October 8, 2015. Welcome to the eighth day of my October Blog Challenge on preparing to write your novel. Those who are just arriving, please check out the earlier posts on this challenge, as the exercises/ reflections build on each other. To find out what this challenge is about, read my original post  HERE.

Today, let's consider your main character's friend. Everything about this character is a revelation about your protagonist. What kind of friend does he.she choose? What kind of relationship does he/she have with this friend? How does the friend feel about your protagonist? In what way does this friend act as a mirror for your protagonist? These are all ways to deepen your readers' understanding of your protagonist, and make him/her a more complex character.

1. What kind of person is your protagonist's friend? Repeat the questions used to reflect on the protagonist in relation to this friend (or those you think apply).

2. Why is your protagonist drawn to this person? What does that reveal about your protagonist? Why is this person drawn to your protagonist? What does that reveal about both your protagonist and this friend?

3. Does your protagonist trust this friend? Does he/she confide in his/her friend? When? When doesn't (s)he? Why/why not? Are these confidences reliable? Why/why not?

4. Are these confidences reliable? Why/why not?

5. How does the friend respond to these confidences? (doubts them, respects them, values them?) Is this friend open and honest with your protagonist?

6. How does or would the friend respond to the things that occur to your protagonist in the story? How do his/her responses reflect on your protagonist's responses? Do they make your protagonist look... (like a rebel? courageous? impetuous? wounded? overly or insufficiently emotional? highly intelligent? driven?)

7. Is this friend's opinion of the protagonist reliable? Why or why not? How will you show this?

Did you discover something new about your protagonist and his/her friend? How will today's exercise enrich your story?  See you tomorrow!

October 7, 2015. Welcome to the seventh day of my October Blog Challenge on preparing to write your novel. Those who are just arriving, please check out the earlier posts on this challenge, as the exercises/ reflections build on each other. To find out what this challenge is about, read my original post  HERE.

Now that you know a fair amount about your protagonist, let's consider your second most significant character, your antagonist. But first, is the obstacle to your protagonist achieving her goal a single individual? It could be a group of individuals (in Hunger Games, it's all the other teens trying to kill Katniss in order to survive) or a force of nature (tornado, meteor, tsunami), or an animal (Jaws), etc.

1. Identify the source of the main obstacle preventing your protagonist from achieving his goal. If it isn't a person, describe what it is, and all the ways you can imagine it obstructing/threatening your protagonist. If it is a person, continue through the following questions.

2. What does your antagonist look like? Sound like? How does he walk, move, gesture? How does she speak? What  vocabulary does he use? How does she dress? Does he have any personal mannerisms?
Which of these details is important enough to include in your story?

Interesting antagonists also have strong goals. The problem is, those goals are in direct opposition to the protagonists goal. They can't both win, but they must BOTH be unrelenting and proactive in trying to.

3. What does your antagonist want? What is her compelling goal?

4. Why does he HAVE TO ACHIEVE IT? What are the stakes? What terrible loss will she sustain if unsuccessful?

5. Now list 5-8 adjectives that describe your antagonist's personality. Add a few good ones in with the bad ones. Characters who are entirely bad are also boring, not too mention hard to believe. Creating a little sympathy for your bad guy will make your story much more complex and interesting. 

6. What is your antagonist afraid of? Why?
7. What does your antagonist love? Why?
8. What does your antagonist hate? Why?
9.  What does your protagonist need? Why?

Did you discover something new about your antagonist? How will today's exercise enrich your story? Are there questions that you used to get to know your antagonist not listed here?  See you tomorrow!

October 6, 2015. Welcome to the sixth day of my October Blog Challenge on preparing to write your novel. Those who are just arriving, please check out the earlier posts on this challenge, as the exercises/ reflections build on each other. To find out what this challenge is about, read my original post  HERE.

Now that you've researched or reflected on the best genre, time period, and location for your story (What, When and Where), as well as the culture and its role in your story, it's time to consider your characters (Who). Let's start with your main character, the protagonist.. To simplify this, I'm going to alternate gender pronouns.

The first way we know a person is through our senses.
1. What does your main character look like? Sound like? How does he walk, move, gesture? How does she speak? What  vocabulary does he use? How does she dress? Does he have any personal mannerisms?

2. Now, rather than describing all this in detail, consider which of these are defining characteristics. Which ones are significant to the way your main character sees himself, or to the way others see her? Those are the ones you're going to include.

Interesting characters are those who have strong goals.
3. What does your protagonist want? What is her compelling goal?

4. Why does he HAVE TO ACHIEVE IT? What are the stakes? What terrible loss will she sustain if unsuccessful?

5. Now list 5-8 adjectives that describe your main character's personality. Go for a mix of good ones (resilient, brave) and not so good ones (stubborn, proud). Characters who are entirely good are pretty boring, not too mention hard to believe and hard to relate to. And those bad traits are often the very ones that help your character succeed..

6. So consider the above list and write down how each of those characteristics will help your protagonist achieve her goal.

7. What are your protagonist's hobbies, interests and skills? How will they help him achieve his goal?

8. What is your protagonist afraid of? Why?
9. What does your protagonist love? Why?
10. What does your protagonist hate? Why?
11.  What does your protagonist need? Why?

Did you discover something new about your protagonist? How will today's exercise enrich your story? Are there questions that you used to get to know your protagonist not listed here?  See you tomorrow!

October 5, 2015. Welcome to the fifth day of my October Blog Challenge on preparing to write your novel. Those who are just arriving, check out the earlier posts on this challenge, as the exercises/ reflections build on each other. Read my original post  HERE.

Now we need to explore the culture and beliefs of the place where our story occurs. If you are writing speculative fiction, you will need to create a culture and belief system; if your setting is a foreign country or a time in the past, you will need to research their cultural  values; even if your story takes place here and now, there are large differences in the values and beliefs of different groups, different families and different individuals. It is worth taking time to consider some of the main tenants of a culture and belief system.

In this culture, what attitude is taken toward:
1. The existence (or not) of a divine being or beings?
2. Sexual relations? (what is expected? Acceptable? Between whom?)
3. Gender roles and expectations/limitations?
4. The upbringing of children? (Who raises them, what are they taught in school, etc)
5. Crime and punishment? (What is illegal, what are the punishments?)
6. Equality or a class system? (If unequal, to whom?)
7. Work? (What qualifies, what is the attitude toward it?)
8. Leisure? (How much, how is it spent?)
9. End of life?(how does it come? Is it feared? What do they think follows life?)
10. What is valued? Why is it valued?
11. What is not valued or considered shameful? Why?

12 How do each of your main characters fit into their society? Are they in agreement with or in opposition to their society, their religion? Why/why not? How will this change over the story?

Has this post helped you identify cultural aspects of your story world? Are there other aspects important to your story not mentioned here? We can all learn from each other. See you tomorrow!

October 4, 2015. Welcome to the fourth day of preparing to write your novel. Those who are new here, please check out the earlier posts on this challenge, as the exercises/ reflections build on each other. To find out what this challenge is about, read my original post  HERE.

Today let's consider where your story takes place and, once again, what research and/or invention you will need to do to write convincingly about that place.

1. Where (what location) does your story take place?

2. What is the climate, topography, architecture, natural disasters, etc in that location?

3. What would be recurring sights/smells/sounds in this location?

NOTE: for example, in Canada, snow and cold weather have a strong influence on our lives. It affects our clothing, transportation, sports & leisure activities, architecture (more two-story homes than bungalows- heat rises - a good thing, here) etc.

4. How does this location (refer to your answers to questions 1-3 above) impact your story? How does it affect your characters and your plot?

5. Why is this location essential to the story you have to tell?

6.  Describe a few specific places (a building, a beach, a garden, etc.)  within your general location that will be significant in your story. Write a paragraph describing each of these places with as much detail as possible and referring to as many senses as possible.

If you feel like sharing anything about today's exercise, please leave a comment, or share this post on . We can all learn from each other. See you tomorrow!

October 3, 2015. Welcome to the third day of my October Blog Challenge on preparing to write your novel. If you're new here, you might want to check out the earlier posts on this challenge, as the exercises/reflections build on each other. To find out what this challenge is all about, read my original post explaining it HERE.

Today we'll reflect on when your story takes place, and what research and/or invention you will need to do in order to write convincingly about that time.

1. When does your story take place? In the past, the present, or the future? If it is not in the present, how far in the past or into the present does it take place?

2. Why is this time period ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY for you to tell this particular story? (What plot points depend on it)

3. What research is necessary for you to convey that time period? What recurring or central image(s) (sights/sounds/tastes/smells) will you use to make your reader feel like he/she is in the past/future?

4. If your story is in the present, does it take place in a high-tech, modern location, or in a location where the conveniences we take for granted are missing (or some of them). List the physical aspects of our lives (running water, dishwashers, toilets that flush and have seats, cars, internet, cell phones, etc) that will be different or missing.

5. What aspects of your chosen time period will your reader not be familiar with, but your characters will take for granted? Make an extensive list.

6. How will you present those items, or the lack of them?

NOTE: if your POV character doesn't know something, he can't explain it. (Do you know how an airplane works?) If your POV character is completely familiar with something, she won't notice, let alone describe it, in her thoughts. (Would you describe how to ride a bicycle? Would you even think about the chain and gears, or would you just hop on and peddle away?)

If you feel like sharing anything about today's exercise, please leave a comment or tweet or like this post. We can all learn from each other. See you tomorrow!

October 2, 2015. Welcome to the second day of my October Blog Challenge on preparing to write your novel. Those who are just arriving, please read the earlier posts on this challenge, as the exercises/ reflections build on each other. To find out what this challenge is all about, read my earlier post HERE.

Today let's reflect on the kind of story you are writing.  The same story idea can be explored in many genres. Just because you have so far mostly written in one genre, doesn't mean that's the best one for this idea. I'm speaking from experience here; I had an idea I loved, and tried to put it into the genre I was focused on writing at the time (science fiction). After I spent a year writing it, an editor kindly suggested it might be better suited as an historical fiction novel. So I started again from scratch, and he was right - that's the story that eventually got me my agent. I could have saved some time, though, if I'd considered different genres from the start. 

1. List all the genres you enjoy reading? (You can't really write in a genre you don't enjoy, or don't read much of, so don't worry about those.) What are the expectations readers bring to each of those genres, particularly in terms of characters, types of goals and obstructions to that goal, and plot line?

2. Review your notes from yesterday about your idea. Which of the genres from your answer to question 1 above, is the best fit?
 
Now that you've chosen the best genre for your story, let's explore it a bit more.

3. Quickly list your 5-8 favourite novels in this genre. (Some may be old favourites, but make sure at least half are fairly recent, popular books in that genre.

4. Which character did you like most in each of these books? Why? Which character did you like least? Why?

5. What aspect of the plot did you like most? Why?

NOTE: when you are writing and you try to create a new character, or are thinking about what can happen next in your plot, your unconscious mind will instinctively access these stories, and you will think, "Oh I love that idea!" Then, even if you remember that it's a little like what happened in XXX, or the character in XXX, your mind will start to justify why you should use it. ("There are lots of characters like this" "It's not like that author invented this idea". I know, I've done it.)  But your target readers will also have read and loved those books, and their minds will also draw connections instinctively -  it's what our minds are hard-wired to do. And your story will feel stale to them... UNLESS, because you are consciously aware of those characters and plot-lines, you either avoid them, or give them a unique twist that your readers will enjoy and find fresh and interesting.

6. What, overall, makes your story similar to others in this genre?

7. What, overall, makes your story dissimilar to others in this genre?

If you feel like sharing anything about today's exercise, please leave a comment. We can all learn from each other. See you tomorrow!

October 1, 2015. Welcome to the first day of my October Blog Challenge on preparing to write your novel. (If you've already written the first draft, use these daily reflections to edit it.) To find out what this challenge is all about, read my earlier post explaining it HERE.

Let's start with your idea, since that's where all books begin. Use the following reflective question to deepen your understanding of that idea, and where it could lead.

1. Write out your story idea in one sentence.

2. What is the inherent conflict? (without a conflict, or obstacles to the protagonist's goal, there is no story)

3. What is original about your story idea? (How is it alike and different from similar stories? What makes it uniquely your story - your twist, your slant on this idea)

4. What is its gut-level emotional appeal? (Why should the reader care? What are the stakes? If the protagonist fails, what will it cost him/her? What will it cost others?)

5. What is the universal theme within your idea? (A story tells a specific tale in order to illustrate a universal concept. What is that concept, that relates to all of us?)

Donald Maas said: "A story is about grace being offered, through love, sacrifice, etc. Who is offering it to whom? Is it rejected or accepted?"

6. What is the grace, or opportunity for grace/redemption that is being offered in your story?

7. Who in your story is offering it? To whom? And why?

Another way of expressing your story idea is through a What if? question: "What if ...(your protagonist) ...in... (specific situation) ...had... (specific problem)?"
For example: "What if (a teenage boy) (returned home from university to learn) (his healthy father had mysteriously died, allowing his uncle to marry his mother and steal his inheritance)?" (Hamlet)

8. Write down your story idea as a What if question.

If you feel like sharing anything about today's exercise, please leave a comment. We can all learn from each other. See you tomorrow!

Writers call it "gelling" - that period of time when you let your subconscious mull over a new story idea, letting it simmer just under the surface of your thoughts until - Voila! - you're ready to start writing. Sometimes it takes months, sometimes years...

Wait! There's got to be a better way.  Productive writers don't take years just to BEGIN writing. Isn't there a way to "jump-start" the process?

Yes, there is.

The secret? Preparing. Notice I didn't say 'plotting'. Some writers plot out their novel extensively, and there's no doubt that does make for a faster first draft. Other writers find plotting stifles their creativity, they'd rather just get the first draft down as it comes to them and do more editing. But whether you plot in detail or not, first you have to consciously prepare that idea.

Like a good reporter, if you want to get your story out, you need to make notes in advance. We'll start with the five W's - what, where, when, who and why. Because if you can't answer these five W's before you begin, you will have to stop and figure them out while you're writing. And  as any car owner knows, it takes more gas to start again after stopping than it does to keep going. (Not to mention the likelihood of becoming completely stalled, and giving up.)

So let's dedicate this October to preparing our novels, in order to write them without getting stalled. Every day in October I will provide a series of probing questions about one aspect of the book you (and I) are planning to write. Keep notes on your answers, and as the month progresses, these notes will look more and more like an outline, so that by the end of the month, you will be ready to write.

Meet me here on October 1st and we'll get started!

So you have this idea - or you've had this life-changing experience - and you know it would make a great novel or memoir. But how do you get from the idea to a completed manuscript?

Maybe last November you entered NaNoWriMo, hoping it would give you the encouragement to get your book written, but you didn't get nearly as much done as you hoped? How can you improve your writing speed this year? Take this challenge and I guarantee you will be able to compose your first draft in a fraction of the time.
 
Whether you write fiction or memoir, what you need is not only encouragement, but a clear plan, a blueprint for writing your book. Only you can write that blueprint - but I can walk you through the steps. In fact, we can all do it  together, because I have a novel to write in November, too, and just like you, I have to be ready.

Each day of October, I will post a new challenge relating to your writing project. There will be a logical order to these challenges, each one building on the previous one, so that by the end of the month you will be ready to write your breakout novel or memoir.

Call it InOcPlaMo - International October Planning Month. Why join? Because when we're done at the end of October, we are all going to ROCK NaNoWriMo! And if you're not into NaNoWriMo, you will still be able to write the best first draft you've ever written in way less time than it used to take you.

Leave your name and email address in a comment below this post if you're IN (or use my comment form on my contact page if you prefer).

Whether you plan on participating in NaNoWriMo or just want some help turning your idea into a great story, join me right here every day in October and watch your idea grow into the blueprint for a great book.