Novel Writing

Last time I looked at some ways that writers can get themselves writing when they feel bogged down by lots of different ideas. Today I will look at some of the things writers do when they feel stuck or don’t have any ideas.

1. Pick one idea and start making notes. Just the act of writing about something will make your ideas start to take shape. Make lists (of names, emotions, plot twists, random incidents that you might include in your novel), write snippets of dialogue, describe characters from a distance and then close up,etc.
2. Research. If there are things you don’t know or don’t understand about your novel, make some notes about what and where you could research so that you can find out. Then go and do the research. Use libraries, the internet, arrange to interview helpful experts.
3. Interview your characters. Ask them questions and make them answer. Even if their answers are evasive or dishonest, that teaches you priceless knowledge of what makes them tick. By the end you’ll know a whole lot more about your novel than you did when you started.
4. File clippings and cuttings. Cut out pictures of people and places from magazines and newspapers, and gather folders of images on your computer. Clip articles about murders or interesting events from newspapers, or cut and paste from websites. Refer to these clippings and cuttings when you need ideas.
5. Make mind maps. Take a blank sheet of paper and go crazy writing down and drawing everything that comes into your head about the novel. Forget about trying to put everything into some kind of order - focus on making connections between things like some kind of warped family tree. Make it into a big mind map, with parts connected to other parts by whatever connection feels right to you. Use images, colours, shapes, or whatever makes the map meaningful and alive to you. Take a digital photo of it too, partly for backup and partly to look at whenever you are away from your piece of paper.
6. Make a soundtrack. Make a soundtrack for your current novel project. Choose music that suits the different parts of your novel, whether due to the lyrics, the music style, or simply how each piece makes you feel. Listen to your soundtrack whenever you want to write your novel.

Don’t read these tips and nod your head but do nothing. Take action! Pick one and do it right now!

By now you should have plenty of different ways to kickstart your writing, so next time we’ll start looking at some of these tips in more detail. I hope you have enjoyed this little three-part series - if you’d like to see more like this, let me know by leaving a comment on any of the posts.

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