starting a novel

1. Well, try to tell yourself what the story is in a couple of sentences. If it interests you then go for it. You're going to be spending more time with it than anyone else ever will. 2. Just start it. Write every day until you get to the end. Don't stop, or think about it too much (in the sense - is this worth it? Obviously, think about the story).

1. Well, try to tell yourself what the story is in a couple of sentences. If it interests you then go for it. You're going to be spending more time with it than anyone else ever will. 2. Just start it. Write every day until you get to the end. Don't stop, or think about it too much (in the sense - is this worth it? Obviously, think about the story). http://homepage.ntlworld.com/drew.gummerson2

If you feel like it, do! As for how, just use free time or a creative mood-both is a blessing! I personally just write out a rough draft by hand to assemble the skeleton as it were. It allows me to toy with ideas and scribble until i get something vaguely pleasing, after which, with every sucessive draft, i just flesh the story out and add new ideas. I change them from the original (kept as a reference) as necessary and at will, and once on draft threeor four, I start a Word version. I have thus worked my way to the present no. six for Book One, and there might well be more.

I don't know that any of us can objectively evaluate your first question.(is the story worth telling) Readers are the judge and jury of that. Write it and see what happens. When I get a story idea, I have to follow it even if just to satisfy the "writer's itch" to set something down. How do you start a piece off? There are various mechanisms. Think of all the novels and stories that you have read and how each begins. Pick one that fits and rock and roll.All of us "borrow" stylistically from existing works. Originality is a forgotten imitation. Everyone who writes, looks for an audience.If you ever find a formula that ansers your first question, please share it with all of us.I include some advice I once gave to "aspiring writers" who asked a similar question. "Lighten Up, Its Only A Story" Most reasonably intelligent people, who have a good education, are capable of expressing themselves well in written form. Many choose not to because they can't "write like Hemingway." While I take nothing away from the wonderful works of the talented Mr.Hemingway, not everyone is enamored with his style of prose. What is of interest to most people are the thoughts of an author, and his/her opinions and viewpoints on anything they care to express in a readable and entertaining fashion. Simply put, write in the style that you best express yourself. Don’t try to write the way you believe others will want you to. It never seems to work out very well. Writing to most of us, addicted to and driven by the urge, is an absolutely delightful way to dream away the hours. We get to say who the hero/ heroine is, what he/she looks like and whether or not he/she succeeds in his/her quest or falls victim to the "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune." It is literally the power of creation. It can be both cathartic and enjoyable, if you "go with the flow" of your creative instincts. Most of us will never write "A farewell to Arms." It has already been done.What we can do is create poems, stories, novels and screen plays that reflect who and what we are.These collective works will entertain, amuse, sadden and otherwise pleasurably distract legions of friends, families and casual readers who much need a respite from the pressures of everyday life.Our job, as writers, like that of actors, painters, singers and all manner of performers is to entertain our audience. So when next you are stricken with "writer's block" or are afraid that your work "isn't up to par with the immortals," you might want to lighten up a little and just write whatever comes to you. At the very least, your friends and family will think it a “wow” and say nice things about you. And that is a reward that sometimes gets me through some difficult introspective periods when I wonder why I am not watching old "I Love Lucy" reruns and letting my brains rest after a long and difficult day. Writing a well told tale or an artfully crafted poem can give you a feeling of pride and accomplishment that is a reward in and of itself. When we write, we speak to the ages that come after us. It is a form of immortality that no stone monument can ever measure up to. Enjoy the process, have fun with your talents and make a few readers happier for having known you and shared your thoughts. But most of all, "lighten up." Its only a story! -30- (464 words) Joseph Xavier Martin 3/15/00 Vaya Con Dios. J.X.M

A wise (and several times published) friend once told me - start in the middle. Or anywhere else that interests you. Work backwards. Work forwards. Beginnings are easier if you know where you're going, and endings are easier once you are sure where you've been. Sadly, he could never tell me how to come up with a sustainable plot, which is why I haven't written a novel since I was fourteen, when I filled numerous exercise books with a cross between The L Shaped Room and Gone With The Wind.

'My partner said something very similar to me the other day. I would love to develop the confidence to write a novel from the middle, it's just that at the moment I think it would feel a little like walking a tightrope without a safety net.' I reckon it would be an interesting experiment.Definitely understand about the lack of safety net,although that isn't my own problem. What I am thinking of doing is starting in the middle; No more than 5,000 words, then using a timeline or flowchart to plot backwards and forwards. Then write the rest of it, maybe even writing backwards from point-to-point on the timeline, a chunk at a time. This is so different to the way I usually write: Usually me and my imagination go for a walk without a map: which can be interesting, but you often get lost. Which you can probably tell from my writing,of course. Anyway, congrats to Kropotkin38 for providing the most interesting thread I've read in a while.

I have a habit, although only with later drafts, of writing the scenes that are my favourite or most vivid in my mind. I then write the bits in-between, altering the pre-done piece as needed to fit in. It can mean you have less of a workload too.

I work on my unfinished novels constantly, and from using my my friends as guinea-pigs, they never seem to notice any difference between the ready-written bits and that story they have been jigsawed into. If the chapters are that badly disjointed to my eye, however, i always do extra work on them to make sure the style is similar. Sometimes that can mean a re-write, but often it is just altering the first paragraph to keep the flow.