The Hardest Part

Recently a friend asked me what’s been the hardest thing about novel writing. The hardest thing for me about writing fiction has been learning the formatting: chapters, scenes, sequels, how to organize and plan, etc. As a reader, I know these things intuitively. As a writer, it’s been a steep learning curve.

I’d never written fiction before. I’ve given talks and presentations in my work life. Written articles for newsletters and a professional journal and dabbled in some poetry. This prepares you for best use of language and prose, but by its nature, this writing is very different. Growing up, I never learned to write fiction or stories. I didn’t know that was something a person could do. I thought only famous people, like Beverly Cleary and EL Konigsburg and Roald Dahl, got to be authors. It seemed magical and mystical how someone got to write as a career. I never knew it was an option. Little old me from nowhere could never be an author. It wasn’t realistic or practical. I never had any training in how to write anything other than the perfect three point paragraph and the perfect essay or term paper. I'm good at that.

But I have always loved fiction, and I have always wanted to try my hand writing it. So, I did. It took me over fifty years to realize that I could be an author. So, I dug in to learn more about my craft, practice writing, and worked with friends to help my storytelling skills improve. Now, I’ve written my first novel and am on the cusp of working to get it published.

There have been many stumbling blocks along the way. Many things I thought I knew, but realized I didn’t or had forgotten. Some things I just had to figure out through trial and error. Some that I had to be taught and then practice. I’ll outline a few of those stumbling blocks and give you my best advice on how to get past them. As with everything in writing, you have to learn what works best for you personally. Every writer is different and works differently. Try different methods and see what fits you the best. These tips are only the ones that have worked for me. Maybe my insight can help you navigate your own path.

• Planning- This has been hard for me. My nature requires structure. True pansters will balk at this part of my process, but I am a planner, mostly. I need more structure than just sitting down and typing away. I need a format to follow before I can learn to break free from it. I know how a story is structured, but what is the best way to organize thoughts and story ideas. I began with various writing exercises I’d learned such as interviewing your main characters so you know who they are. There are many interview sheets available on the internet to help you come up with questions to ask your hero or heroine. Try one and see what your character has to say. Also, Debra Dixon’s GMC: Goal, Motivation, and Conflict can also be helpful for developing characters. Next, I needed to learn what went into a chapter and how long it should be. Larry Brooks, author of Story Engineering: Mastering the 6 Core Competencies of Successful Writing, gave some helpful advice at a workshop given by my local RWA chapter. Take four pieces of paper, one for each quarter of the book following the four act structure. Draw eight to twelve circles on each piece of paper. These circles represent a scene in each quarter of the book. I use small post-its inside the circles so I can change my mind and move things around. (I am a sucker for office supplies. It’s the teacher in me.) I keep all this in a sketch book with binding at the top so I can turn the pages, doodle, make timelines, and keep all the notes together. This helps me organize my thoughts and keep me on track while I'm writing. It doesn't mean though that I don't veer off the track if the characters take me in a different direction. (Hence the post-its.) But it does help me keep to what needs to be accomplished by the scene or chapter.

• Verb tenses- Tenses make me tense. This is hard when you’re learning to write in third person and dialogue is in first person. I keep forgetting what tense I am in and mistakenly use the perfect tense trying to make sense of the back and forth. A good trick is to write everything in first person present tense and then go back and change it. If that doesn’t work for you, do periodic read throughs looking only for these problems. A good proofreader is also a must. I am blessed to have Karen in my corner so I can double check with her. If you don’t have a Karen, who is erudite in all things grammatical, these websites can help. There are also a plethora of charts available on Pinterest.

English Grammar 101 by Kitty Nash https://www.englishgrammar101.com/

Grammarly https://www.grammarly.com/blog/category/handbook/

Grammar Girlhttps://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl

• Paragraphing- There are lots of charts out on the internet and Pinterest that are meant for elementary school students who are learning to write narrative fiction. Use them. They help. Also, remember it’s fiction, and the rules can be broken when you or your character are trying to make a point. In general, a new paragraph begins when the speaker changes, the camera or focus changes, a new person enters, the setting changes, or time changes. It isn’t as easy as the traditional expository paragraph where you give a topic sentence, 3-5 supporting sentences with quotes and tie-in, and then a concluding sentence. That’s a formula I can follow. Paragraphing in narrative writing can be much more nuanced and is open to the needs of the story.

These are the areas I have struggled with the most in learning to write narrative. I’ve had to recall a lot of the grammar that I learned as a child and taught early in my career. I completely forgot about the subjunctive mood. Who knew? Fortunately, there are lots of websites, books, tutorials, and workshops out there to help you get on your way and keep you going. Use them. Learn what you need and find your own style and a workable path.

Let me know if these help you at all. If you have other stumbling blocks, I might be able to guide you in the right direction. If I can’t, Karen or Tana might.

Happy writing.