Since I took up writing novels, I’m often asked the same two questions: one, where do the ideas come from; and, two, how do you ever get a novel written. The two questions are intertwined so I will address them as one.
No one knows where the stories come from. Oh, sure, some novels are written based on the writer’s life experience. And I suppose a lot of my own life has found its way into my books. After all, they say write what you know. But how do all those words and plot twists and turns come about and still work out in the end?
Several people have told me they wanted to write a novel and asked me how to proceed. I’ve given all of them the same advice. And none of them took it seriously. And none of them have ever finished a novel, though several have put down tens of thousands of words.
So, what’s that advice? It’s simple. Before you start be sure you have two months coming up with no known dates that will interrupt your work. Because once you start you don’t get a day off until you’re done with a novel. Not birthdays, not holidays, not vacations. Nothing. You work every day until you finish.
That does something that sort of answers the question about where the stories come from. When you work every day, your muse (read subconscious here) learns pretty quickly that there’s this problem that needs to be solved. And your muse will work on the next day’s writing while you’re asleep.
If you break the cycle, though, your muse, realizing you’re not really serious about this problem, will wander off. There’ll be a break in continuity. And it’s really hard to pick up after a break. I had such a break in my seventh novel. The one I’m just now finishing after seven months. For comparison, except for my first novel where I discovered this trick while writing it, I have never taken more than two months to finish a novel. Well, actually, what you have after typing The End isn’t really a novel, though many people quit there considering themselves done. No, what you actually have is a very detailed outline of a novel. But that is a huge step forward. You have the story down on paper. Now you have to go back over it again and again to enliven the characters, clear up ambiguities, develop a flow in the words, well you get the idea.
So how many words do you have to write each day? I write a minimum of 1,000. Usually I write more. On a good day I might write 3,000. On one or two days I might write 5,000. But that doesn’t let me off the hook for another 1,000 the next day. That’s the rule. A minimum of a thousand every day. No exceptions.
Okay, so you have a job and kids and there’s no way you can do a thousand words a day. Then do 500. Same rules.
Now for a few tidbits I haven’t mentioned. There are two types of writers. Pantsers, who write by the seat of their pants, like me and most others. And outliners, who use a detailed outline. Seems a waste of time to me to outline, though. I tried that on my first novel and by the time I had 10,000 words I was so far off the outline I couldn’t get back. However, if you follow the path I outlined (sorry couldn’t help myself) above, you end up with a very detailed outline.
So if you are going to try the non-outline route, and I recommend that if it fits your personality, at least have a general idea of what your novel is about and kind of how it will end then start writing to work your way to the ending. If the ending changes before you get there, then great. That probably means your muse thought of a better ending as you slept.
Of course, you’ll want to take some courses in English composition first. And read a few books on novel writing to pick up the other things you need to know. But a year’s preparation can save you several years of finding your way after you start writing. Or maybe you’re one of those rare geniuses who can write a great American novel on the first try with no preparation other than learning how to type a little. I’ve heard they’re out there. Just haven’t met any of them yet.
Just finished reading A Gift of Time. Really liked the book and your writing style. Noticed you avoided term like “alternate universe.” You described them, but nevertheless avoided the term…….Let’s see if I go this straight;
Cager’s mother and his aunt are the two who ventured off into growing up sisters?
Whatever happened to Cager’s Dad, Joey, Jimmy, and Arlene?
What did they do with the dinos that might have led to a new dominant species? (can’t figure this one out.)
Again, thanks for the great read.
Hi Fred, Glad you liked the story. As to Cager’s dad, Joey, Jimmy, and Arlene, they went back with the rest to the virtual world. I only mentioned what Julene and Aunt Cealie did to show the possibilities available in the virtual world. The others would have had the same opportunity open to them. I left it to the reader to speculate on how they might have used the chance to live other lives. Not sure about what dinosaurs you were talking about, If you were thinking about scientists cloning dinosaurs from the residue of the raptors that came back… Read more »
Audiobooks Gift of Time and Time Pebbles. Cager is such a likable, relatable character that I wish that you would wrote a sequel to the novel. The plot is fantastic, so original but what I liked most about the book was Cager and is humility and humor. At one point when L said that the gene sequence that later became humans was a winning lizard that fought another lizard and you had him muse that surly he was the product of the loser. How he struggled as a kid to fit in just made him so likable. I have recommended… Read more »
Hello, Chris, Thank you for your comments and personal insights into Cager. It’s gratifying to know that readers are picking up on the backstory details I work into my novels. As to more audiobooks, that’s on my to do list. I’d like to write a sequel to “A Gift of Time.” If only I had the time. Right now, though, I’m trying to complete my tenth novel. My main objective is to continue to write books with varying themes and a broad range of characters, though I know that sequels are very popular right now. There are tons of stories,… Read more »
Loved Gift of Time. Love cats, esp Siamese and Siamese Lynx cats.
Why did Cager go off with L and Schroedinger? He spent the whole book trying to save his loved ones, yet once he does, he abandons them? That made my rating go from 5 stars to 4.5. Pls convince me to move it back up to 5. 🙂
Btw, I’d love a sequel, but how do you follow such a great book?
Well, thank you for the nice comments. To your question, Cager left with Ell after making sure his family was safe because, when he was about to lose her, he finally realized that he had never fully accepted her as human. And as a result had never told her how much she’d meant to him over the years. Yet she didn’t hold that against him, asking only that he stay with her for her last five days and take her sailing. She also didn’t want to become part of the virtual world. So they reverted to physical bodies again and… Read more »
I saw?a book you wrote called Nekkid Club Rules. I assume you retitled it as “Diary of a Teenage Moon Goddess” While have truly enjoyed your science fiction, I find the other non science fiction novels more engaging.I look forward to more books by you, as I very much enjoy your work.
The original title of “A Gift of Diamonds” was “Nekkid Club Rules.” Don’t know where you would have found that title. It was a working title only for filing purposes and never published under that name. I also find the non-scifi novels more engaging. But scifi has its own rules and I have difficulty combining interpersonal stuff into the plots and keeping up the futuristic movement of the plots. My latest effort is another scifi titled “The Portals of Osiris.” Should be out by next summer. Has to do with portals discovered linked to Khafre’s pyramid. One way portals that… Read more »
I’m on my second reading of a gift of diamonds and I’ve read the season of Tides three times. I moved to Florida 20 years ago in a travel trailer and bought a home in ocklawaha. Sadly that didn’t work out due to an unscrupulous seller but that’s okay because I love Florida and I’m here to stay. I’ve been in Lady Lake for 15 years and I’m here for the rest of my life. I love your books because they touch on so many of the places that I’ve been to or plan to to go to. Your books… Read more »