How to write a novel | The story so far
If you have read the previous blogs in this series on how to write a novel you will know that I have some ideas for a novella. The story so far is about Nick, who is an only child and has lost his parents in a terrible accident while they were on holiday in America. He now hates all things American and has decided to get away from it all and travel around England in his camper van. Is he looking for something or running away from something? Maybe both? He does odd jobs on his travels using his skills as a gardener and handyman. He then meets a girl and forms a love-hate relationship with her. She is American! What is her name? I have one suggestion so far; Mauve. Well, I suppose it colourful… (more…)
How to write a novel | Research
You can make it all up when you’re writing fiction, but it makes it more plausible if you do some research. I tried to research this lake in the picture, to try to find the history of it this morning. Times change though and records get lost, so making research more difficult. You can however look at research from a different angle and that was what I did researching this lake which was enlarged in the 1980’s to prevent the river from flooding. I researched the river instead and that turned up more information. Incidentally, it’s Forge Mill Lake in Sandwell Valley, in case local readers don’t recognise it. The river that passes alongside it is the River Tame. (more…)
How to write a novel | Planning
Before you start writing a novel, you need to plan a little. Who will be your narrator? It can be anyone. The narrator can be omnipotent, all knowing and even know what your characters are thinking. You have to be careful with your narrator, a neutral narrator who describes what is happening is one option. Your narrator could be a ghost, a neighbour, a pirate who says, ‘Ar’ a lot… Your narrator can be anyone. I thought about this when I was planning a story and considered having the narrator as a neighbour of the protagonist who observes him. It would be different… (more…)
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