There were a few things I had not ironed out during my last attempt at writing a novel. So I ended up with a few issues. Most of them could be blamed upon not thinking things through. To point them out
1. Characters: I had chalked out the main characters well enough, but I didn't think through enough of the side characters. So after a certain point in the story, the motivations of my main characters didn't seem real. This time round, I will not only chalk out the main characters, but also flesh out as many of the side characters as I can.
2. A thorough plot/storyline: I thought out the main storyline well, but didn't follow through on the subplots. So I missed out on a lost of conflict that could have been added. Now, though I am done with the storyline, to a large extent, I am still ironing out the plots within the plots. And believe you me, the subplots add so much to the story. A little love story on the side, and the motivation of the characters can change. They also open up a lot of other avenues and options that the character can choose from, which makes the story more fun.
So, version 5.0 of the story will be put through the planning stage in a far more effective manner.
3.
Tuesday, September 29
Thursday, September 17
An example of some very good writing
I got myself a copy of Dan Brown's latest book, The Lost Symbol. Though I have just finished some fifty pages of the book, one thing struck me right between the eyes. The book is an excellent example of how to write. I will not comment on the content, but the style is fantastic.
On all my research on how to write, I came across the following points
1. No adverbs
2. Show, not tell
3. No infodumps
1. No adverbs: I came across only one adverb in the first fifty pages. Even if we say that I missed nine or ten for the one I picked, that's still only one adverb per five pages, a brilliant ratio in my ledger. And it will be lesser than that.
2. Show, not tell. This requirement says that you don't tell that Jorge bought a new red car. You say Jorge opened the door of his scarlet Ferrari and took in the smell of the new leather seats. He slid in, still unfamiliar with the size of his new car, after the humongous SUV he drove, and took hold of the steering wheel. Even when the car was not running, its power made him come up in goosebumps.
I guess you get the point. Read Dan Brown's book, purely from the writer's perspective. It will be a lesson in how to do the above, page after page, line after line.
3. No infodumps: As my main genre will be fantasy/speculative fiction, I need to give the readers a large amount of information so that they can understand the entire system of the world I am putting them in. I have to do it, so there's no escaping that, but the tact is in how to do it. You have to make sure that the information is not boring and that it does not take the reader's mind off the story. So it needs to be presented as a part of the story.
Dan Brown also has to provide chunks and chunks of obscure information on his topics, and he does it well. He slips it into conversations, or puts in flashbacks of the protagonist's lectures, which somehow don't deter the reader from the story. He gives you information before he uses it, so you as the reader are already trying to join the dots on how the information would be used. Of course, the dots you join are never as exciting as the real story, but that is a different story.
On all my research on how to write, I came across the following points
1. No adverbs
2. Show, not tell
3. No infodumps
1. No adverbs: I came across only one adverb in the first fifty pages. Even if we say that I missed nine or ten for the one I picked, that's still only one adverb per five pages, a brilliant ratio in my ledger. And it will be lesser than that.
2. Show, not tell. This requirement says that you don't tell that Jorge bought a new red car. You say Jorge opened the door of his scarlet Ferrari and took in the smell of the new leather seats. He slid in, still unfamiliar with the size of his new car, after the humongous SUV he drove, and took hold of the steering wheel. Even when the car was not running, its power made him come up in goosebumps.
I guess you get the point. Read Dan Brown's book, purely from the writer's perspective. It will be a lesson in how to do the above, page after page, line after line.
3. No infodumps: As my main genre will be fantasy/speculative fiction, I need to give the readers a large amount of information so that they can understand the entire system of the world I am putting them in. I have to do it, so there's no escaping that, but the tact is in how to do it. You have to make sure that the information is not boring and that it does not take the reader's mind off the story. So it needs to be presented as a part of the story.
Dan Brown also has to provide chunks and chunks of obscure information on his topics, and he does it well. He slips it into conversations, or puts in flashbacks of the protagonist's lectures, which somehow don't deter the reader from the story. He gives you information before he uses it, so you as the reader are already trying to join the dots on how the information would be used. Of course, the dots you join are never as exciting as the real story, but that is a different story.
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