Monthly Archives: May 2013

May 24, 2013 · 1:43 pm

Top ten things which might turn readers off your novel

I love this – two hundred comments by readers on what turns them off whilst reading a novel: http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2013/05/21/bookish-turn-offs/comment-page-3/#comments

The main beefs seem to be with:

  1. Characters they don’t and can’t care about, who are too passive and flat
  2. Boring beginnings – first three chapters are key
  3. Dull storyworlds
  4. Too many points of view or wandering points of view (ie starts in third person closed and goes omniscient)
  5. Sexual violence
  6. Clunky prose with no unique ‘voice’
  7. Preaching of any kind (ie the moral of the story is this and you’d better believe it)
  8. Poor writing and/or editing
  9. Plot holes
  10. Slow pace (they don’t seem to like this!).

I do some of these…. so time to get back to editing.

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Video

Online writing courses from Faber Academy: how it works

Having completed Faber Academy’s Writing a Novel online course, I can honestly say my approach to writing has completely changed. As a publisher, Faber’s courses are geared up to help you craft your book like a true professional. There’s no academic qualification at the end but the knowledge of how to put together a novel which will be industry-ready is invaluable.

This short video contains more information about how Faber Academy’s online writing courses work.

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May 24, 2013 · 12:55 pm
May 20, 2013 · 11:22 am

Ten rules for writing fiction

A friend sent me this article from the Guardian: Ten rules for writing fiction. It’s a collection of different top tens from a variety of well known authors and makes for interesting reading. It also inspired me to write my own.

My top ten rules for writing fiction

1. Write a little every day. Think of your book writing in project management terms and ensure you have the little goals mapped out which lead, in turn, to the big ones. Small steps are easier to visualise and achieve.
2. Go for a walk. I don’t know why this works, but it does. Walking releases the brain and allows you to find solutions to problems with your manuscript.
3. Listen to music. Lots of it. This, too, seems to do something magical to the brain.
4. Play adverb bingo. I’m a fully paid up convert to the ‘no adverbs’ rule. Remove all adverbs and you are forced to find more exact nouns and verbs to describe your scenes.
5. Delve into the unknown and into your deepest fears and unanswered questions. This makes you bolder, braver and the writing will come from the heart. Readers will be able to sense this.
6. Remember that it’s all in the edit. To be a good writer you must also be a good editor. Raw material always needs skilled sculpture.
7. Read – lots.
8. Accept that writing requires a lot of determination and hard work. It helps, therefore, if you actually like doing it.
9. Read and write poetry. Its synthesis is writing perfection and the skill required to write good poetry will also help with novel writing.
10. Chill out and live your life. Without life you have nothing to say.

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May 18, 2013 · 12:18 pm

Life after the first draft

So. I managed to write to the end of my first draft, my own personal ‘first hurdle‘.

Whilst I’m pleased about this, my first draft is little more than a skeleton. I have written out all my characters, the main plot and some of the themes.

I know that I still need to add considerable flesh to my characters and to their inner journeys, layer up my themes and add depth to my story world and generally tighten up the story.

I must make sure my story makes sense, that it will satisfy at least one reasonably sized reader segment. In doing this I will make a final decision on predominant genre and then add or subtract scenes, characters, themes and style to my manuscript depending.

In practical terms I am working through all of Joanna Penn’s tips on what to do when you get to the end of the first draft:

  • Structural edit – my manuscript is with my Faber Academy tutor and will shortly go to the Writers’ Workshop.
  • Beta readers – several trusted readers are looking through my story now and will look at again in June when I’ve done my post structural edit revisions.
  • Line edits – I need to look for a freelance editor to help me with this in the summer which I will do shortly.

The end of the first draft is a difficult stage to get through. I know there are many more hurdles to jump after this but if I can get past this to the next step, I’ll be pleased!

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