Some Questions - writing a novel

[sarah0404]

Hi, this is my first post here! I wanted to ask a few things about writing a novel. When I was a teenager I was always writing novels. I never finished any of them though! There must be about 20 of them, with characters and rough plots all worked out. I've kept them all this time. Well, I'm 25 now, so I've had them about 10 years. I pulled them all out and started looking through them. I've picked one story, and ripped it to bits, corrected it, added bits and started working to finish it off.

Eventually I'd like to try and get it published. I feel like it might appeal to teenagers since I was a teen when I started it. I just have to update it a little bit by adding in some ipods, internet and other stuff which wasn't around "in my day!"

I have a begining, middle and end, and lots of incidents that happen in between, but I'm having trouble getting a good flow through it. If that makes sense? I mean I'm finding writing the bits that connect between the begining, middle and end difficult. I just don't know how much to put in. I don't want to go on and on and bore people to death with useless information, but then again I can't just jump straight in.

I have serious doubts that my writing is good enough. I've never really "learned" to write. I wondered if it would be worth going on a writing course? In the UK we have The Open University, which allows you to study at home. They have a writing course, http://www3.open.ac.uk/courses/bin/p12.dll?C01A174 Unfortunately it is quite expensive. Also i don't work well under pressure! I write because I enjoy it, whenever I find the time. I don't like the idea of having to write something someone else has chosen in a certain time frame. I don't know if my writing is bad or not. I have read some novels lately and looked quite critcally at the writing. A few of them I wondered "how the heck did that get published!?" Does the quality of writing really matter in a cheesey teenage romance novel? I like my stories! But will other people???

I think that was everything I wanted to ask! Being a SAHM, I think it would be really cool to be able to bring in some extra income through writing.

[BelovedK]

Welcome Sarah I'm glad you decided to post... I'm afraid I don't have much advice because I'm going through the same thing (with a novel I'm writing) I use notecards to map out the plot, carry them around with me and when I have the inspiration, will pull one out and write the scene. I would really like to hear the voices of writer mamas who have been there ,

Kelly

[sarah0404]

Thanks! I like the idea of having notecards. I keep thinking about new ideas then when i sit down to write I forget what they were. I'm a bit worried maybe I have too many issues going on in one story. Plus my main character is starting to annoy me! I think i could do with re-writing it from the start. I'm really good at the planning part. Just not so good at getting it all down on paper in a way that flows through the story.

Looking back a few pages in this forum I found some writers workshops from earlier in the year. I decided to write a bit using the topics. One of the problems I have is it takes me 2 pages to say something where others can say it in 2 sentences. I have a blog, where I write endless posts just about everyday stuff in my life. I read other peoples blogs and they seem to be able to get their point across in a few sentences. I learn just as much about their life from the few sentences as they'd learn about my life from my 7 paragraphs. I need to work on that. My birth story took up 4 and a half pages! I don't think that is too awful for a birth story though.

Hopefully I can learn lots more from here.

[marsupial*mama]

Welcome Sarah! Why don't you take up Senryu with me and Melissa! I initially started writing haiku and mostly, senryu to cultivate economy of expression.

As for your novel, I've never done it and not sure I intend to but I found this and liked it a lot:
http://www.peacecorpswriters.org/pag...k/bk100da.html

Keep blogging. It's great practice!

[sarah0404]

I really don't think I could write Senryu. Poetry scares me way too much!

Thanks for the link. I've just finished reading it. It's given me some good ideas. I think I need to start again with my story. Develop my characters a bit more and tidy up the plot a bit. I think its a bit vague in places. I really liked the suggestions they had about reading the opening paragraph in published books, and comparing it with your own book. I think that sounds like a really good idea.

I am, for the first time in at least 2 years - ALONE!!! My parents have taken all 3 kids out for the day. I think I'll use the time to work on my novel. 10 minutes before they arrive home I'll start rushing around doing housework, making it look like I've been really busy all day! I've not told anyone I've decided to write a novel yet.

[St. Margaret]

May I recommend National Novel Writing Month? It's in November every year, but the boards are open mostly year round, with lots of good advice and tips. I wrote my first novel beginning to end last November through the contest. Nothing like having to get 50K in 30 days to make you just get the words down and make up the in-between flow. And plenty of people adapt it for their own purposes

Good luck on your book!

[sarah0404]

Thanks for the link. It's great!!! I'm really enjoying reading the forums there. Unfortunately I don't seem to be able to post on the forums. You can't register there until October, so I'll just have to wait a while.

I think I'd like to try writing a novel in a month. I have lots of different ideas. I'm looking forward to November to see if I really can do it!

I've started re-writing my novel from the start, and it seems to be going better this time round. I have 30 pages so far, which worked out at about 8,500 words. Not too bad. The only problem is my main character is still nameless! There is lots of _______'s in the story where her name should be. I really need to decide on a name soon.

[BelovedK]

Originally Posted by sarah0404

The only problem is my main character is still nameless! There is lots of _______'s in the story where her name should be. I really need to decide on a name soon.

I LOVE a good baby name book;I own several.