tone:
Skin type:
Shape of face:
Predominant feature:
Looks like:

FAVORITES:

Color:
Music:
Food:
Literature:
Expressions:
Expletives:
Hobbies:

BACKGROUND:

Hometown:
Type of childhood:
First memory:
Most important childhood event that still affects him/her: Why?
Education:
Religion:
Finances:

FAMILY

Mother:
Relationship with her:
Father:
Relationship with him:
Siblings:

ATTITUDE

Most at ease when:
Ill at ease when:
Priorities:
Philosophy:
How s/he feels about self:
Past failure s/he would be embarrassed to have people know about: Why?
If granted one wish, what would it be? Why?

PERSONALITY:

Greatest source of strength in character’s personality (whether s/he sees it as such or not):
Greatest source of weakness in character’s personality (whether s/he sees it as such or not:
Character’s soft spot: Is this soft spot obvious to others? If not, how does character hide it?
Biggest vulnerability:

TRAITS:

Optimist or pessimist: Why?
Introvert or extrovert: Why?
Drives and motivations:
Talents:
Extremely unskilled at:
Good characteristics:
Character flaws:
Mannerisms:
Peculiarities:
Biggest regret:
Minor regrets:
Biggest accomplishment:
Minor accomplishments:
Character’s darkest secret:
Does anyone else know?
If yes, did character tell them?
If no, how did they find out?

SELF-PERCEPTION:

One word CHARACTER would use to describe self:
One paragraph description of how CHARACTER would describe self:
What does CHARACTER consider best physical characteristic?
What does CHARACTER consider worst physical characteristic?
Are these realistic assessments? If not, why not?
How CHARACTER thinks others perceive him/her:
What four things would CHARACTER most like to change about self? (#1 most important, #2 second most important, etc.)
1.
2.
3.
4.
Why?
If change #1 was made, would character be as happy as s/he thinks?
If not, why not?

INTERRELATION WITH OTHERS:

How does character relate to others?
How is s/he perceived by…Strangers?
Friends?
Wife/Husband/Lover?
Hero/Heroine?
How does character view hero/heroine?
First impression: Why?
What happens to change this perception?
What do family/friends like most about character?
What do family/friends like least about character?

GOALS:

Immediate goals:
Long range goals:
How does character plan to accomplish these goals?
How will other characters be affected?

PROBLEMS/CRISIS:

How character reacts in a crisis:
How character faces problems:
Kinds of problems character usually runs into:
How character reacts to NEW problems:
How character reacts to change:

GENERAL:

Favorite clothing: Why?
Least favorite clothing: Why?
Jewelry:
Other accessories:
Drives:
Where does character live?
Where does character want to live?
Spending habits (frugal, spendthrift, etc): Why?
What does s/he do too much of?
Too little of?
Most prized possession: Why?

UNCATAGORIZED:

Person character secretly admires: Why?
Person character was most influenced by: Why?
Most important person in character’s life before story starts: Why?
How does character spend the week before the story starts?

Much help for this lesson was obtained from www.creativewritingsite.com

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