How To Write A Novel Using The Snowflake Method Writing a novel is easy. Writing a good novel is hard. That’s just life. If it were easy, we’d all be writing best-selling, prize-winning fiction. Frankly, there are a thousand different people out there who can tell you how to write a novel. In this article, I’d like to share with you what works for me. This page is the most popular one on my web site, and gets over a thousand page views per day, so you can guess that a lot of people find it useful. Good fiction doesn’t just happen, it is designed. For a number of years, I was a software architect designing large software projects. I claim that that’s how you design a novel — you start small, then build stuff up until it looks like a story. If you’re like most people, you spend a long time thinking about your novel before you ever start writing. But before you start writing, you need to get organized. Step 1) Take an hour and write a one-sentence summary of your novel. Some hints on what makes a good sentence: Shorter is better.
Story Starters Gripping Story starters are essential. They grab the reader’s attention. Make them want to read more and keep them reading. Some of us are born with a unique talent and have a natural flair when it comes to connecting words, some of us don’t. If you don’t have this natural ability you need to learn some tips and techniques that will make things easier – who better to learn them from than the masters themselves. Find below a selection of story starters from a variety of different sources. From A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens) From The Blanket (Floyd dell) Petey hadn’t really believed that Dad would be doing it –sending Granddad away. From to Build a Fire (Jack London) As he turned to go, he spat speculatively. From An essay by Laurie Rozakis When I was young time seemed to stand still. Recommended Links Opening lines of famous novels. How to Write an Introduction Effectively A collection of creative writing prompts. More writing prompts to get you started. Finding interesting essay topics.
7 Deadly Sins of Creativity Email Creativity is not just for artists and poets. Everybody has the potential to exercise their creative mind – to innovate new ways of accomplishing things that will ultimately make life easier and more gratifying. Creativity magnifies the effectiveness of our natural talents, generating elevated levels of success and happiness by helping us discover more efficient ways to do what we love to do. Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort. - Franklin D. Acts of creativity can be found in every facet of life. Now, it’s to be expected that there will be ups and downs in our levels of creativity. 1. Knowledge and attention are absolute necessities. The first steps the brain takes when tackling a creative venture are actually governed by logic, not creativity. 2. Enthusiasm is the lifeblood of creativity. 3. 4. Most creative ventures step into the unknown, slowly taking you in a direction you haven’t gone before.
A Beginner's Guide to Writing a Novel Writing a novel is not an easy thing to do. Unlike many non-fiction works, publishers will not accept a novel unless it's completely finished. The more a writer knows about the basics of how to write a novel, the more easily the novel will be put onto paper and the more interesting it will be. Writers should attempt to incorporate all of the following tips in order to make their novel as good as possible: Start The Novel With a Conflict One of the best ways to hook a reader is to start in the middle of action. Create Interesting Characters A man with a square jaw isn't going to keep readers interested. Keep the Novel Pacing Fast and Tight Readers don't want to spend 50 pages reading information that doesn't have anything to do with the overall plot. Make Your Story Unique Every writer's story should stand out from competing novels. Read While You Write
Creative Writing These OWL resources will help you with the basics of creative writing. This section includes resources on writing poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Fiction Writing Basics This resource discusses some terms and techniques that are useful to the beginning and intermediate fiction writer, and to instructors who are teaching fiction at these levels. The distinction between beginning and intermediate writing is provided for both students and instructors, and numerous sources are listed for more information about fiction tools and how to use them. A sample assignment sheet is also provided for instructors. Pattern and Variation in Poetry A brief rundown on the basic concepts of pattern and variation and how they can be used when writing poems. Pattern and Variation: Aural A brief exploration of the various aspects of sound that can be utilized when making a poem. Pattern and Variation: Visual A brief exploration of the various visual aspects that can be utilized when making a poem.
Creative Writing Courses and Ideas: An Online Resource for Writers How to write a book – the short honest truth Every author I know gets asked the same question: How do you write a book? It’s a simple question, but it causes unexpected problems. On the one hand, it’s nice to have people interested in something I do. If I told people I fixed toasters for a living, I doubt I’d get many inquires. People are curious about writing and that’s cool and flattering. But on the other hand, the hand involving people who ask because they have an inkling to do it themselves, is that writing books is a topic so old and so well trod by so many famous people that anyone who asks hoping to discover secret advice is hard to take seriously. Here’s the short honest truth: 20% of the people who ask me are hoping to hear this – Anyone can write a book. If you want to write, kill the magic: a book is just a bunch of writing. Writing a good book, compared to a bad one, involves one thing. Getting published. 30% of the time the real thing people are asking is how do you find a publisher. Discouraged yet?
7 ways writing by hand can save your brain It's time to put pen to paper. Our tech-dependent society has put keyboards at the tips of our fingers at all times, from our smartphones to our laptops. But when was the last time you wrote by hand? Science shows that handwriting can benefit our minds in a number of ways. We spoke to Dr. Marc Seifer, a graphologist and handwriting expert who wrote The Definitive Book of Handwriting Analysis in 2008. 1. Writing a calming sentence is a form of graphotherapy, Seifer says. "This actually calms the person down and retrains the brain," Seifer says. 2. Writing something in cursive, that beautiful archaic form, can coordinate the left brain and right brain. 3. For young children, writing by hand is an imperative tool in improving cognitive skills. 4. Taking pen to paper inspires more creative thought, because it is a slower process than just typing something on a keyboard, Seifer says. 5. Writing by hand is a great tool for baby boomers who want to keep their minds sharp as they get older. 6. 7.
10 Brilliant Social Psychology Studies Ten of the most influential social psychology experiments explain why we sometimes do dumb or irrational things. “I have been primarily interested in how and why ordinary people do unusual things, things that seem alien to their natures.Why do good people sometimes act evil?Why do smart people sometimes do dumb or irrational things?” –Philip Zimbardo Like famous social psychologist Professor Philip Zimbardo (author of The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil), I’m also obsessed with why we do dumb or irrational things. The answer quite often is because of other people — something social psychologists have comprehensively shown. Each of the 10 brilliant social psychology experiments below tells a unique, insightful story relevant to all our lives, every day. Click the link in each social psychology experiment to get the full description and explanation of each phenomenon. 1. The halo effect is a finding from a famous social psychology experiment. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.