Remember that basic idea you had way back? By this time it should have grown from a seed to a full-blown plant, with structure and substance. If you look back you will find it difficult to remember the original seed. It has expanded and changed so much, like the Big Bang at the instant the Universe began. That analogy is very much like the development of a novel from basic idea to completion.
No, you won't have the entire novel already fixed in your imagination. (It might exist complete in your subconscious though, but that is another article). There is much work to do yet before your work resembles anything like a novel.
However you may already be able to visualise the opening scene featuring your key character. This is important. The key character should be presented to the reader from the start. As has been said before, the reader needs to attach himself to a character, to feel empathy, and be willing to see the book through to the end because that character is so engaging.
As well as being able to visualise the first scene, the last scene in the novel, the denouement, may also be firmly in your mind; an exciting opening and an exciting finish. What about the middle of the novel, though? There is nothing worse for the reader to have their expectations raised by a good opening scene only for the book to go as flat as a pancake in the middle. That book has failed because the writer has not done his job properly.
Your first reader will be your target publisher's commissioning editor. You must impress him or her or your book will never see the light of day. How to avoid a flat middle? Careful planning and plotting is the answer.
There are basically two kinds of writers, the inspirational kind who wing their way through the novel without any careful plotting, just a vague notion as to what will happen, and the careful planner, who has an outline to follow, rather like the route map of a journey.
The inspirational writer can be brilliant; the epitome of spontaneity but it takes practice and confidence. Winging it can end in disaster in the form of writers' block. The careful planner can get bogged down in his outline, thus becoming inflexible and perhaps predictable.
The ideal way to go is to be a little of both. A basic outline of the plot from start to finish is recommended, but the writer should remember that the outline is not carved in stone, and can be changed at a moment's notice. An instance of how this might happen is during the writing of dialogue when the characters are in full flight. Enthralled, the writer feverishly types down everything they say. Then, all of a sudden, one of the characters says something the writer had not bargained on, something that, if acted upon, will take the plot in a completely new direction. The writer stops, scratches his head. Where did that idea come from? Do I want the plot to down that path?
This new idea, which the character has brought forth, is, of course, something from the writer's subconscious mind. At this juncture the writer should think carefully, weighing up the merits of this new idea. Again it is a matter of 'legs' and 'meatiness'.
What should the plot outline look like? To understand this we must touch on the subjects of structure and construction. How is a novel constructed? A new writer might answer - a novel is constructed out of chapters.
No. Forget chapters. A novel is constructed almost entirely of scenes. Apart from words, the basic building blocks are dramatic scenes. Therefore your plot outline must be built in scenes, that is to say, skeletal scenes. The meat is put on the bones when the writer is actually writing the scene.
Think in scenes throughout. Chapters will look after themselves, as it becomes obvious to the writer which group of scenes belong together - in a chapter. A chapter can contain one scene or twenty.
Likewise, scenes can be of any length, but they must not be static with nothing happening. Keep description to a minimum. The reader wants to get in on the action, so do not disappoint him.
The structure of the novel depends on how many 'threads' you intend to have in the novel. The main thread is, of course, the story of the key character. However, a one thread story will give a thin plot. To create meatiness and variety in the plot it is advisable to have at least two threads. This means there will be another main character whose story is running concurrently with that of the key character. At some point these threads must cross i.e. be relevant to each other.
The writer might be confident and brave enough to include a third thread featuring a third character. This however will require a very detailed plot outline so that the writer can keep track of everything that is happening. There can be no loose ends at the end of the novel - every character and plotline must be accounted for. If at the end of the book the reader has to ask - 'Whatever happened to Charlie...' the writer has fallen down again.
Do not be confused between the number of threads and the number of characters in the plot. Many characters will come and go in your novel. Don't forget to account for their going. Don't create characters for the sake of it. Each character, no matter how minor whether named or unnamed, must have a purpose for being there; a part to play. Whether these characters should have a point-of-view will be discussed in another article.
................................................................................................................................................................
Jaci Gwyn is another name for the professional author Gwen Madoc, the author of twelve published novels of historical romance and family sagas. Gwen has an keen understanding of how to put a novel together and is very willing to pass her expert knowledge and experience on to aspiring writers.
http://www.AuthorsDen.com/gwenmadoc
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jaci_Gwyn
Monday, 11 October 2010
Sunday, 22 August 2010
Get Published - Characters (2)
It is worth repeating that your key character is your book, and must be to the forefront of the story most of the time throughout the plot. Ideally, the key character should be introduced to the reader in chapter one. This is important, since the reader will need to feel empathy with a character straight away to be willing to follow that character through the book. If the reader cannot find this sympathy he/she will simple close the covers of the book, having lost interest. Interest is maintained by depth of character and skillful plotting.
It has been said in a previous article that the writer should know his key character thoroughly. But there is no need to outline this background to the reader immediately in blocks of explanation. Through the key character's interaction with other characters and his/her internal thoughts interspersed throughout the book the reader will come to know everything in a natural way, as we come to gradually know our friends in real life.
As the key character's background decides his/her personality and outlook on life, certain traits will emerge that will fix the character in the reader's mind and imagination. The most important trait is integrity. The key character will have ideals and principles which he/she will fight to protect and no matter what adversity he/she faces and will stand by those principles. The writer can test the key character's strength to the full here, making him/her suffer any hardship or apparent insurmountable obstacle.
Watching the character struggle to maintain his integrity, especially in early scenes and chapters, makes the reader trust and respect the character. This resulting empathy is a kind of hook to keep the reader turning the pages. Without integrity the character will not be likable - a fatal flaw, no matter how well worked out the plot is.
Integrity is not to be confused with virtue. A character may lose virtue and be forgiven by the reader, but a reader will not accept a key character betraying his/her principles.
For an example, let us look at author Lee Childs' very popular character Jack Reacher. Jack is a loner out of choice, a dangerous man; an anti-hero in fact. Jack will kill without a second thought, but the reader forgives him and still admires him because whatever he needs to do is done in the name of justice. Jack has strong integrity even though his virtue may be a little tarnished.
What other traits your character has will be determined by his background and by the plot that you weave for him/her.
But, of course, the key character is not in this story alone. There are other characters usually determined by the plot. Other characters are usually called secondary characters. These characters will interact with the key character thus pushing the plot along at a good pace. However, they are secondary by degrees. Some secondary characters will remain in the story throughout the story, having a strong role to play, and will have viewpoint scenes of their own. They also will have varies traits - some good, some bad according to their role in the story and the plotting. There are minor characters which the writer will find it necessary to bring in but they will not be given viewpoint scenes - these are what might be described as walk-on characters. They will usually have a specific function in the story if only briefly. In the case of very minor characters there is no need to name them. The reader will soon lose patience if he/she has too many names to cope with.
It is unwise, too, to create too many characters. Certainly do not bring a host of characters in at chapter one. The key character rules in chapter one, when the reader learns of the insurmountable obstacle that the key character faces, (more about that in the article on plotting.) Do not have walk-on characters popping in and out of the plot, each with their own point-of-view, then never to be heard of again.
An example of this bad practice is thus. John is eagerly waiting at the window watching for the postman to arrive with an important letter he is expecting. He sees the postman approaching and we hear his excited internal thoughts - there might even be a little dialogue as he speaks to his wife.
Now many new writers are tempted to leave John's key character's point-of-view and jump into the approaching postman's walk-on character point-of-view, giving his thoughts about this and that which has no relevance to the plot at all. Many new writers tend to scatter points-on-view around like confetti. (There will be more on this aspect in an article devoted to structure and construction in the novel)
It is best to have a very few characters the first scene in chapter one, two or three at the most. They all must have a specific role to play otherwise there is no need for them to be there at all. Talk to your characters. You may even find that one or two will try to push forward, wanting a bigger role in the story and will sometimes attempt to take over. But you know your plot and you know which way you want it to go in the beginning. But don't turn a completely deaf ear to them. Sometimes characters come up with wonderful ideas to create twist and turns in the plot. Make your characters your friends.
It has been said in a previous article that the writer should know his key character thoroughly. But there is no need to outline this background to the reader immediately in blocks of explanation. Through the key character's interaction with other characters and his/her internal thoughts interspersed throughout the book the reader will come to know everything in a natural way, as we come to gradually know our friends in real life.
As the key character's background decides his/her personality and outlook on life, certain traits will emerge that will fix the character in the reader's mind and imagination. The most important trait is integrity. The key character will have ideals and principles which he/she will fight to protect and no matter what adversity he/she faces and will stand by those principles. The writer can test the key character's strength to the full here, making him/her suffer any hardship or apparent insurmountable obstacle.
Watching the character struggle to maintain his integrity, especially in early scenes and chapters, makes the reader trust and respect the character. This resulting empathy is a kind of hook to keep the reader turning the pages. Without integrity the character will not be likable - a fatal flaw, no matter how well worked out the plot is.
Integrity is not to be confused with virtue. A character may lose virtue and be forgiven by the reader, but a reader will not accept a key character betraying his/her principles.
For an example, let us look at author Lee Childs' very popular character Jack Reacher. Jack is a loner out of choice, a dangerous man; an anti-hero in fact. Jack will kill without a second thought, but the reader forgives him and still admires him because whatever he needs to do is done in the name of justice. Jack has strong integrity even though his virtue may be a little tarnished.
What other traits your character has will be determined by his background and by the plot that you weave for him/her.
But, of course, the key character is not in this story alone. There are other characters usually determined by the plot. Other characters are usually called secondary characters. These characters will interact with the key character thus pushing the plot along at a good pace. However, they are secondary by degrees. Some secondary characters will remain in the story throughout the story, having a strong role to play, and will have viewpoint scenes of their own. They also will have varies traits - some good, some bad according to their role in the story and the plotting. There are minor characters which the writer will find it necessary to bring in but they will not be given viewpoint scenes - these are what might be described as walk-on characters. They will usually have a specific function in the story if only briefly. In the case of very minor characters there is no need to name them. The reader will soon lose patience if he/she has too many names to cope with.
It is unwise, too, to create too many characters. Certainly do not bring a host of characters in at chapter one. The key character rules in chapter one, when the reader learns of the insurmountable obstacle that the key character faces, (more about that in the article on plotting.) Do not have walk-on characters popping in and out of the plot, each with their own point-of-view, then never to be heard of again.
An example of this bad practice is thus. John is eagerly waiting at the window watching for the postman to arrive with an important letter he is expecting. He sees the postman approaching and we hear his excited internal thoughts - there might even be a little dialogue as he speaks to his wife.
Now many new writers are tempted to leave John's key character's point-of-view and jump into the approaching postman's walk-on character point-of-view, giving his thoughts about this and that which has no relevance to the plot at all. Many new writers tend to scatter points-on-view around like confetti. (There will be more on this aspect in an article devoted to structure and construction in the novel)
It is best to have a very few characters the first scene in chapter one, two or three at the most. They all must have a specific role to play otherwise there is no need for them to be there at all. Talk to your characters. You may even find that one or two will try to push forward, wanting a bigger role in the story and will sometimes attempt to take over. But you know your plot and you know which way you want it to go in the beginning. But don't turn a completely deaf ear to them. Sometimes characters come up with wonderful ideas to create twist and turns in the plot. Make your characters your friends.
Get Published - Getting Ideas
Many new writers are troubled by the question 'What shall I write about?' Often the answer given to them is... 'Write about what you know.' Baldly put, some new writers do not find that helpful, yet it is good advice. We will look more closely at that later in this article.
Let us look first at the source of all ideas. Ideas are all around us wherever we look, yet we may not be able to see the wood for the trees. Brought down to basic level an idea for a story or novel must concern or illustrate the human condition in some way. This is true even if you are writing science fiction. Fictional aliens may have a strange appearance but they should think and behave and have the same values as humans or they will have no interest for the reader or viewer. The human condition therefore is the source of all ideas that appeal to readers. That gives a wide scope for looking for something to write about.
Most stories, novels, films and plays are about human relationships and connections. No matter what the genre, the fictional characters have to suffer and struggle against life and circumstances. This is true even in writing comedy. Readers are interested in how characters cope with difficult situations and their own needs and emotions.
Emotions such as love, hate, greed, envy, sexual jealousy, and hunger for power or voracious ambition have endless fascination for the reader or viewer. The reader is curious how other people deal with situations such as personal danger, life-threatening disease, loneliness, loveless marriage, shortage of money etc. etc. The writer, alert for ideas, can mine this rich seam over and over again. Because, the truth is that no idea is new or original. It is a waste of time searching for originality. Every idea under the sun has been used myriad times before. What the writer must do is to look for new angles on old themes.
The success of the film 'Avatar' is a point in question. At first glance this is just another shoot-'em-up, coupled with the old theme of the battle between good and evil. In most science fiction stories the human characters are the good-guys and the aliens are the evils menace. In 'Avatar' this theme has been stood on its head. The humans are the ruthless evil-doers and the aliens are the defenceless yet courageous good-guys. The viewer roots for them to overthrow the humans - and this is because the aliens appear more human than the humans themselves.
Write about what you know. A new writer may say... 'My life is so dull - there's nothing in it to write about.'
But look around you. The writer must make use of all sources - gossip, news stories, your family, friends, and people you work among. Every one around you has his or her own story. The writer does not take these stories verbatim but uses them to construct similar fictitious situations and uses his/her imagination to expand and develop these basic beginnings and weave them into a plot
Will it fly? You are finally decided on your genre and have found a basic idea to run with. Don't start writing yet. There is a long way to go before that. Some ideas are perfect for short stories but are totally inadequate for novels. An idea for a novel has to have the promise of meatiness, that is, stamina to be the backbone of a novel of say 100,000 thousand words. The writer needs to look carefully at this idea and see where it can be expanded, strengthened and developed to go the distance. There are other elements of writing the novel which can help him do this. The most important element is the development of the characters that will inhabit the novel.
In the next article in the series the choosing of characters and their development will be discussed.
Let us look first at the source of all ideas. Ideas are all around us wherever we look, yet we may not be able to see the wood for the trees. Brought down to basic level an idea for a story or novel must concern or illustrate the human condition in some way. This is true even if you are writing science fiction. Fictional aliens may have a strange appearance but they should think and behave and have the same values as humans or they will have no interest for the reader or viewer. The human condition therefore is the source of all ideas that appeal to readers. That gives a wide scope for looking for something to write about.
Most stories, novels, films and plays are about human relationships and connections. No matter what the genre, the fictional characters have to suffer and struggle against life and circumstances. This is true even in writing comedy. Readers are interested in how characters cope with difficult situations and their own needs and emotions.
Emotions such as love, hate, greed, envy, sexual jealousy, and hunger for power or voracious ambition have endless fascination for the reader or viewer. The reader is curious how other people deal with situations such as personal danger, life-threatening disease, loneliness, loveless marriage, shortage of money etc. etc. The writer, alert for ideas, can mine this rich seam over and over again. Because, the truth is that no idea is new or original. It is a waste of time searching for originality. Every idea under the sun has been used myriad times before. What the writer must do is to look for new angles on old themes.
The success of the film 'Avatar' is a point in question. At first glance this is just another shoot-'em-up, coupled with the old theme of the battle between good and evil. In most science fiction stories the human characters are the good-guys and the aliens are the evils menace. In 'Avatar' this theme has been stood on its head. The humans are the ruthless evil-doers and the aliens are the defenceless yet courageous good-guys. The viewer roots for them to overthrow the humans - and this is because the aliens appear more human than the humans themselves.
Write about what you know. A new writer may say... 'My life is so dull - there's nothing in it to write about.'
But look around you. The writer must make use of all sources - gossip, news stories, your family, friends, and people you work among. Every one around you has his or her own story. The writer does not take these stories verbatim but uses them to construct similar fictitious situations and uses his/her imagination to expand and develop these basic beginnings and weave them into a plot
Will it fly? You are finally decided on your genre and have found a basic idea to run with. Don't start writing yet. There is a long way to go before that. Some ideas are perfect for short stories but are totally inadequate for novels. An idea for a novel has to have the promise of meatiness, that is, stamina to be the backbone of a novel of say 100,000 thousand words. The writer needs to look carefully at this idea and see where it can be expanded, strengthened and developed to go the distance. There are other elements of writing the novel which can help him do this. The most important element is the development of the characters that will inhabit the novel.
In the next article in the series the choosing of characters and their development will be discussed.
Saturday, 14 August 2010
Get Published - Know Your Markets
In these difficult times in publishing, an ambitious writer should know the best markets for his/her particular genre, preferably before plotting the proposed book.
Publishers are inundated with manuscripts on a daily basis. These uninvited submissions go straight into the ‘slush pile’. They languish there until someone hopefully has time to glance at them. Almost all publishers are interested in only a specific range of genre. No writer in his/her right mind would send a gory thriller to Mills & Boon, for instance. The ‘slush pile’ is high enough without publishers receiving genres in which they have no interest, and so to save the writer time and, indeed, heartache he/she should research his markets.
The best way to do this is to purchase the latest copies of books that list publishers and agents, and which gives information on their requirements. The following books to be recommended are:
Writers' Handbook
Writers' and Artists' Yearbook
Crime Writers' Handbook
Children's Writers' and Artists' Yearbook
Writers' Markets
A study of any of these books will be well worthwhile and will save the writer a lot of time which can be better spent on writing.
Publishers are inundated with manuscripts on a daily basis. These uninvited submissions go straight into the ‘slush pile’. They languish there until someone hopefully has time to glance at them. Almost all publishers are interested in only a specific range of genre. No writer in his/her right mind would send a gory thriller to Mills & Boon, for instance. The ‘slush pile’ is high enough without publishers receiving genres in which they have no interest, and so to save the writer time and, indeed, heartache he/she should research his markets.
The best way to do this is to purchase the latest copies of books that list publishers and agents, and which gives information on their requirements. The following books to be recommended are:
Writers' Handbook
Writers' and Artists' Yearbook
Crime Writers' Handbook
Children's Writers' and Artists' Yearbook
Writers' Markets
A study of any of these books will be well worthwhile and will save the writer a lot of time which can be better spent on writing.
Wednesday, 11 August 2010
Get Published - Characters
Many new writers are troubled by the question 'What shall I write about?' Often the answer given to them is... 'Write about what you know.' Baldly put, some new writers do not find that helpful, yet it is good advice. We will look more closely at that later in this article.
Let us look first at the source of all ideas. Ideas are all around us wherever we look, yet we may not be able to see the wood for the trees. Brought down to basic level an idea for a story or novel must concern or illustrate the human condition in some way. This is true even if you are writing science fiction. Fictional aliens may have a strange appearance but they should think and behave and have the same values as humans or they will have no interest for the reader or viewer. The human condition therefore is the source of all ideas that appeal to readers. That gives a wide scope for looking for something to write about.
Most stories, novels, films and plays are about human relationships and connections. No matter what the genre, the fictional characters have to suffer and struggle against life and circumstances. This is true even in writing comedy. Readers are interested in how characters cope with difficult situations and their own needs and emotions.
Emotions such as love, hate, greed, envy, sexual jealousy, and hunger for power or voracious ambition have endless fascination for the reader or viewer. The reader is curious how other people deal with situations such as personal danger, life-threatening disease, loneliness, loveless marriage, shortage of money etc. etc. The writer, alert for ideas, can mine this rich seam over and over again. Because, the truth is that no idea is new or original. It is a waste of time searching for originality. Every idea under the sun has been used myriad times before. What the writer must do is to look for new angles on old themes.
The success of the film 'Avatar' is a point in question. At first glance this is just another shoot-'em-up, coupled with the old theme of the battle between good and evil. In most science fiction stories the human characters are the good-guys and the aliens are the evils menace. In 'Avatar' this theme has been stood on its head. The humans are the ruthless evil-doers and the aliens are the defenceless yet courageous good-guys. The viewer roots for them to overthrow the humans - and this is because the aliens appear more human than the humans themselves.
Write about what you know. A new writer may say... 'My life is so dull - there's nothing in it to write about.'
But look around you. The writer must make use of all sources - gossip, news stories, your family, friends, and people you work among. Every one around you has his or her own story. The writer does not take these stories verbatim but uses them to construct similar fictitious situations and uses his/her imagination to expand and develop these basic beginnings and weave them into a plot
Will it fly? You are finally decided on your genre and have found a basic idea to run with. Don't start writing yet. There is a long way to go before that. Some ideas are perfect for short stories but are totally inadequate for novels. An idea for a novel has to have the promise of meatiness, that is, stamina to be the backbone of a novel of say 100,000 thousand words. The writer needs to look carefully at this idea and see where it can be expanded, strengthened and developed to go the distance. There are other elements of writing the novel which can help him do this. The most important element is the development of the characters that will inhabit the novel.
In the next article in the series the choosing of characters and their development will be discussed.
Let us look first at the source of all ideas. Ideas are all around us wherever we look, yet we may not be able to see the wood for the trees. Brought down to basic level an idea for a story or novel must concern or illustrate the human condition in some way. This is true even if you are writing science fiction. Fictional aliens may have a strange appearance but they should think and behave and have the same values as humans or they will have no interest for the reader or viewer. The human condition therefore is the source of all ideas that appeal to readers. That gives a wide scope for looking for something to write about.
Most stories, novels, films and plays are about human relationships and connections. No matter what the genre, the fictional characters have to suffer and struggle against life and circumstances. This is true even in writing comedy. Readers are interested in how characters cope with difficult situations and their own needs and emotions.
Emotions such as love, hate, greed, envy, sexual jealousy, and hunger for power or voracious ambition have endless fascination for the reader or viewer. The reader is curious how other people deal with situations such as personal danger, life-threatening disease, loneliness, loveless marriage, shortage of money etc. etc. The writer, alert for ideas, can mine this rich seam over and over again. Because, the truth is that no idea is new or original. It is a waste of time searching for originality. Every idea under the sun has been used myriad times before. What the writer must do is to look for new angles on old themes.
The success of the film 'Avatar' is a point in question. At first glance this is just another shoot-'em-up, coupled with the old theme of the battle between good and evil. In most science fiction stories the human characters are the good-guys and the aliens are the evils menace. In 'Avatar' this theme has been stood on its head. The humans are the ruthless evil-doers and the aliens are the defenceless yet courageous good-guys. The viewer roots for them to overthrow the humans - and this is because the aliens appear more human than the humans themselves.
Write about what you know. A new writer may say... 'My life is so dull - there's nothing in it to write about.'
But look around you. The writer must make use of all sources - gossip, news stories, your family, friends, and people you work among. Every one around you has his or her own story. The writer does not take these stories verbatim but uses them to construct similar fictitious situations and uses his/her imagination to expand and develop these basic beginnings and weave them into a plot
Will it fly? You are finally decided on your genre and have found a basic idea to run with. Don't start writing yet. There is a long way to go before that. Some ideas are perfect for short stories but are totally inadequate for novels. An idea for a novel has to have the promise of meatiness, that is, stamina to be the backbone of a novel of say 100,000 thousand words. The writer needs to look carefully at this idea and see where it can be expanded, strengthened and developed to go the distance. There are other elements of writing the novel which can help him do this. The most important element is the development of the characters that will inhabit the novel.
In the next article in the series the choosing of characters and their development will be discussed.
Sunday, 8 August 2010
Misty Moon
Oh Misty Moon
Do you see me roaming?
The Wild Wood
Feet swiftly flitting
Oh Misty Moon
Do you hear my heart beating?
For lips that will spell me
For arms that will tell me
Of Love’s greatest secret
Of Love’s warm beginning
Oh Misty Moon
Do you see us entwining?
On this mossy bed
‘neath the oak tree shielding
Our love from your moonbeams
Our love from all others
Oh Misty Moon
Do you feel the skies spinning?
As two hearts are thrilling
To Love’s raptures milling
The heavens above us
Oh Misty Moon
Always protect us
From the searing of time
On our love newly beating
The rhythm of life
Oh Misty Moon
© Doreen Edwards
Do you see me roaming?
The Wild Wood
Feet swiftly flitting
Oh Misty Moon
Do you hear my heart beating?
For lips that will spell me
For arms that will tell me
Of Love’s greatest secret
Of Love’s warm beginning
Oh Misty Moon
Do you see us entwining?
On this mossy bed
‘neath the oak tree shielding
Our love from your moonbeams
Our love from all others
Oh Misty Moon
Do you feel the skies spinning?
As two hearts are thrilling
To Love’s raptures milling
The heavens above us
Oh Misty Moon
Always protect us
From the searing of time
On our love newly beating
The rhythm of life
Oh Misty Moon
© Doreen Edwards
Tuesday, 3 August 2010
Get Published - Article 1
Presentation
This series of articles deals with the construction of the commercial novel – the popular categories or genre. Literary works may have different and individual structures.
Most everyone can write a narrative, but merely writing narrative is the least skill a writer needs to succeed as a published author. There are no rules in writing but there are conventions which writers should adhere to if they wish to be published. This article, the first of the series, deals with the initial steps to be taken in writing the successful novel.
For the new writer - let us first look at the basic conventions of presentation before getting down to the mechanics of writing the novel. The first person who will see your manuscript is the editor of your target publisher. Publishers are besieged daily by probably hundreds of manuscripts from hopeful writers. The editor can tell at a glance at the first page whether it is worth his while to continue to read. The ‘clean’ appearance of a manuscript may help persuade him to do so. The basics of presentation of a manuscript are that it should be double spaced on one side of the paper only with reasonable margins either side for the editor to make notes.
It is best if the pages appear to have just come out of a typewriter. The best font is Courier New or Courier 12. Avoid fancy fonts which will annoy the editor. Fussiness in a manuscript appears unprofessional. Do number each page at the top right-hand corner. (No number appears on the title page – see below). For a busy editor page numbers are harder to spot if they appear at the bottom of the page. Clarity is everything.
Do not include the title of the work on any page of the manuscript. Instead, the title and the ‘by line’ of the author should appear on a separate sheet of paper - the title page. At the bottom of this page include the author’s name, address and telephone number, also the number of words in the manuscript.
The chapter heading i.e. ‘Chapter One’ appears half way down the first page of the manuscript. There is no need of a ‘by line’ here. Do not indent the first line, but each paragraph thereafter should be indented. Each chapter should begin on a new page. It goes without saying that each chapter should be a separate document on the computer. Create a folder in which to store these documents. Get into the habit of creating new documents each time you start a new chapter, otherwise the whole thing will become unwieldy when revising and editing.
When saving chapter documents it is a good idea to name them starting – chapter 01, 02, 03 etc. so that the computer keeps them in order in your folder. Saving and storing chapter documents by name i.e. ‘chapter one, chapter two, chapter three...’ is meaningless to a computer. Without a folder it will store them in any odd space it can find making it difficult for the writer to find them again. Even if kept in a folder, if the chapters are not named numerically, it will store them haphazardly which can lead to problems for the author and wastes time.
Commercial novels range in length from around 80,000 words to 120,000 words. Length, of course, depends on the breadth and scope of the tale you want to tell. However, when deciding the length of your proposed novel bear in mind the initial costs to the publisher in producing the novel. Shorter novels require smaller outlay then big blockbusting novels. Costs may be a factor in the publisher’s decision as to whether or not to take on your novel so it is worth bearing in mind.
There can be as many chapters in your novel as is required to tell your story. Chapters can range in length from several thousands words to just one word. However, it is best if the author does not think in terms of chapters when considering the structure and construction of his novel, but in terms of scenes. Chapters are essential in novels, but they are not the building bricks of the novel. The fundamental building bricks are words, of course, but we need to start at the next level – scenes. Novels are structured in scenes – one scene following another. It should become obvious to the author which scenes belong together to create a chapter. A chapter can contain one scene or ten. There is no hard and fast convention there.
There is a great deal of work to do before starting to write. The big question which haunts many writers is – ‘What shall I write about? The next article in the series explores that vexed question. Finding an idea – and making it viable.
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