#Writingtips: Writing the Dreaded Synopsis

All publishers want a synopsis of the book before they consider reading your work. If you’re anything like me, the mere mention of the word causes heart palpitations and cold sweats. I hate writing them and well...I just hate writing them.

What is a synopsis?

If you don’t know, don’t fret. Everyone has to learn everything sometime. If you’ve finished your book already, you would have encountered this by now. In layman’s terms a synopsis is a summary of the major plot points in your story that introduces the characters, shows the character development, highlights the conflict and reveals how the conflict is resolved.  

How to go about writing a synopsis

This month Randy Ingermanson gave some tips on how to approach this nightmare called synopsis. For those who do not follow him yet, you could follow worse people during your writing career. He doesn’t do the SPAM thing, but once a month, you get a newsletter filled with valuable tips and tricks of the trade. Now I’m not saying his way is the best way or the only way to approach writing of a synopsis, but it sure is one way to consider when you’re faced with the daunting task of putting the synopsis together.

Here’s the relevant part of the newsletter taken verbatim:

3) Craft: How to Write a Synopsis

One of the most common questions novelists ask is “How do you write a synopsis?”

First, let’s define what a synopsis is, because it’s sometimes called an “outline” which is a confusing term. Many of us learned how to make an “outline” in third grade, using Roman numerals and capital letters to break down a nonfiction piece into smaller and smaller chunks. That’s not what a synopsis is for a novel. No Roman letters will be killed to produce your synopsis.

A synopsis is a short summary of your story, told in narrative form using complete sentences. Usually it’s done in third person, present tense. Most editors and agents want to see a synopsis, and the typical length they want is two pages, single-spaced. Always ask them what length they’re looking for, and give them that length. 

Two pages is typical, so I’ll assume that’s the target for this article. Two pages single-spaced works out to about 1000 words. 

There are two common ways to write that 1000 words:
1. Expanding your one-paragraph summary 
2. Summarizing your scene list 

Let’s look at each of these in a bit more detail.

Expanding Your One-Paragraph Summary

Use this method if you haven’t written your novel yet. 

Start by writing a one-sentence summary and a one-paragraph summary (as described in the Craft column of the last two issues of this e-zine). Then expand each sentence of the one-paragraph summary out to three short paragraphs.

The one-paragraph summary contains five sentences:
1. An introductory sentence that summarizes the setting and one or two of the lead characters. 
2. A sentence summarizing Act 1 of the book, which ends in some sort of disaster and a call to action for the lead character. 
3. A sentence summarizing the first half of Act 2, in which the lead character tries to solve his main problem the wrong way, and fails badly. 
4. A sentence summarizing the second half of Act 2, in which the lead character tries to solve his main problem the right way, and fails spectacularly. 
5. A sentence summarizing Act 3, in which the lead character goes right up to the edge of Ultimate Disaster and either succeeds or fails. 

I’d recommend expanding out that first sentence into about three short paragraphs. One might summarize the setting. The other two might each introduce one character.

Then each of the other sentences need to be expanded out into three short paragraphs apiece, explaining the three main story developments in each quarter of the book. 

That gives you a total of fifteen short paragraphs, which will fit nicely into two pages. You may go a little under if your novel is short. You may go a bit over if your novel is long. Don’t settle for half a page. Don’t go overboard with four pages.

Don’t overthink this process. Give yourself an hour. Drill out fifteen paragraphs. Read it over a couple of times. Stop.

You can come back in a day or two and polish. Done.

Summarizing Your Scene List

Use this method if your novel is already written. (If you’re trying to find an agent or sell your novel to an editor, they’re going to want a synopsis even if your novel is completely written. That sounds grossly unfair, and maybe it is, but it’s reality. It’s not because they hate you. It’s because it makes their job easier. You need them more than they need you, so grit your teeth and do it.)

A typical novel might have 50 to 120 scenes. On average, let’s say it’s 100 scenes. Your synopsis is supposed to be about 1000 words. 
That works out to roughly 10 words per scene. That’s not enough to explain a scene in any detail. Therefore, you can’t summarize every single scene of the novel in detail. 
So what do you do?
That’s easy. 

Create a list of all the scenes in your novel. You can do this on 3x5 cards or in Scrivener or in a spreadsheet or in my Snowflake Pro software or however you want to do it. The list should have one sentence per scene, no more.

Group the scenes into clusters of two to seven scenes. You’ll probably have ten to twenty clusters of scenes.

Now write a short paragraph that summarizes each cluster of scenes. If you have fifteen clusters, that’ll work out to fifteen paragraphs, which is right around two pages. 

Again, don’t overthink this. You’ll need two or three hours to create your scene list, by zipping through the story and summarizing each scene into a single sentence. Or you may have already done this before you wrote your novel.

Once your scene list is in place, give yourself an hour to drill out the summary paragraph for each cluster of scenes. Read the whole thing over to make sure the story logic flows. Stop. Come back to it tomorrow and polish it up. That’s it.

Don’t Paralyze Yourself With Doubts

I’ve seen writers get stuck on the synopsis for months. 
Don’t do that. A synopsis is not a big deal. It’s two pages. 1000 words. You could probably type it easily in twenty or thirty minutes. 

Give yourself permission to write a bad first draft. Get it down on paper. Polish it later. 

The brutal fact is that most editors and agents hate reading synopses. They’ll insist on having one, but they’ll just skim it. They want to see that your story has conflict and structure. So make sure your synopsis highlights the conflict and the structure. Conflict is about wanting things and not getting them. Structure is about disasters and decisions. Focus on those things in your synopsis.

Once the editor or agent convinces herself that you’ve got good conflict and your story has the usual three-act structure, she’ll move on to the good stuff—your actual writing. If you’re going to have angst, spend your angst where it’ll be most productive—on your sample chapters. 

But don’t angst on your synopsis. Get it written. Then get it right. Then move on.

This article is reprinted by permission of the author.

Award-winning novelist Randy Ingermanson, "the Snowflake Guy," publishes the free monthly Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine, with more than 14,000 readers. If you want to learn the craft and marketing of fiction, AND make your writing more valuable to editors, AND have FUN doing it, visit www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com.

Author Interview: Romy Sommer

Today I have the privilege of welcoming the talented author Romy Sommer to my blog. Romy has graciously agreed to provide some insight into her writing processes and help aspiring authors any way she can. Romy is the founder of ROSA (Romance Writers Organization of South Africa) and I'm pleased to say, also the organizer of the first ROSA conference in Johannesburg in October 2014.

What genre do you write in? Any specific reason why you chose the genre?

I write contemporary romance. My books started as straightforward romances and gradually have grown a little more humorous and a little more like fairy tales over the years. I love to write light-hearted, modern stories that are upbeat.

Where do you get the ideas for your books? How do you go from idea to outline?

Ideas are everywhere. I’ve had stories spring from a song, a dream, a headline at the side of the road, a blog post that got me thinking about something… and the ideas keep coming as I’m writing and researching. Usually when I get a new idea, I jot it down in a notebook then let it sit for a while so it can grow, rising like yeasty bread. Once the idea has substance I start to add other ideas to it. Again, songs, other books I read, movies I watch all help me to flesh out the characters and the plot, right up until I type The End.

Are you a plotter or a pantser? Why?

A bit of both. I love Blake Snyder’s beatsheet, and I tend to plot my story around the turning points at 25, 50% and 75% of the story, but the rest is subject to change without notice as I’m writing.

If you are a plotter, how thoroughly do you outline the plot?

In my earlier days of writing I used to plan meticulously, even down to how many chapters and what would happen in each. These days I let my instincts guide me and I plot a lot less. But I absolutely have to know my characters inside and out before I start the first draft.

Do you use any specific software to outline/plot your novel? If yes, could you give us a couple of advantages and disadvantages of the software or method you use?

Until now I’ve only worked in Word, but I couldn’t do it without the incredibly amazing Document Map feature. I recently viewed a Webinar on Scrivener and I might give that program a shot for my next book.

If you have to choose only one element (setting/ character development/ structure/ conflict/ etc.) that is absolutely essential to every novel you’ve written, what would it be? Why?

Without a doubt, character. These are the people through whom the readers experience the story, and whether they’re likable and relatable is the difference between a reader turning the pages or throwing the book against the wall. Also, the characters’ journeys are what determine the conflicts and the plot, so for me character is always the starting place.

How much time do you spend on getting to know your characters before you start the first draft? Why?

I spend quite a bit of time up front doing biographies of my characters, and finding pictures of celebrities who might match the images in my head. I also research where they live, their jobs, any major experiences they might have had in their lives. Then I decorate the pinboard next to my desk with pictures, maps, inspiration for the characters and their surroundings, any pertinent props etc. (check out my Pinterest boards to see the kind of pictures I assemble). This can take a good few weeks before I start writing their story.

What is the single most important thing a writer must do before he/she starts writing the first draft? Why?

As I’ve said above, I think the writer should know their characters, their world view and their GMC (goals, motivation and conflicts) before starting the first draft.

What is your writing process like? Do you finish the first draft and then start editing or do you edit while you write? Is there any specific reason why you do it like that?

In the past I have written fast, but very, very rough first drafts and gone back to edit them later. These days I follow a very slow, linear process, editing as I write. I start at page 1, chapter 1, and move slowly forward, occasionally going back to add in a line or two that supports what I’m writing now. By the end I tend to have a very clean first draft. I then get one of my CPs or a beta reader to do a quick once over, then I do another complete pass (all in one go if I can so I can view the book as a whole) and then I send it off to my editor.

Do you only self-edit or hire a professional editor? Why?

I am a pretty ruthless self-editor, but there is no way I would publish anything without professional eyes first taking a look. It is way too easy for the writer to miss stuff because they’re too close to the story. Also, professional editors not only see the story objectively, but bring a wealth of knowledge and market understanding to the table.

If you hire a professional editor, can you recommend anyone and state the reason/s why this person is recommendable?

I’ve worked with two freelance editors and loved the experience of working with both of them. Cindy Davis, the Fiction Doctor, is a wonderful editor who has worked with a few of my CPs as well, and Nan Swanson (who was my editor at The Wild Rose Press) has also been tremendously helpful and encouraging.

How many drafts do you write before submitting to publishers?

These days my first draft is pretty close to the final draft, but I try to do at least one or two more passes over it before submitting. For a newbie submitting to the slush pile though, I’d recommend at least 2 rounds of editing, with long breaks in between so you can gain distance and objectivity.

Do you submit to multiple publishers at the same time or stick to one?

When I first started submitting I only submitted to one at a time, since those were the accepted rules. Also, there were fewer romance publishers in the game back then.

These days I think publishers have become less rigid, so uncontracted authors can get away with submitting to a couple of publishers at the same time. I wouldn’t recommend blanket submitting, though. Choose the one or two publishers you really want to work with and target them first.

I now write under contract for my publisher, Harper Impulse, so at least I’m saved the worry of wondering where to submit and whether they’ll want me. The wait times are still a killer, though!

What is your greatest consideration when selecting a publisher? 

Writers are spoilt for choice these days, but I’d say the most important thing any writer should look for is a good reputation. Check out the Absolute Write website, contact authors already published by that publisher – are they legit, do they treat their authors with respect, do they pay on time?

After that, the next most important thing is the relationship between you and your editor. If the editor understands you and your books, and believes in you, that’ already half the battle won right there.

Lastly, what can the publisher do for you that you can’t do for yourself? If it’s editorial support, or marketing, or getting your name into a new market, then pick a publisher that is strong in that area and will offer you what you need.

These days you don’t need to be locked into one publisher for life, so it is also important to re-look your relationship with your publisher every few years. Is it time to move on to a new publisher with a different skill set, are you ready now to venture into self publishing, or are you still happy with your current publisher?

If you have to give one sentence advice to a novice writer, what would it be?

Don’t give up.

Could you please give us a list of your published books and a short blurb about each one? Please state the publisher and year published as well.

I have two contemporary romances published by Harper Impulse, an imprint of HarperCollins, with a third out soon.

Waking up in Vegas was published in May 2013The Trouble with Mojitos in October 2013To Catch a Star releases on 25 September 2014.

What happens in Vegas…

Waking up to the bright lights of Vegas in an unfamiliar penthouse suite, cocktail waitress Phoenix Montgomery finds she’s covered from head to foot in gold glitter and not alone – aside from the empty bottle of champagne, there’s a mystery man in the shower and a huge sparkly ring on her finger!

Stays in Vegas?

There’s no denying Max Waldburg’s demi-god sex appeal but commitment-phobic Phoenix doesn’t do relationships. Only it seems her new husband (agh!) has other ideas…he’s trying to keep that ring on her finger and his wife firmly back in his bed. The only question on her lips is – why? Or maybe, why not?

Waking up in Vegas is published by Harper Impulse, a division of Harper Collins, and is available from the following online retailers:

Amazon , Amazon UK , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , iTunes , All Romance eBooks

Turquoise blue waters. Sandy white beaches. Mojitos... Film location scout Kenzie Cole has found herself in paradise. Working in the Caribbean for a week is just what she needs to escape the long line of exes in her closet. Though the last thing she expects is to be picked up at the resort bar by a disgraced former Prince!

Luckily for Kenzie, exile is suiting the man formerly known as Prince Fredrik very well. And it’s not long before his rugged, pirate charm is proving hard to resist.

But Rik’s been spending his time in paradise exorcising demons of his own and he has danger written all over him. If Kenzie was sensible she’d run a mile instead of lose herself to lust - although, they do say sometimes you have to get lost before you can be found....

The Trouble with Mojitos is published by Harper Impulse, a division of Harper Collins, and is available from the following online retailers:

Amazon , Amazon UK , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , iTunes , All Romance eBooks

‘A fairy-tale romance to warm even the coldest of hearts.’ Chloe’s Chick Lit Reviews

Teresa Adler is the ultimate Ice Princess, with a heart as frozen as the winter landscape of her beloved home, Westerwald. All her life, she’s belonged to the ‘inner circle’ of wealth, privilege and position.

Christian Taylor: Heartthrob. Movie Star. Bad boy. The mischievous actor sets temperatures soaring in the picturesque baroque principality – and with a wicked glint in his eye and a chip on his shoulder he sets his sights on the one thing he’s told he can’t have. Teresa.

While Tessa holds the ultimate clue to the secret of Christian’s parentage, it is the heat of his touch that will make this Ice Princess feel more alive than she ever has before…

To Catch a Star is published by Harper Impulse, a division of Harper Collins, and is available from the following online retailers:

Amazon Smart URL , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , iTunes , All Romance eBooks

About Romy Sommer

I’ve always written stories for myself, but didn’t even think of being an author until I realised that being over thirty and living in a fantasy world was a little odd. Writing those same stories for other people makes it a lot more acceptable!

By day I dress in cargo pants and boots for my not-so-glamorous job of making movies but at night I come home to my two little Princesses, in Johannesburg, South Africa, where I live, and I get to write Happy Ever Afters. Since I believe every girl is a princess, and every princess deserves a happy ending, what could be more perfect?

You can follow Romy on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Goodreads or on her website/blog.

Novel Writing—Character Creation for Beginners

A couple of years ago I posted about getting to know you characters by using the free YWriter5 software. The problem is, you still have to really get inside the character’s head to stay true with writing the character’s reactions, thoughts and decisions. Please bear in mind that I’m no expert and can only share what appears to work for me.

There is loads of information available on the internet and in “How-to” books, but not everything will work for you—and that’s all right. Every writer is different just like every character is different. 

Some characters you create will be like a succulent flower ...

Some characters are like succulent flowers while others will resemble a prickly cactus. Over the years I’ve gathered character sheets from many different people and took what worked for me from each one. Some character sheets were just too detailed for my liking while others had very few points that I thought was pertinent to the character I wanted to create.

Depending on how I came up with the idea for a character, I’ll either work backwards to his or her history or forwards from the history to get to the character I wanted. Let me explain.

Let us start with a character named Brenda. The first question I ask is: What must Brenda learn through this story? In other words, what is the theme of the story? In this story, Brenda must learn that she deserves to be happy. Now we know a couple of things straight away—she is unhappy at the start of the story and that she thinks she doesn’t deserve to be happy. This leads to why she is unhappy now and why does she think she doesn’t deserve to be happy. In other words, something in her past had such an impact on her, that she still bears the guilt thereof.

Now we get to flesh out the character’s history. Brenda grew up in a middle class family with slightly over-protective parents. Before going off to college, she wanted to take a year off to ‘find’ herself. Her parents had saved for most of her childhood to be able to offer her a good education and an argument erupted while Brenda was driving the family to a restaurant. She lost concentration on the road and caused an accident that led to the death of her parents. She only learned afterwards that her parents had mortgaged the house and sold some of their property to raise enough funds to meet ends meet and send her to college as well. According to Brenda’s thinking, her parents had sacrificed their own happiness to allow Brenda to be happy and Brenda thanked them by killing them. And just because she was selfish. So, to her own mind, Brenda didn’t deserve to be happy—ever. This is a melodramatic example, but it illustrates that by asking why, you get to the history of the character without a lot of questions.

What did she do after the accident? Where did she go? Why? How did this influence her choices leading up to the start of the story? Where does she work when you start the narrative? What caused her to choose this particular employment? Is she happy in her job? Is she good in her job?

The job a person has, often explains their way of dress. If Brenda is an accountant, she is going to dress differently than someone selling beauty products, a cash clerk or a mechanic. Her choice of employment often influences how she speaks and thinks. Does she choose her words carefully, weighing the consequences like a good accountant or is she a blabbermouth? Does she socialize with her co-workers or mostly keep business and pleasure separate?

At the start of the story, you need to know what your character’s greatest wish and greatest fear is because you will use this knowledge to put your character to the test. Every test must be in essense a failure until the last one where the character triumphs to come to the realization that she deserves to be happy. Notice I it has to be a failure in essence—not a complete failure. The character must learn something about herself with each test so although she sees it as a monumental failure, it actually takes her closer to reaching the end goal.

Now that you know what type of person your protagonist is, you can decide on physical appearance.  You have to decide if the way that your character looks is going to play a major or minor part in the development of the character. Brenda might be beautiful with a face unmarred by the accident and that could increase her feelings of guilt. Or she could bear a scar from the accident that serves as a permanent reminder of the horrible thing she had done.

This is usually enough background on a character for me, but the final step is to ask my character a direct question and let him/her answer in their own voice. This sounds stupid, but it helps to establish the character and his/her speech patterns firmly in my mind.

As the story progresses numerous other things usually come to mind that adds depth to the character, but at least I know that at the start of the story, I had the basic facts sorted.

This method works for me, but like I said at the start of this post, it might not work for you. Maybe other writers will share their methods of creating real characters with us as well.

Learning From Published Authors

Isn't she just gorgeous?

I have sorely neglected this blog for quite some time. The excuse I could use is that I've been extremely busy, but that is flimsy as everyone leads a hectic lifestyle in modern times. We have to if we aim to survive, don't we? In my defense I must reveal that I had two erotic romances accepted for publication under a pseudonym in the year (yes, it has been a year) since I last posted here, self-published an Afrikaans novel and became a grandmother (I refuse to reveal my age) of a beautiful baby girl. 

However, I'm thrilled to announce that starting next week Wednesday, several published authors have agreed to give us some insight into the way they write. You can read ten self-help books on how to write and the rules that apply, but you still have to sort out how to do the practical stuff. Methods that work for some, others find completely impractical to use. So I decided to ask a few successful authors how they do it. 

If you've ever tried your hand at writing fiction, you would have heard the advise that you have to read what you like to write and try to discover what exactly about the book made you enjoy it so much. You have to pay attention to the way the novel was structured (took me a while to get the hang of this one, but luckily we seem to do most of it by instinct), the writing style and most of all, what about the writer's voice captured your attention. 

The authors who agreed to share their methods are all published authors, each with an unique voice and writing style. Different publishers contracted their books, so we'll get a general idea what works and what doesn't. 

I hope you will join me as we try to discover what made these talented writers so successful.

Novel Writing: Killing the Blank-Page Syndrome

Your plotting is done, the idea germinated in your mind and grew to a nearly full-length novel. Now you have to sit down and actually write the novel. Suddenly you stare at the blank sheet on your word processor. You play around with the font of the Chapter One title until you’re back to the original. You frown. The story is good, the conflict worked out and believable.

So why can’t you get the opening sentence on the screen?

I had to ask myself the same question this morning when I stared at the same Chapter One heading for the second day in a row. I played around on Facebook, checked up on my friend on Twitter and watered seedlings that didn’t need watering yet. (Hope I haven’t drowned them completely) All because the right words to start the chapter and novel eluded me.

I argue that the first sentence needs to be perfect. It has to grab the reader by the throat, introduce her to the character or place and set the tone of the novel. It must arouse an intense curiosity with the reader – so much that she had to buy the book to find out how this ends. That first sentence is a matter of life or death for your novel. You can’t just rush it.

Then it hit me. THIS IS A FIRST DRAFT. A first draft doesn’t need to be perfect. It never is. The purpose of the first draft is to get the story down on paper without worrying too much about style, grammar and the most correct word. The first draft is where your voice tells the story. You have to turn that blasted internal editor off.

With every novel I re-write the opening at least four times. But, you have to have something on paper to re-write. You can’t edit a blank page. So even if it is crap – and mine always is – the first draft is just that – a draft. Regardless if you are a plotter or a pantser, the story needs to be told.

So what if it isn’t perfect the first time around? That’s what editing is for (and I still have to develop a love for this stage of the writing process).

So my solution? Get an application like Dr Wicked’s Write or Die and force yourself to start the scene. Do it five minutes at a time or ten minutes at a time – whatever makes you comfortable. Just get the story written. Nobody gets it perfect the first time. Some of the greatest writers re-write more than ten times before they even consider submitting to a publisher. So if you have to re-write a couple of times and edit until you’re sick of the story – that’s normal.

Close the door, shut the curtains and pop on some headphones. Ignore the outside world until you have your opening down. Usually once you get past that dreaded opening scene, the words tend to find their own way onto the computer.

Hope this helped a little in curing that blank-page syndrome so many writers face every day. See you in a little while – Dr Wicked is calling.

What Beginner Writers Could Learn From Nanowrimo

As previously stated, Nanowrimo stands for National Novel Writing Month and it is traditionally held in November each year. If you participate, you are required to write 50 000 words of fiction in a novel format and upload your efforts to be verified. (You may scramble your upload, but it is deleted in any case automatically after the computer verified the word count.)

Nanowrimo 2010 just came to an end and many writers proved to themselves and other participants that they are able to write 50 000 words in the space of a month.

I have read many arguments for and against participating in the Nano exercise, but here is what I found from personal experience:

1. Writing 50 000 words amounts to just under 1700 words per day for the whole month in order to finish comfortably. That is not an easy feat if you have a day job which pays the bills and a family to take care of.

2. Nobody knows if the word count you submit is true or if you submitted a lot of the same words or paragraphs. Nano is not a competition against someone else, it is a test of you own abilities. To cheat at Nano, you only cheat yourself out of a well-earned and morale boosting experience. Nothing gets the creative juices flowing better than seeing your word count climb and knowing that every single word was written by you in a story that you may someday be able to send to a publisher and be proud to do so.

3. If you procrastinate during the first two weeks, you will find yourself with a seemingly impossible word court to target every day just to finish on time.

As you can see on the graph above, which I copied from the Nanowrimo website, on the 9th of November 2010 I had a meagre 1791 words written. By the 14th I had only 4000 words and started to panic. Real panic only set in around the 23rd when I only reached halfway with just over 25 000 words and the requirement to finish on time climbed to over 3500 words per day.

4. It is possible to write a lot of words, while still keeping to your plot and being true to your characters, in one day. All the writing may not be good and some will be positively horrible upon reading it again, but some parts will actually be pretty wonderful. The best part is that you won’t recognize the good parts until you get to the editing stage.

5. Participating in Nano without having your novel planned out beforehand – like with YWriter or Storybook, makes it much more difficult to stay within the confines of your plot. You don’t have time to go back and check if what you wrote now didn’t contradict something you wrote two days ago and by properly planning your novel in advance, the writing just comes easier. 

Would I recommend that beginner writers participate in Nano?

The answer is an absolute yes. If this is your first attempt at writing a novel, there is no better place to start writing it than during Nano month. What a feeling when you realise you just wrote the last word (although it is a first and very rough draft) of your first novel.  This is an excellent exercise to see if you have what it takes to one day realise your dream and become a full time fiction writer.

Nanowrimo Time Again

November is National Novel Writing Month. Writing a novel of 50 000 words doesn’t seem so bad – that is until you try doing it. This year I am determined to finish it – I need a rough draft done of a romance novel I have waiting in the wings for some time.

So how does nanowrimo work?

Easy. You register on the website, do a little planning if you like and come November 1, you start writing your novel and update the word count on the website. From November 25 you upload your writing (which can be encoded) for verification and if you succeed in writing the 50 000 you get a badge for your website.

So, now to finish everything else I might need to do in November in order to get ready to write!

How to Write Emotional Scenes in a Novel

As we are in the writing stage of the novel using the free novel writing software of yWriter5, I found an article today which I think offers great value in regards to writing tips. The blog, Tell me a Story by Anthony James Barnett has a post titled: The Fulfilling Facet - Emotional Influence.

He gives the reader, presumably also a writer, tips on how to write emotion into the novels. Personally, I find it difficult to generate the right amount of emotion to balance with the descriptive parts. We need drama without being melodramatic and the advice he offers is sound and makes sense. (Why didn't I think of it?)

Anyway, be sure to return to this page and tell me what you think of the post.

Happy writing.

Free Novel Writing Software - Developing Characters Using yWriter5

Using the free novel writing software yWriter as mentioned in the previous post, we must meet our characters. We know what the story would be about and saved it in the project notes and project settings tabs.

The book blurb for my project would read something like this:

Having lost everything in her life that she holds dear, 29-year-old Superintendent Valarie MacDonald grabbed at the chance to track a serial rapist to New York. When the FBI offered their assistance to find the man she had been hunting for three years, Val didn't think twice. That is until she met Special Agent Rocke Gillian. Arrogant and self assured, he challenged her investigative methods and her life philosophy. In the bustling city of New York, she has to battle the cunning of a dangerous murderer, but her worst enemy appeared to be herself and the attraction she felt towards the handsome Rocke.

I know it sounds so clichéd, but we have to start somewhere.

If you read the other posts on this blog, I suggested ways to develop a character so that you feel you intimately know the person. From the short summary above, we know there are at least three characters in the book, namely Valarie MacDonald, Rocke Gillian and the murderer. We now need to create bios for each of them so that at least we know what we are talking about (even though the writing skills may still confuse the reader).

Click on the Character tab in the top toolbar and select "Add New". A character sheet opens with five tabs. Start by typing in the character's name, nickname and then proceed to the description box - still on the same tab.

Here I like to answer questions like:
1.    How old is the character?
2.    What does the character look like (eyes, complexion, hair, height, weight)
3.    How does the character dress?

Moving to the next tab (Bio) I want to know the following:
1.    Where did she grow up?
2.    What kind of childhood did she have?
3.    How does she feel about her parents?
4.    What type of child was she - introvert/extrovert?
5.    What lead to her doing the job she does now?
6.    What was her love life like before the book starts?
7.    Anything that happened in her past that influenced her actions and decisions in the book.

Moving to the "Notes" tab, you can put anything you like in there. Oddities the character does and why, particular pet peeves or likes. Does the name of the character have a meaning? Can you incorporate that into the book?

Under the "Goal" tab, you can insert the way you want your character to grow. In this instance, Val lost her husband and son in a freak motor accident. She is love-shy and afraid to commit her heart to anyone else for fear of experiencing the same pain of loss again. (Yikes, but it does sound like all the other romances out there!)

She needs to grow into unwillingly feeling more for Rocke than she is prepared to admit, concluded that it isn’t so bad to have loved and lost the love. A life without love is not worth living - something like that. I’m sure you get the message.

Under the same tab, I like to have the character tell me more about herself/himself in her/his own voice. This may sound ridiculous, but it establishes a voice for the character in your head. The reader will never see the notes you make here, but these notes will help you keep the narrative true to the character you set in the beginning of the book.

The last tab is the "picture" tab where you can upload a picture of a person resembling the character you try to create. This helps when you need to describe other people's reactions to the character and makes your character seem more real to you.

Follow the same procedure with the locations where the book takes place and here, if you have a picture of the places you describe, it would aid tremendously in writing good prose to take the reader there.

In the next post, we will start planning the novel itself - chapter by chapter and scène by scène.

What Makes You Stop Reading?

Whether you read fiction or non- fiction books, some books you just can't seem to read to the end. What makes you stop reading? This must be the most prominent question in a writer's mind along with the question: "What makes you keep reading?"

Consider the following:

Writing Exercises - Why Do Them?

The moment the word exercise creeps into a conversation, most people shift uncomfortably in their chairs. Exercise implies work and writing is supposed to be fun, isn't it?

Well, writing exercises can be fun too. If you are busy with a long-term project, like writing your first, second, or third novel, but you don't have time (or energy) to battle ahead, a short writing exercise will do wonders. Established writing coaches and lecturers agree that writers should write everyday to keep in 'shape' and to hone their skills.

But what to write about?

Simply put - anything. Look around you. Describe the surroundings, put down an unknown person's thoughts by just looking at them and observing or take a picture and write a short story based on the picture or photo. In short, let your imagination free and get your fingers typing or your pen moving.

How much should you write?

As much as you like - as long as you write something. The purpose of the exercises are to keep your creative mind functioning and to hone your skills in observing people and places. Try to make it a fun part of your day. Go back to what you have written a couple of days or even weeks later and you may be amazed at how good it actually may be.

For my part - I think I've done my exercise for the day. Until next time - keep writing.