Novel Writing 16 Steps serialisation

by Evan Marshall

The book is published by  A & C BlackClick for A & C Black Publishers Publishers References listing Writing Handbooks series. These  excerpts appear by kind permission of the publisher.

The right choice

So what should you write? It’s been right in front of you all the time: what you love to read.

Find your lead

To begin developing your story idea you need a crisis to present to your story’s main character – your lead. But what constitutes a crisis depends on who it’s happening to.

Who is your lead? You need a rudimentary idea at this early stage: For instance, is it a man or a woman? An adult, teen or preteen?

Defining the lead

Your lead is your novel’s most important character, the hero or heroine of your story. Every novel needs a lead; a novel without a lead is like a movie without a star.

Getting off to the Right Start

OK, you have your target genre, a story idea and some characters. Why not just start writing? Because without some kind of plan, a map of the route your story will take, you’re practically guaranteed to start with a bang and, sooner or later, look up and say, ‘Now what?’

Surprising the Reader

For me, one of the most enjoyable aspects of reading a novel is being surprised. I love nothing more than to be shocked by a revelation or story development...

Finding the time to write

Ideally, you’ll set up a regular schedule... Do your best to use those blocks of time when they’re available... Make a promise to yourself that, whenever possible, you’ll take advantage of the pieces of writing time you’ve carved out for yourself throughout the day.

Novel Writing: 16 Steps to Success by Evan Marshallis available from Amazon