Introduction
Fair Warning
Everything you are about to read is coming from a pantser, a specific type of writer. If you’re not a pantser, you may find kernels within that help you regardless. For those of you who are like me, this will show you how I build a story, world, and characters.
To everyone reading, I hope you find something for you.
I’ll try to make this as streamlined as possible with no frills. You want to read something quick and engaging and learn. That’s what I wish for you, too. So, without further ado…
Who This Book is For
If you are new to writing, this book is for you; if you’re a writer who’s been hanging around the block for a few years, dipping your toes into stories but haven’t finished or completed a few works, you’ll find this book helpful in many regards. And for those who’ve been at it for a long time, this book will give you a new take on many elements you’re already familiar with. You can skip to the sections you’re interested in. For those who are new or novices, the book’s emphasis will be characters, but the other chapters will guide you in other fundamentals you may be unfamiliar with. That said, I don’t want to assume that everyone has a foundation.
Words to Live By
When I was in my teens, I saw an article about my favorite 90’s band, the Smashing Pumpkins. Being a novice musician and an avid fan, I snatched up the magazine and peered within. I don’t remember anything about the article, the magazine, the pictures, or the news. Only one thing stuck out to me, and still clings to me two decades later, a single quote from Billy Corgan—the singer and lead guitarist. I don’t recall it verbatim, but the intent I’ll paraphrase: “There is no wrong or right way to make music/a guitar riff.” This was the staple of my music for many years; it’s become a staple of my writing now.
Take these words literally, figuratively, and metaphorically: “There’s no wrong or right way to write.”
There isn’t a template that says, “this is the way and only way.” Writing is a freeing experience despite the shackle around your heart. You can create your characters first, or you can build your world, or any other point in the process. It’s not like building a house, you don’t have to have a slab and framework before starting your roof. The choice is yours on where to start, but we need to find what place is best for you.
But…
Does this mean everything you write will be a success? No. You will face countless failures and setbacks along the way, and the way you become a better writer is to learn from those failures. Failure is the backbone of success in every walk of life. The world would be a darker place if Thomas Edison gave up the first time his inventions failed. So, fail. Fail many times. Hit rock bottom, but pick yourself back up, and try again.
And then, write.
The Journey Begins
My creative writing journey began in 2003. I never wanted to be a writer, never thought it possible. At most, I read science fiction, and Star Wars Expanded Universe novels. That was the extent of my soirée.
As cliche as it may sound by now, my first novel did come to me in a dream, a fevered one, the most realistic, lucid dream I’d ever had up to that point, and elements still come to me in 2020. I’ve never had another one like it. If you want to read the long story, you can visit my blog at https://www.outpostdire.com.
When I woke the next day, I began scribbling the story down on paper. It had to mean something, right? I wrote as much as I could until my hand cramped. The next day, I wrote more of what I remembered, expanding, and fleshing out the details. The sentences turned to paragraphs, then the paragraphs turned to pages. Before long, I’d written almost fifty pages longhand. Thus, my journey began.
Many folks, from what I’ve heard, started out this way. A dream, a situation, some clairvoyant moment that altered them forever. What was yours? Can you remember? Or perhaps you always knew you were meant to be an author. Maybe you started young with poetry and short stories as a child and graduated into a full-blown novelist. Or perhaps this is your first time. If so, welcome. To those who’ve been clacking away forever, make yourselves at home.
I never intended to write a self-help book on writing. With so many out there, it seems almost redundant at this point. From the few I’ve read, they tend to be more formulaic. I hope to deliver this one with a touch of personalization. Many things you read within are my own self-discovered kernels of … well, I won’t say wisdom, but perhaps enlightenment. Others are knickknacks I picked up over the years from friends, or at the very least, brainstorming sessions with folks who didn’t mind talking about my book with me.
Whether you are published, self-published, or still in the crafting phase, you are a writer. Don’t let anyone tell you different. You must see yourself as one, envision your success—however that may turn out to be—and hold true to the path. The road is long, perilous, and will require more sacrifices than you can possibly imagine.
So, let’s get started.
The Book's Focus
This book will focus on elements of writing such as writing tools, software for writing and self-editing, and others like:
Self-Preparation—Knowing your writer type—Pantser, Outliner, Snowflake Method, and Edit-as-you-Go. Setting your mood to write with music and canceling all distractions; or knowing your target audience before diving into other elements.
Preparing for the Story with Story Structure: The 5Ws, Three Acts, The LOCK Structure, Yes, but/No, and method, the Monomyth (Hero’s Journey), Harmon’s Circle, and my own approach.
World-Building: Why not settle for Earth, the Three Whys, other means of World Building, my own approach, and Asinine Questions to Avoid.
Character Building: Archetypes, Myers-Briggs, Enneagrams, and how I build characters.
Other Elements: Seven types of Conflict, Dialogue Tags, Dialogue, Action, Sex, what readers skip, prologues and the like, and Self-Editing & Critiquing.
They say as long as your characters are fantastic, your reader will forgive you for not having a remarkable story. But if your tale is stellar and you have flat characters, nothing on Earth can save you.
What the book won’t cover: It won’t cover what comes after you’re done writing and self-editing, seeking an agent, or pursuing the traditional or self-publishing routes. This decision is for you to make, and there are a plethora of knowledgeable sources available when you wish to delve deeper into these aspects.
Hard Truths
Writing a book is much harder than the average person assumes. It’s a long, mired process of brainstorming, crafting, creating, editing, crying, and self-doubt. Then, the cycle repeats. I’m sure you’ve heard at one point or another, “I’ve thought about writing a book,” or “I’ve written a book.” When I hear this, I fight my initial impulse to eye roll, as many of you have. The ultimate irritant is when someone says, “Anyone can write a book.” And yes, that’s true. Anyone can, but will they? Going a step further, the question is: will it be any good? To this, I’d bet no ninety-seven percent of the time.
Fear not, there are ways you can combat the naysayers as they try to upstage you or bring their negativity, counter by asking these questions:
“Is it available for sale/Where can I buy it?”
“How many times did you revise before sending it to beta readers?”
“Who’s your editor? Perhaps I can speak to them?”
“What publishing house did you end up with?”
“Can I read it?”
If delivered in a genuine tone, these simple, innocent questions should end all upstagers, one uppers, and potential detractors. Don’t let them haggle you. There will always be at least one. The point of the questions isn’t to belittle them but rather show how serious you are as a writer. When they don’t have answers, you can go back to what you were doing as they slink away. Or, you may find that these questions lead you to a new, life-long friend and critique partner. This is why it’s essential to ask in a genuine tone. Best not to burn bridges before they form.
Another hard truth that many discover along the way—though I’m not saying this is true for everyone: your family, your parents, brothers, sisters, friends, aren’t going to read your work. If they do, count yourself lucky and blessed! I wish I had a family like yours. Also, they’re biased. It’s you, right? They wouldn’t say anything too bad! And one last thing, just because they read your work doesn’t mean it’s their preferred genre. Take the critiques with a larger-than-normal helping of salt.
Here are some other hard truths to swallow. They don’t warrant their own paragraphs, so we’ll do it rapid-fire like.
Everyone “thought about writing” until called out. I honestly believe most folks think this is a great conversation piece. Maybe they think it’ll make them relate.
If you think you can’t learn anything from critiques and beta readers, let alone editors, you need a wake-up call. Learning is continuous.
There’s no such thing as a perfect manuscript on the first try. Even famous authors revise, and yes, they have editors, a team of them in most cases.
If you think you can skip the editor or beta readers because you know a lot about grammar—or your buddies do—don’t be surprised when no one reads or slams your book in reviews after you self-publish. This, above all, is paramount. Don’t skip the beta reader phase. Don’t skip an editor! Readers—consumers—are vicious! They expect a level of quality, and when you self-publish, it’s presumptive that you deliver a polished, edited story. Moreover, as they’re ripping apart your work, don’t expect a level of professionalism. They’ll espouse their views loudly and often. Unfortunately, they don’t hold traditionally published authors to the same standards. So … GET. AN. EDITOR! There are many types, and you need to be sure which you need if you’re on a budget. We’ll cover this in Chapter 7.
You’re at the end of your first draft. Guess what? That was the easy part.
If you receive feedback from beta readers or critiquers and your first response is they’re wrong, it’s time to do some real soul searching.
When you start to think your writing is incredible, but you’ve never faced critiquers, it’s time to rip that Band-Aid off.
So, how long is it going to take for you to become a competent writer? If you’re looking for a quick and easy path, a formula to calculate, or a definitive time frame, you won’t find one. It’s all on you. Yes, many things can aid and speed you on your way, but I didn’t have that until later in my journey. So, we’ll learn the hard way.
I once heard the first million words you write are just the surface of learning the craft. To this, I agree. I’ve written a million. By now, probably two to two point five million. And I’m still learning. There isn’t a finish line to cross, there’s only the next craft. How many have you written? And yes, rewrites count. In rewriting, you learn. And that’s what the end goal should be: to learn, evolve, and become more.
Writing Tools
As a blacksmith needs a forge, anvil, hammer, and many other instruments I’m unfamiliar with, so must a writer have tools. Luckily, you need very few. If you’ve found your happy spot with long-hand writing—pen and paper—or a typewriter, stick with it. Otherwise, you need a computer.
Many folks use Microsoft Word or Google Docs. If this works for you, great. For those of you who struggle, there are many novel-writing softwares to choose from: Novlr, Scrivener, WriteItNow, FocusWriter, and too many to list. Don’t forget about the editing tools like AutoCrit, Grammarly, ProWritingAid, Hemingway Editor, and countless others. I’m not advocating for you to buy one or subscribe, especially if it’s not for you, but there are options.
Remember: these are software programs and not a human editor, and they should never replace one. Your editor will thank you if you do, but they’ll still find errors. Trust me.
One writer I know enjoys Scrivener and the back-up to the cloud function. He can write on his laptop, then, while standing in line at the store, type on his phone. It all syncs up. I use WriteItNow; it doesn’t have a cloud upload, and I prefer this method. Depending on your lifestyle, IT-security concerns, and device, you can choose which is best for you.
Storytime: Once, many years ago, I almost quit writing. I was using Word for my novels, but writing is so much more than jotting down sentences in a document. You need to make detailed notes on your book, locations, items, and the like; create characters, event boards, and other useful tools along the way. By this point, you’ll amass dozens of documents you’ve got to save in a file on your desktop. Not to mention the endless scrolling to find a segment in the middle of your book where that one character said or did something, and you’ve got to reference the moment for a callback.
Many years into my hobby, this was me but across many different stories. I swam in a sea of endless documents and infinite scrolling. Plus, the stark white screen wasn’t helping, not to mention all those red and blue squiggly lines. So, I did a little research. Surely, there had to be something for writers. I found dirt-cheap and expensive platforms alike, from buying outright to subscription-based. I cross-referenced each one to see what they offered as a total product and began selecting my top five. What I ended up with was WriteItNow.
This saved me and my passion for crafting stories.
If writing is a hobby for you, stick with what works and what’s free. If you are serious about being a novelist and want to take your longterm career or hobby to the next level, I recommend investing in yourself. You can never go wrong investing in yourself, in all walks of life. You are your greatest commodity. I paid the one-time fee for the software and never regretted it a day in my life. Plus, when they come out with a newer version, you can upgrade at a discounted price.
With WriteItNow, I was able to save all my notes in different little entries under my ‘Notes’ segment. Characters have their own section where you can free-write—a place where you can type like any other word processor—their description or use the software’s aides to help craft one. There’s a name generator, and a tool to help you craft a personality from MyersBriggs, archetypes, or enneagrams. You can create histories and tether your characters by family relations, interpersonal relationships, or write in whatever you wish. By the end, you can see a chart of how everyone is connected. There are other exciting segments like storyboards,chapter summary details, and more. Some features I use, and some I don’t.
By buying WriteItNow, I could take dozens of documents and save them all in one location, accessing with the click of a button. For the first time in years, I was ecstatic and could focus, not wasting my time searching through endless files.
Don’t take my word as the only one speaking the gospel. If you are part of a critique group, ask your fellow participants. Do your research and due diligence. What are they using? What other tools can help you? Which one fits your lifestyle and budget? If you want to try WriteItNow, you can download a free demo on their website. What do you have to lose?
In the end, software is just that: software. It won’t write your novel for you. It’s not perfect in terms of spelling, tenses, grammar, punctuation, or any other issue that might arise; it can aid you, but nothing is infallible.
