Any tips on writing a novel, Sup Forums? I'm really getting into it, but I want to see what you guys can give me

Any tips on writing a novel, Sup Forums? I'm really getting into it, but I want to see what you guys can give me.

I can barely write this post and you want tips on writing books?

Your post is fine. Just needs a comma before the 'and'.

aint shit for free

What payment do you require?

Write the ending first.

Also, never forget that you are creating a product for sale.

I'll be sure to do so, user. Thanks, mah nigga.

Get you first one million words out of the way, analyse them, take what you want out of it and scrap it.
Then you'll be ready to really start writing your first novel

Million words? Why's that?

um, practice. write every day.

pencil in pooper, doggo

It's a sort of saying that implies that your first million words as a writer are shit and once your past that you can start your real work.
Of course it's not one million words exactly, but it has to do with the experience of writing every day a set amount of words so that you can get better over time

try the snowball strategy. It's working for me. First write the main idea, then develop a structure, then develop the structure and so on until you have all divided in chapters. Is also important to define your character: main reasons, specifics and so on. Yeah...and divide the whole process, so it will not look like a lot of work and you will eventually do shit.

Ah, yeah. I've been through that. Been writing short stories for the last few years. I just felt like I was ready to move up.

"AND THEN THEY HAD SEX!"

seriously, that's all you need to write

novel over

the key is to remember that you don't have to write well to sell a lot of books

you just have to have the right gimmick and the right person to market your book

try to write the next "Great American Novel" and you'll end up unpublished. Write the next Fifty Shades, Wicked, or Harry Potter and you've got money

Now that I like.

Interesting. How do you think a post-apocalyptic novel based on the human element would do?

>Wicked

I read some of that once at a bookstore. Atrociously bad writing

of course it ended up being a huge hit

YA lit is big on dystopian stuff so that would probably get published in the YA lit area.

If you're going for the adult market you're going to have to do better than The Stand. That's your main competition with that theme.

Perfectly valid, but some writers hate pre-structuring their novels. Stephen King is one who feels that once he has an idea in his head, he just needs to write and write and see where it goes.

King's approach usually requires a significant commitment to rewriting after the first draft, but at least you've got lots of words to work with.

I've got that covered by pandering to both markets. Four of the characters are in their 20's. The other three are 30+

yeah, but by structuring you avoid having a character who murdered someone in London and an hour before was in Tokyo, so...

Right here is a motherfucker who read On Writing.

I have to structure beforehand, otherwise I write myself into corners and get writer's block. Structuring ensures that never happens. King can call plot the tool of the dullard all he likes, but in the end he's the one who resorts to Deus Ex Machina in order to finish his stories.

My process down to a T. I like you.

You will still know that you are writing trash and will end hating yourself and blush in fornt of real writers.

Yeah, I've read it. I like the idea of structuring, but not in a way that sucks the life out of the process.

George R.R. Martin is another who likes to make it up as he goes along. Some call it being a "pantser" — as in writing by the seat of your pants — while he refers to himself as a "discovery" writer.

If you're still reading A Song of Ice and Fire, you can see the potential pitfalls of that way of working...

and laugh all the way to the bank

and while you're in your pool and hot tub with the honies

this world is built on trash

I'm currently trying to pitch a 'Great British Novel' to literary agents. I'm getting some good feedback, but it's always followed by a 'however...'

I'm currently (right now, while I'm in this thread) writing a book that I've envisioned as that first book's antithesis. Gripping, less emphasis on narrative, lots of mental plot points.

modular approach:

write lots of different characters and then find a way to plot them together

character is key in writing, not plot

people will tolerate the most ridiculous plots ever as long as the characters are interesting

for instance, Megami Tensei's plot is that a computer programmer was able to summon demons with computer code. He also has a sidekick who is the incarnation of some goddess but who looks like a college student.

Really really dumb plot. Possibly the stupidest plot I've ever seen. Result? Very popular long-lasting series

Create a detailed enough setting and cast of characters, and the story will write itself.

Yeah I'm up to date with ASOIAF, by the end of Dance with Dragons I just fucking hated the whole thing.

I structure just enough to give myself some leeway. Sometimes while I'm writing I'll have a sudden off-the-cuff idea that has lasting consequences throughout the rest of the book and I'll have to come away and do some restructuring to accommodate this new idea.

setting after character

character first, everything else later

My biggest focus is on characters. There was one character I couldn't get right for the life of me, so I killed her off a few pages later while moving the plot forward.

well, I suppose it is then all about priorities

get right?

what was wrong with her?

She was just kinda useless. I couldn't come up with a character trait for her. I already had a caring lady, a complete asshole, a moron, a sociopath, a preppy girl, an old nice guy, and a sarcastic yet empathetic guy. That, and I really didn't want to juggle so many characters. I made sure to give her a memorable death.

>I couldn't come up with a character trait for her.

sounds like you could have made her Everyman

every narrative usually needs one of them

Old guy can take care of that.

Start out small and get your most glaring and shitty errors out of the way. I started writing my first novel and I was about 10,000 words in before I felt like I was on to something, but also that I was too inexperienced to do it any justice. Instead of struggling onwards I spent a year writing a series of novellas in order to warm up. These gave me an idea of pacing, character development, dialogue, and allowed me to practice my word count.

At that time I was only on 300 words per weekday and whatever I could do at the weekend. By the time I thought I was ready to do my novel I was up to 500 words per weekday and upwards of 2,000 on Saturdays and Sundays. Nowadays I see that as very top heavy so I do 700 words per weekday and 1,250 on Saturdays and Sundays, giving me an even 6,000 words per week. It's important to build a schedule and stick to it. Treat it as any other job; allocate the time and sit down and just write. Don't contradict it. Don't give yourself time off for good behaviour.