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/lit/ - Literature

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1015137 No.1015137 [Reply] [Original]

Where does one begin on the road to writing a novel?

I need tips for planning out a solid narrative, characters and setting before I flesh it out into a full blown novel. It's an area I've always lacked in.

Happy now?

>> No.1015144

Read a book.

/thread

>> No.1015151

>>1015144

I read alot of books, what I'm asking for is some tips to help better visualize a story before I go ahead and make it. Perhaps a chart or some sort of diagram showing connections between characters?

I'm at a loss here.

>> No.1015163
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1015163

I guess this means you dropped out that engineering course you held so highly

>> No.1015172

>>1015163

Med science.

;_;

>> No.1015177

>>1015172
Saged for your fucking spoilers. What are you confused about? Get off the board.

>> No.1015188

Get idea

flesh out in head

Keep fleshing out in head, not paper

Write novel.

Voila

>> No.1015197

>>1015188

Well it is pretty fleshed out, I got a few characters down with their motivations etc but I feel if I begin to write, I'll do what I usually do and go off track and forget what I had planned in the first place.

Besides, I can't hold all of those characters in my head without them existing on paper somewhere beforehand.

>> No.1015199

>Degree in Creative Writing
>$250,000 starting
>Any job you want

>> No.1015204

>>1015199
BETTER DROP OUT OF ACCOUNTING FOR THIS THEN!

>> No.1015205

>>1015197
Then if you get off track by following the story, good, it's where it should be going.

If you write everything down in an outline, you will lose the creative drive to write it at all.

>> No.1015210

Why don't you read books about writing. Or better yet, reread your favorite books with more of a tactical eye (see how your favorite writer develops the characters, the world, etc.)

Mostly writing is about practice and being exposed to writing (not in a reader's perspective [reading solely for enjoyment], but a writer's one [recognizing why you are enjoying reading)

>> No.1015212
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1015212

>>1015172
Goddamnit Lindlar, I thought you were winning

>> No.1015213

>>1015205

I was never the kind of person to follow a guide down to a perfect point, it would irresponsible to do so and would make the book bland. What I'm looking for though is not the stuff in between but rather what happens to the characters and world at points A, B, C and maybe D between the padding that would slowly bring the book to a happy resolution.

>> No.1015218

>>1015210

Oh but I do, I like to pick apart the writing I read and feel I am ready to make my first serious attempt at creating my own narrative.

I just want a way to visualize it before it's really done. I figured that you guys would be the people to ask for tips on planning complex narratives and character interactions.

>> No.1015232

>Where does one begin on the road to writing a novel?

At birth.

I heard Lowell, Massachusetts was a good place to start.

>on the road
>writing a novel
>see what I did there

>I need tips for planning out a solid narrative, characters and setting before I flesh it out into a full blown novel. It's an area I've always lacked in.

F. Scott Fitzgerald used to try out his shit in rough form in short stories. It's kinda working for me, insofar as I'm trying to make it work but have not actually produced a novel.

>I just want a way to visualize it before it's really done. I figured that you guys would be the people to ask for tips on planning complex narratives and character interactions.

Outlines in text files. But see

>It's kinda working for me, insofar as I'm trying to make it work but have not actually produced a novel.

>> No.1015240

>>1015232

So break up the story into a series of short stories before I link them together and make them a coheasive hole?

>> No.1015255

>>1015199
>degree in creative writing
>tuition is $20,000
>Starve for 3 years before you sell a draft for 5,000.
>doesn't sell, no one wants to read anymore of your shit. buy gun with remaining money....
People should stop trying to be writers unless you fucking know how to actually tell a story. you can't think of characters, setting or a narrative? Why even bother thinking about trying to do it?

>> No.1015256

The big thing to remember is that your first draft is almost always going to be a bit of a mess. You're *supposed* to veer off in unexpected directions during the writing, and to find that ideas you thought fit actually don't, and so on.

Worrying too much about the finished product before you've even started it is just sabotaging yourself.

>> No.1015277

>>1015255

I like to think anyone capable of self criticism is capable of telling a decent story.

>> No.1015774
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1015774

OP here, this is a basic design of the outline I have chosen for the narrative.

Each line is reprasentative of a main and their link to the 'main' main characters. I've scrawled the links they have to eachother and their motivations (not that you would be able to read) it and am asking for criticism of this method of devising a guide to set the story on.

>> No.1015781

>>1015774

It should be noted that points 1 2 and 3 are defining moments in the story and I have no idea as of yet how I want the to play out, especially point 2.

I was hoping for character C to be almost a sub plot following characters AB while character D is somewhat of an antagonist who for emotional reasons want's to use character E the same character AB have to find in order to find out if E is still capable of X and if so will E do X.
I intend for characters C and D to meet at some point even though C is related to A and doing so would creat conflicts of interest hence thickening the plot either towards A or D, I don't know.

>> No.1015787

>>1015781

Just write the thing. There's no right way to do it. You're the only one who can find out if this method works for you.

>> No.1015795

>>1015787

This is true, but if I'm going to make this happen, I don't want the characters to be shallow and irrelevent to eachother.

>> No.1015809

>>1015255
because writing, just like anything else, is 90% hard work and learning. People don't get the magical talent of "writing" at birth. So you have to start somewhere and work hard until you are actually good. Ofc a loser like you who gave up on everything but his lousy 5-9 job could never understand true work ethics.

>> No.1015854

Well, it's all there. I just gotta put it on paper, I gotta let the story veer off at times and allow it to be spontaneous the people who've heard the narrative seemed to like the idea and your pointers really helped, thankyou. Time to put pen to paper (finger to keyboard) and get crackin'

>> No.1015859

>>1015795

The only way to not do that is to write it, read it, and fix it.

>> No.1015860

Good luck, don't let the bitter nerds get you down.

>> No.1015864

Step 1. Write
Step 2. Keep writing.
Step 3. Write more.
Step 4. Keep writing.
Step 5. No. Seriously. Write. A lot. More than that.
Step 6. Finish first draft.
Step 7. Revise draft.
Step 8. Revise revision
Step 9. Revise one more time.