writing a novel

I have been reading novels from an early age and have read widely, both academically and for pleasure. I think you have to read a lot to be able to write well.

I think that missmarple is right. You have to read a certain type of book before you have an appreciation for it. If you don't have the appreciation, then you won't get into writing.

I find I am more creative @ night. I'm really not a morning person and can barely put my shoes on in the morning let alone write.

It's a fact that people are more receptive to ideas in the evening than at any other time of the day. This was something the Nazis cottoned on to with their torchlight parades, which usually ended up at a political rally with speeches to an audience who were thus more suceptible to persuasion. Apparently 8pm being the optimum time. Not sure if this has any bearing on the creative process however, but it might mean that you could be convinced that a less than brilliant part of your plot which you conceived at that time was better than it actually was! Something to consider.

Writing novels is hard. I find that writing bits and pieces of it and then putting it all together is okay, or writing little by little. Some more suggestions: >Write at night, or in the afternoon. Not many people are creative in the morning. I can barely open my eyes in the morning, let alone write. >Write a short story first. Then develop that short story into a novel. >Make an outline before you write your novel. That usually helps, because then you can just follow your outline if you don't know what to write next. >Write a summary of your novel. It can be as long or as short as you want it to be, just as long as it works for you. Write the summary BEFORE you write your actual novel. That helps a lot. >Love your writing. If you love your writing, you'll love your topic. It'll be much easier that way. >Read other stories on the same topic. Some of them have pretty good ideas. If you're planning to write about teen pregnancy, read a few books on teen pregnancy. They might have good story plots. I hope I was of some assistance... -Brianna [%sig%]

I'd say that reading a theme is a prerequisite to writing in it. I also think that reading good and bad books both are necissary. I have been a Star Wars fan for quite a while, meaning that a lot of books I have read were not only in the same theme but in the same world. Overall, I've learned more from the poor ones than the good ones. When a book on a theme you like is bad, it's *very* obvious. One trilogy I read had Han Solo submitting sheepishly to harsh criticism from C-3PO. In non-Star Wars-fan terms, it was horribly out of character. Reading poor stories also motivates me to write. After all, *I* have the talent to provide something worthwhile for those poor readers. If this guy/lady can get paid to write, so can I! A bit arrogant, perhaps, but it works. Reading good works is enjoyable, but personally I find myself wanting to take someone else's good ideas and put them in a different situation. Imitation is the highest form of flattery, but make sure to flatter your own ideas and style as well. Final thought: For me to say that I could write a romance novel would be ridiculous. To an extent, readers want a book of a theme to conform to certain unspoken rules for that theme. Make the theme your own and then write.

I personally think , when writing a novel , you must first read many novels , to get insparition. But don't ignore this tip , just because i'm 12 years old:It may well be one of the reasons your book gets published! [%sig%]

Spot on, Luke; you'd be amazed at how many people think they can write a particular kind of literature yet don't bother to read it - poetry is perhaps the best example, but I'm sure it's the same with novels.

i also like the idea of writing a series of short stories around the same kind of theme then trying to connect them up, i guess thats what i am trying to do: irvine welsh doen it successfully with trainspotting.

I have read about 31 novels, some were torture and some flat out fantastic. One thing is for sure, I dont feel it taught me how to write a novel or how one is done. When I had made up my mind to write my first one. I was a fish out of water, more than that, far from water. I cant spell, and contruction of words, I had to talk into a tape recorder, and some one eles had to write my words. I feel the hardest thing for me was just to start, begin, move out of my chair and do somthing. Learn to ask for help, most people want to help the creative side of anything. Every one has a story and if people would just turn off the TV. All the stories out there would be read. Oh well, just make the time to start. If you have read novels it might help or not. The story will prevail, just keep at it. Ms.d wrote: > maybe try and get a plan together on how your going to write > the book. A good tip i read the other day somewhere was to > construct the chapters in to scenes. Maybe thirteen or fourteen > scenes to the chapter. Anmd of course try and get structured > time when you are going to write. It is known that people are > more creative in the morning. [%sig%]

I am most creative during the night. I live a nocturnal life for this very reason...coooo

this is my new log name thanks for the idea, but what i was really going to say was the 12-thirteen scenes is a brilliant idea and works. I have just written something and got up to about scene 4 and it gels quite good, the whole process. Its easier to imagine a short scene rather than keep thinking of a whole chapter or even the whole book, try it.