Now Novel
Jordan Kantey is an editor, writer and writing workshop facilitator. He’s been helping authors develop their stories for ten years. He achieved his Honours in English Literature with distinction from the University of Cape Town. He has had poems published in several journals and an anthology. He blogs about writing craft and process at Now Novel and loves to help aspiring authors reach their goals.
Novel idea generators and writing prompts are some tools for finding ideas for a story. Yet once you have your central idea – the single sentence that encapsulates the key, interesting details – you need to expand this so you’re ready to draft. Here are tips for finding interesting plots, sub-plots, characters and settings in your novel idea. Use them to fill out your story with interesting scenes that stay relevant to your starting story scenario:
What is a synopsis? It’s a summary which provides, in one quick read, the unique and compelling aspects of a story. How do you write a synopsis that you can submit with confidence to publishers? Read on for summary-writing tips and examples.
Foreshadowing – a ‘warning or indication of a future event’ – is a useful device in storytelling. Hinting at what will happen serves multiple purposes (such as building tension and suspense). Read foreshadowing examples showing how to tease approaching plot developments:
The opening chapter of a book needs to hook your reader. How? By creating intrigue, suspense, lovable (or at least compelling) characters and interesting setting or action. Writing chapter one is a challenge, yet for many authors writing chapter two is the stumbling block – how can you develop further?
The Oxford dictionary defines dialogue as ‘a conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play, or film’ (OED). Yet the ‘or more’ (dialogue between more than two characters) is often confusing to write. How do you write and format dialogue well in a scene involving more than two characters? Here are some tips:
When you’re writing a first or even second draft, the parts of a story – exposition, development, and ending – often feel disconnected. For a cohesive plot, think in long-form development (character and story arcs) rather than in individual, isolated plot events. Read tips to make the separate parts of your story mesh together better:
There are two sides to learning how to start a book: Deciding on a process for starting and finding the beginning of the story itself. Here are tips for both aspects:
Many aspiring authors contact us with this problem: ‘I don’t know how to start writing a book. I only have a few rough ideas.’ There are variations: ‘I have so many ideas, but I’m not sure where to start,’ for example. Yet the general theme is the same: How, in terms of actual steps, should I start? Read tips to start turning your ideas into a novel:
Writing contests are useful for developing your writing craft and giving yourself a deadline to finish something polished. Often, you receive valuable feedback from experienced judges. It’s best to see writing competition prizes as a possible bonus. Treat international writing contests as exercises in creating in response to diverse writing prompts and sending your work out into the world.
