• Fallyn said on Nov 12, 2007....

  i have approx, 30 stories i work on consecutively , i write at least a sentence on each one whenever the need to write strikes, (less often now that i'm here) .....and then if it carries into a long one....i do that.
  
  but i'm not really one to ask....considering nothing i've written has gone beyond a few chapters.
  

• Actorguy said on Nov 12, 2007....

  I don't have a clue silver, but I'm marking this 'cause I'd like to learn.

• Expendable said on Nov 12, 2007....

  "Show, don't Tell" is very important.
  
  Use a good word processor with spell check (most have grammar check too). If you're writing by hand, get a good dictionary.
  
  Take your time, you've got the whole book to tell your story in. Too many writers want to rush to the good part so they just skip right to it in the first chapter instead of taking the time to really develop the story.
  
  Write the Prologue afterwards. You'll write it better. Too many writers give the whole story away there. I personally think it's best for giving the reader some important bit that makes the story easier to grasp but from some angle you couldn't have done in the story. Many prologues I've critiqued should have been called chapter 1.
  
  you're still figuring things out when you're writing the first draft. It's going to be bad but don't let that stop you from writing until you're done. Your second draft will be better.
  
  If you're stuck, try using the Snowflake method, a way of outlining and organizing your thoughts. This is very easy to use with a spreadsheet. First column is for characters and key props. Columns 2 onward are chapters in your book. In the row of the characters/prop, note what they're doing in each chapter they're involved in.
  
  When you figure something out, put it in your writer's bible for the book - like the color of someone's eyes. Comes in handy if you're asked to write a sequel.
  
  Write what you know. If you don't know, take the time to really research it.
  
  Try shopping for your characters. You'll learn a lot.
  
  Even published writers get rejected. Don't worry about it.

• Expendable said on Nov 12, 2007....

  Some writers like to treat themselves when they finish the first draft, a sort of goal. Try it.

  Put your first draft away someplace for a couple of days before you start to edit it. This way you'll go in with a fresh mind and many of the errors just pop out.

• the_infernal_optimist said on Nov 12, 2007....

  Definitely outlines...colored notecards help me keep track of different characters' storylines throughout the piece I want to write, and they can be clipped together into chapters or whatever other method makes sense to you.
  
  I also second the idea of editing "cold" - you need to put some distance between yourself and the passion of writing in the moment or you won't see as much that you could improve upon as you will if you return later.
  
  ~Infernal
  

• CreativeWoman said on Nov 12, 2007....

  I have never written anything of novel length.  I want to try it though.  I've been formulating a plot in my mind for a very long time.  My weakness is that I tend to write in very short choppy sentences.  I don't know if I'll get anything to novel length.  Perhaps I would do better aiming for a collection of themed short stories.  The writing bug has been nibbling on me a bit.
  
  Great post, Ed.  I will find it very helpful.
  
  CW
  

• tbs230 said on Nov 12, 2007....

  Well, I wrote a short story...VERY SHORT, that I've been meaning to go back to and elaborate on.
  
  In fact, it's because of your writing exercises (where are those btw??) that I have this story. It's pretty good so far, if I must say so myself. I usually let the characters come to me, and then I write down a scene that describes the main details about them. That way I always have it there to go back to.
  
  I'm not very detail oriented, which sucks, because a good book is about the details that make the reader wonder...at least for me it is.
  
  My BIGGEST problem is staying motivated and focused. What I need is an exercise that requires me to write my book in parts. That way I know what needs to be done, and what's left to do.
  
  Maybe I'll just come up with one by myself! Ugh...maybe not...
  

• Expendable said on Nov 12, 2007....

  To me, each chapter in a book is its own short story. It's easier when you break a book down into a bunch of short stories. Give yourself a week to write one of those short stories. In no time at all, you'll have your novel-length first draft.

• silverwhisper said on Nov 12, 2007....

  fallyn: wow, thirty?! that's pretty intimidating! do you use any method to organize your thoughts?
  
  actorguy: hey, learning is why i posted this. :>
  
  ex: i agree re: prologues or other such pieces--i've always felt that such things are straitjackets that leave you writing to fit them. i like the snowflake method in principle but it's a bit counter to my norm as i think about it--i prefer to try to work out the larger framework first, often. i really like the idea of shopping for characters though--that's really cool! :> and that's a great point i think re: short stories/novel chapters!
  
  infernal: ah yes, outlines & notecards, always useful. editing "cold" is good advice, i agree.
  
  CW: IMHO, writing short fiction and writing novel-length fiction require very different mindsets, btw. :> and i figured i might find it helpful, myself. :>
  
  tbs: seriously, you got something you wanna continue writing thanks to the writing exercises? that's fantastic! i haven't posted any in a while b/c frankly, i haven't been able to come up w/ any i like--i realized the last one was a duplicate.
  
  ed

• CreativeWoman said on Nov 12, 2007....

  Ed,
  If any of us can write a novel, you can.  :-)
  
  CW
  

• silverwhisper said on Nov 12, 2007....

  o, phooey! :p
  
  ed

• carmachu said on Nov 12, 2007....

  http://archive.gamespy.com/comics/dorktower/

• silverwhisper said on Nov 12, 2007....

  dude...that is teh shiz, yo![/snoop]
  
  ed

• tbs230 said on Nov 12, 2007....

  Ed, I did. In fact, it was the werewolf descriptive exercise you had. So thank you for that!

• Expendable said on Nov 12, 2007....

  ed - thanx
  carmachu - kewl find. Gave you rep for it.

• silverwhisper said on Nov 12, 2007....

  tbs: that's awesome! :D
  
  ex: you're welcome! :>
  
  ed

• Zayda said on Nov 12, 2007....

  i don't typically write novel length pieces; in fact, i've never really been interested in writing a novel length piece.
  
  
  and for my shorter pieces of fiction, i don't do outlines or character profiles/studies.
  
  
  really, i just sit down and write. that's the way i have always written everything. i'm simply not the outlining type.

• queenparanoia said on Nov 13, 2007....

  i'm gonna bookmark this!!! i learned so much!! =)

• silverwhisper said on Nov 13, 2007....

  super z: i've tried doing that for a novel. it just doesn't work for me.
  
  queen: me too!
  
  ed

• tbs230 said on Nov 14, 2007....

  I'm like Zayda. I still and write. My only issue is that this is harder to do with novel length stories. I rarely see scenes in sequence. So, I would love to learn how to do outlines. Particularly chapter outlines, so I can see where my characters are, and find out how best to get them from one scene to another...
  
  Can anyone help me with that?
  

• Zayda said on Nov 14, 2007....

  Ed: I have never been someone who outlines what she writes. I just can't do it. I've tried, but somehow, outlining stifles me. I do find that I will sit and write and then print off what I have written and sketch out notes which are sometimes, but very rarely, notes about where they story is going. That's probably as close to outlining as I ever get.
  
  
  

• silverwhisper said on Nov 16, 2007....

  tbs: well, maybe you might find it helpful to figure out where you want your protagonist's story to go? i dunno, for me, i try to figure out what major information i'm trying to communicate to the reader in various scenes or chapters.
  
  super z: you know, if what you do works for you, well hell, it works! i've always thought of you as a very organized thinker, which probably makes things easier for you. as you know, i'm not at all. :> i can see how an outline can be a straitjacket, though.
  
  ed

• CreativeWoman said on Nov 16, 2007....

  I typically don't use outlines either.  I think I would like to let the characters I create wander to see where they end up.  I have never written anything of significant length though.
  
  CW
  

• silverwhisper said on Nov 16, 2007....

  i think you should give it a shot, CW. :>
  
  ed

• CreativeWoman said on Nov 16, 2007....

  Ed,
  I have been giving it some serious thought.  :-)
  
  CW
  

• silverwhisper said on Nov 16, 2007....

  good. :D
  
  ed

• harriedpsychmajor said on Nov 17, 2007....

  I like to let my plot form around the nature and personalities of my characters. With a basic plot in mind, I ask myself where the character(s) could drive the plot along in such a way that makes for an entertaining, realistic story.
  
  For some reason, the story seems better when I handwrite it. I do that a lot for rough drafts and such, and if a clever line pops in my head at two in the morning, I grab my ever-present notepad and write it down.
  

• silverwhisper said on Nov 17, 2007....

  harried, does this work for you for any length of fiction?
  
  ed

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