Writing a novel is learning process...one with many mistakes and solutions which aren't always so obvious. In today's post, I wanted to go over five of the most common content-mistakes in novels and how to fix them. These mistakes are found in every genre and can sometimes be tricky to fix, but not with this nifty guide! The Mistake: Depending on dialogue to tell the story If your story is all dialogue, some of it has to go. Solution A: make the characters more active—have them act out the dialogue. Instead of a character saying, “you’re such a jokester, Harry," show Harry play a prank on his teacher. Solution B: change some of the dialogue to an internal thought process, but have those paragraphs be from a unique voice. Instead of having a conversation worrying about something going wrong, change it to a series of paragraphs from a history-lover comparing what could go wrong to the disastrous beginning of WW1 The Mistake: Revealing too much, too soon Readers should get to know characters the same way they get to know people--gradually. The Solution: Reveal your characters personality gradually. Don't tell me so and so are best friends, show me over the course of multiple chapters how their friendship pans out! The Mistake: Telling readers what happens before it happens You might think you’re not doing this, but any time you reveal something because it seems needed for plot clarity, it’s probably not needed. Two common instances of this are: A. A morning getting ready scene B. Revealing plans The Solution: cut out the scene and see if the story still makes sense. Or, if you're not ready to cut, ask yourself "does the story need this to make sense?" Answer honestly and if the answer is no, cut! A good rule of thumb when it comes to revealing plans is to only reveal a plan/show plan brainstorming when the plan will fail. For example, if a heist is gonna fail, show the robbers discussing their plan beforehand. But if the heist is gonna succeed, just go straight into the heist action! The Mistake: Resolving too many subplots/small problems Some things can be open ended. No character’s life should be perfect at the end of the novel. The Solution: Focus on resolving the big plot issues and see where there are opportunities to resolve the small plot. Outline act 3 for the big plot and see where there’s built-in opportunities to resolve smaller plots. As the good army storms the castle to defeat the evil king in a story, there’s an opportunity for the foreign princess to kiss the captain of the troops. Have this romantic tension between the princess and the captain resolve IF it will give them hope to come out victorious from battle. If not, there's no reason to resolve this tension (and that will keep readers coming for the sequel) The Mistake: Passive characters No one likes to read about a character who is all talk and Netflixing. People want to read about active characters. The Solution: Passive characters are a result of passive situations, so put your characters in situations where they have to be active. An easy way to make the situation more active is to change the setting. Change that chatty first date over coffee to a cliff diving date. Want more examples and a more in depth analysis of these five mistakes and solutions? Check out the video I made on the topic! And it's a collab with my friend Melissa, so after you watch my video, you can check out hers for more novel writing mistakes and how to fix them!
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When it comes to my writing process and how I write books in 6 months to a year, there's two areas I think of: my overall timeline and what I'm doing each day. In order to write a book or finish any other main project, you must pay attention to the overall strategy and what you are doing each day. The big goals give us direction, but the day-to-day is where the work gets done! The Big Picture My timeline for the big picture is quite simple and can be divided into five main phases. Phases 1: Outline and Ruminate This phase can take anywhere from one month to five months. Usually I ruminated on my next project during the final phases of my current one. For the YA thriller I just started, I considered where I wanted it to go and what the story would be since January, but I didn't sit down to write my outline until May 1st...and then I started writing it May 2nd. Phase 2: Draft I like to fast draft my projects. When drafting, I don't edit anything. No matter how stupid something sounds, I still write it down because it's easier to edit a horrible page than a blank one. Usually, drafting a novel takes 1-2 months. I let the novel sit for a couple weeks after it's done and then I do a read through. During the read through, I don't edit anything, instead taking notes on the necessary big picture changes. Phase 3: Developmental Revisions Here is where the bulk of my writing process lies. Usually containing drafts 2, 3, and sometimes 4, developmental revisions are improvements to the story so it, well, makes sense. This is where the magic happens and the story truly comes together. After I'm done with these revisions, I ship my WIP off to my critique partner to make sure there's nothing huge I'm missing. I also do another read through to assess if more developmental revisions are needed or if I can move on to phase 4. Phase 4: Voice Edits and Line Edits Here, I work on smaller sentence by sentence changes that can take a story from good to oh-my-god-I-can't-put-this-down!! Usually, this phase takes 2-3 months. During this time, I also write and revise my query letter and synopsis. Then, I send the novel out to betas and back to my critique partner for more feedback! Phase 5: Querying + Publication If betas like the story, I move on to phase 5. If not, it's back to revising. Phase 5 is where the writing stops and the business begins--it's when I query literary agents and hopefully set off down the path to being published. The Day-to-Day Try to find a routine which works for you! For me, my routine is: 1. Turn on my writing playlist. I also have a blog post about how to create a writing playlist if you don't have one yet!! 2. Freewrite Get out all the junk from the day and write your goals for the writing session 3. Open up the draft and actually get writing Whew! This is what you came for!! 4. Once I've reached my goal, I set my goals for the next session By always having my goals ready to go for next time, I'm eliminating any excuses about not knowing what to write! If you want to learn more about writing when unmotivated or how to develop a nighttime writing routine, I have blog posts about that too!! What do your writing process and writing routine look like? April Recap Wow April was the quite year. Seriously? Is it just me or is anyone else shocked that it's finally over. I thought it was going to last forever. If I'm being honest....April was a rough month for me. I went into detail about it in my latest video as well as the silver lining to the tough time but in today's post, I wanted to recap on everything happy which happened and look forward to May. Ok. Let's start out with my favorites over the past month. Favorite Book: Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus Favorite TV show: Never Have I Ever (technically I watched this May 2nd but it's a must watch for any YA lover) Favorite Memory: Learning new TikTok dances with my family Food I Craved: Vanilla Oreos...I'm only human Biggest Wins: 1. Growing my Youtube channel (Hello new subscribers!!!) 2. Starting a mastermind group with some of my writing friends 3. Doing another round of edits on my YA contemporary Little Wins: 1. Reconnecting with an old friend 2. Getting back into running 3. Starting this little blog :) Biggest Lesson Learned: Don't fall into the trap of comparing your life to where you're supposed to be. "Supposed to be" is a fictional world that only draws us away from the present and steals our happiness. Instead, focus on how you can make today a little brighter and work towards your goals from where you are at today. I also had a productive writing month. I sent my novel out to betas on May 1st and am excited to analyze their feedback and do one more round of edits before querying my novel. Eep! It's so crazy how far I've come in the year I've spent working on this project! hMay Goals So in my last Youtube video, I talked about my writing goals. I also went more in depth about those goals in my May newsletter but I thought this might be a nice place to look at my goals from a more wholistic, lifestyle way. For the month of May, I have 10 main goals. 1. Get 40,000 words on my YA thriller Yes. You heard that right. I have started a new project while my YA contemporary is off with other people to critique (cringes nervously). I haven't drafted anything since NaNoWriMo and it's weird to get back into drafting, but I think once I immerse myself in this story, the words will flow easily. I'm about 3,000 words in as I write this post and I love the voice and premise of this book. My goal is to write about 10,000 words a week...although I may or may not have a 10k day scheduled to help me with my goal! 2. Compile list of literary agents I started creating my list in April and wow. As soon as you start writing down the submission information for different agents, ish gets real! I also wonder with this goal if I should start using my Twitter more to follow these agents online, but we'll see what happens. 3. Analyze beta feedback This probably won't happen until the end of the month, but I have been monitoring the feedback as it comes in, just not analyzing it yet. I'm super excited to see what my betas say about my work...and this will be a true sign of if I'm ready to query or not!!! 4. Film 6 Youtube videos Yup. I post videos every Wednesday, but my goal is to post more than one video a week...at least for the next couple of weeks. Because of how the New Zealand semester falls, I don't think I'll be able to post two videos a week later this month but for this week and next, there will be two videos so make sure you're subscribed for all the writing vlogs. 5. Write ten blog posts Wow. That's a BIG goal. But for the first couple months of this blog, I want to write two posts a week so I can get into the habit of writing before (probably) scaling back to one post a week. I'm still a little hesitant about blogging--do people even read blogs anymore???--but I just got this gut instinct that I should be blogging and went with it. 6. Start drafting my research thesis For those of you who don't know, I am doing a giant research project on how to communicate about sexual assault prevention on college campuses. Other than my writing life, this is another big passion of mine and I'm excited to see how my 2+ years of research culminates into a thesis, articles for publication, and recommendations to improve prevention at universities! 7. All the tests and papers for my academic semester Ugh. Hate that this is here, especially with the stress of online classes and grief of paying for a semester abroad while at home, but it is something on my plate for May. 8. Workout six times a week Lately, I've been running for 30 minutes to an hour five times a week and weightlifting five times a week. I know...I know...2 workouts a day is a lot but it helps with my anxiety and anything which helps with anxiety is needed during this time! 9. Read 4 books I read a book a week in April and I want to keep that up. To me, this goal comes down to saying no to TV at the end of the work day and yes to my love for reading. This decision isn't always easy, but I always feel more relaxed and content when I chose the "harder" option of reading. 10. Remember to connect with friends every once in a while...as opposed to hustling 24/7 Last week, I was hustling like no one's business. I worked from 7am to 9pm and while long days are the reality for me, it's still good to take time off. By Saturday, I felt a little burnt out and took the night off. I went to my friend's Zoom party then Facetimed some other friends. It was almost like a virtual party hop! Saturday night was so fun, but also a reminder that I need to keep in touch with my friends more, both for sake of maintaining my friendships and for my own mental health. What are your goals for May? What were your biggest wins in April? Writing playlists transformed my productivity. When I started creating playlist for each WIP, I instantly wrote more often as the music served as a psychological trigger for knowing when to write. When I hear one of my WIP playlists, I instantly want to work on that project. Why? Writing playlists help us maintain the aesthetic of the novel. It's kinda like a vision board, but for your ears. So how do you create a writing playlist? I create mine in the following seven steps using Spotify: Step 1: Write down a few words to describe the aesthetic of your novel For my contemporary romance project, I would use: -cutesy -indie movie -cozy sweaters -pink decor and fairy lights For my upcoming thriller project, I would use: --dark --badass females --mysterious ambiance --hazy Take a moment right now to write down random words for the aesthetic of your novel. Step 2: Link your descriptive words to a genre of music And get really specific about the genre. Don't just link it to pop but to main female powered, upbeat pop or slow and romantic pop. This can give you an idea of what sort of music to be on the hunt for, For my contemporary, I linked it to indie folk music you would play at Sunday brunch For my thriller, I linked it to dark, mysterious pop that bordered on indie rock. Step 3: Decide if you're doing instrumental music or music with lyrics Try out writing to both types of music and decide what works best for you. For me, I write with music that has lyrics although I think I'm the exception to the rule. Most writers I know write to instrumental music and that's great! There's tons of spotify playlists out there with instrumental music for any genre. Step 4: Think of one song or artist that defines the genre you chose Usually, this comes pretty naturally once you have determined the genre. Ask yourself, who is my favorite artist in that genre? What song in the genre speaks to me? For my contemporary, I chose the song Sunbleached Girl by Shag Rock For my thriller, I was stuck between two artists and chose both--Hozier (especially his newest album) and Billie Eilish Step 5: Create the actual playlist and add your guiding song(s) Remember to name your playlist something fun. And don't worry if you don't have a name for your book yet, just name it something you will remember it by. When I first created the playlist for my contemporary, I called the playlist "Fun Lil Novel". My thriller playlist is currently called "Thrills and Chills". After you add the first song, think of any songs by the same artist or similar artists that might fight the vibe of the book. Add those to the playlist as well. Step 6: Once you run out of your own ideas, add songs based on Spotify's recommendations Once you have added all the songs you can think of, Spotify should autogenerate some song recommendations. Listen to them and decide which ones to add. Usually, I know within the first thirty seconds of a song if it will fit the vibe of the playlist. Another tool to find more music is to go to the artist's page on Spotify. From there, Spotify will recommend similar artists and you can look through their stuff to see if any resonates with the vibe of your playlist. Invest the time to look for the perfect songs! Step 7: You have a completed playlist!! Congrats!! A rule of thumb I use to know when a playlist is created is when a WIP playlist has 30-50 songs. I do add new songs as I'm drafting and revising, but 30 songs gives you enough content to listen to the songs without them becoming repetitive and tiresome. This number might change for longer, instrumental pieces, but is a great baseline for songs between 2 and 6 minutes! Congrats! Listen away!! And if you want more tips, check out my friend, Madeline's blog post about how she creates her writing playlists!! We've all been there...we sit down to write and the words just won't come out. Or maybe we can't even motivate ourselves to sit down and write. And with the added stress of a global pandemic, it can be even harder to sit down and get those words out. But your stories matter and deserve to be written, possibly more now than ever before. In today's post, I'm going to share 4 tips to write when you aren't feeling motivated. 1. Change up your location I know, I know we all have to stay inside right now so this can be hard, but you can still change up your location in your house. Write in the kitchen instead of your bedroom, the living room instead of your office, etc. Even if you can't change locations, you can change the location you do have. For example, I almost always write at my desk in my room. However, this past week I added some more decor to make my days at my desk more enjoyable. Decorations or even rearranging furniture can give you a fresh perspective. And a fresh perspective and change can often lead to motivation. 2. Focus on time goals, not word count goals When you're feeling blah, giving yourself outcome-based goals can fail miserably. Instead, try to give yourself time based goals. Having to write 1,000 words today? That can feel insurmountable when you're unmotivated. Having to sit at your computer and try to write for an hour? Much less scary. With time based goals, we take out the expectations. I can sit anywhere for an hour but I can't always write 1,000 words in an hour. By removing the expectations for our sessions, we eliminate some of the pressure we put on ourselves, allowing us to breathe and do what we can--even if today won't be the most productive day. 3. Treat yourself well You can't expect yourself to feel energetic and ready to go if you're not eating the right foods, drinking enough water, taking care of your mental health, etc. Ask yourself a couple questions to see if maybe your problem is related to not taking care of yourself instead of motivation: --Have I drank enough water today? --Have I moved my body today? --Are my thoughts positive? --Have I washed my face and brushed my teeth? --Have I checked in with myself to see how I feel? --Have I gone outside? --Have I laughed today? --Have I eaten a solid meal full of nutritional food? --Do I need to eat some veggies or fruit? --Have I reached out to a friend or loved one recently for a chat? --Am I getting enough sleep? --Am I paying attention to what my body needs? If the answer to any of these questions is no, go and fix the problem. Then, come back to write and see if the words flow any easier. 4. Dress the part Sometimes, all you need to get work done is get out of the jammies you've been wearing the past few days (quarantine life, am I right) and change your outfit. Dress for the life you want to live. For me, that includes a lot of artsy, creative outfits I imagine a bestselling author would wear. It also involves cozy outfits that are a step above pajamas or sweats because cozy is still realistic, but not as bad as sweats. This might not work for everyone, but changing my outfit can change my perspective on the today, what I feel I can accomplish, and even how I view myself. Of course, if all else fails, give yourself grace. Some days we just aren't productive and that is ok. Celebrate what progress you have made, practice self care, and forget the rest. Oh, and before you leave, if you want to see these motivation tips in action, check out my latest writing vlog: Journaling has been one of the most transformative practices in my life. I use my journal to document memories, ideas, problems to brainstorm through, and quotes that motivate me, among other things!! Plus journaling has tons of benefits such as increased creativity, more self confidence, less stress, increased happiness, and it helps you grow as person! If you're looking for a way to uplevel your life or to remember all the good memories, consider starting a journal. Here are more tips on how to start a journal: Do you keep a journal? Let me know what your thoughts on journaling are!!!
Being a nighttime writer might be a challenge for a morning bird like me, but when my work schedule requires it or I'm on a deadline and want to get two writing sessions in one day, I can make it work! A few tips to develop a nighttime writing routine are: 1. Get your writing in before dinner or relaxing. At least for me, after dinner, Netflix, and reading, it's next to impossible to motivate myself to get any work done! 2. Treat yourself to a (decaf) coffee or smoothie while writing 3. Have defined goals for each writing session and set them ahead of time 4. Create triggers around writing. For me, I know once I change out of my work clothes and into sweats, it's time to get to work on my WIP! Curious what a nighttime writing routine could look like? Check out the vlog where I document my own routine for inspiration: What does your nighttime writing routine look like? |
AuthorI'm Angela Anne, a Young Adult contemporary writer committed to helping you achieve your writing goals + giving you writing inspiration. ArchivesCategories
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