How do I get in the habit of writing for my book?

Question

I have all these ideas for my first novel but, like an idiot, I'm too lazy to type an outline or buy index cards to write character descriptions. I know I have to have to write these ideas down or otherwise I'm sunk.

Any advice on how to get in the habit? Also, any ideas on HOW to outline a novel or maybe there's some kind of formula to it? Since this is going to be historical fiction, I'm also going to do some research (it's about a romance between an English schoolteacher and a young Scottish minister in late 19th century London) so how would the research fit in with the novel outline?

It's also weird because I keep having dreams about my book as well as who's going to star in the film adaptation...LOL. In fact, the only way I can visualize the book is to figure out who would star in a possible film adaptation of it.

Answer 1

This is a big problem. Every writer goes through a long period of apprenticeship, during which she is utterly incompetent (Asimov).

Think of your first kiss. Did you pine away for years, imagining the perfect kiss until you finally experienced it--or did you just go out and kiss as many boys as possible? Both are valid solutions. Writing a first novel is similar.

I have literally accumulated several novels worth of notes and outlines. I have only published one story. My friend has written several complete novels, but she has not published anything. Which is better? Who's to say? Mario Puzo was 49 years old when he published The Godfather, and he considered himself a sell-out. It depends on how grandious your aspirations are, and how willing you are to accept failure.

Woody Allen said that 80% of success is showing up. He said that when speaking to an audience of young writers, and I think he made an excellent point. The best way to write is to just do it.

Stephen King recommends in his book on writing that you should just gloss over inconsistencies and vague descriptions--come back to them later--the important thing is to get out a rough draft. I can't remember a source for this, but I remember many teachers telling me that you have to accept the fact that your first draft will be terrible.

Is it the goal of your historical fiction to capture the essence of the 19th century and change humanity's perception of romance? Or do you just want to craft an entertaining romance novel? If it's the latter, you should just sit down and write it. Work out the errors later. Some of the best pulp fiction contains tons of errors--I'm talking English detective novels set in America, written by writers who had never set foot in America. Left Behind, the best-selling Christian apocalypse thriller, is straight up ballsy in its utter contempt for common sense. Popular fantasy novels--one of them was literally written by a 13-year old boy.

If it's not your goal to become the next Christ, to enlighten yourself and your readers with astounding spiritual insights, then you should just write the book. And if it IS your goal to become the next Christ, you should come down to Earth, quit being so pretentious, and just write the damn book. Set aside your life-redefining novel and write something else. Your first novel probably won't be published anyway.

Now, am I being hypocritical? Is this answer just a litany of self-reproach? Not really. I've written those novels in my head. I've taken the hard way. I've put in the work. And I'm sure that my novel--if I ever finish it--will be published. But you don't have to do it that way. You can start out right.

How do you get in the habit of writing?

Write every day.

No matter what, write every day.

And write fiction. Cogent, linear, character-driven fiction.

Posting on the Internet can help as a warmup, but your primary daily writing must be fiction. Tell lies if you have to. Record your dreams. Anything to get you writing things that are made-up and untrue--but always bear in mind that you are writing for publication. You are writing professional ****! You are not just screwing around!

You will find that writing on a professional (i.e. publishable) level is not difficult. It's an engine that can be fueled, and it is fueled by writing. It will take off and drive you into long nights of writing. Writing incoherent crap--that's a given, but you'll get better with time. You'll just keep writing and writing and writing, and you'll find that you have to proofread/edit less and less and less. But the important thing is to just get the material out!

WRITE THE NOVEL!

Answer 2

It depends on the kind of rewriting you're wanting to do. If you want to change the events you've written, and these are things that will affect how the book progresses, you should go ahead and rewrite. If it's just wording and sentence structures, leave it be. You can practice not editing by making yourself *just write* without correcting anything for a certain amount of time. Start low, say 10 minutes. And it doesn't have to be writing your book, but any old thing. As long as you don't correct anything. If you're having difficulty focusing on what you want to happen, you might try making an outline or doing other world building, character development work before you start writing. By having the story better formed in your head, you might find it easier to write it down. And yes, it's normal to want to go back and rewrite. I will sometimes rewrite a sentence three times before going on to the next one. You have to find the best way for you to balance the craft of writing with the practical need to get the story down.

Answer 3

Jump in. Forget the outline for now and just start writing. When you get stuck, THEN you outline. Do the research as you need it. I recommend books from Writers Digest because there are not only wonderful books on writing, but detailed research books on different periods.

When you get stuck, spend some time with the characters. Interview them just as you would a real person and find out about their backgrounds and what they want, etc. It'll help you get started again.

DO NOT WORRY that your writing won't stand inspection. This is your first draft. Once you've completed it, you'll be going back through and looking for weak spots, bad grammar, etc.

Stick with one project. If you get bored with where you are in this book, you're gonna have to stick it out or find out why you are bored and up the conflict level. If you drop this one for another, you'll never get it done.

BUTT IN CHAIR. Set aside some time for writing and get your butt in the chair. If you are reluctant to start, set a timer and plan on being there until it goes off. Reread the previous chapter and tweak it. Jump into the new one.

90% of new writers never finish the first draft, much less get a book published.

Answer 4

Well, since you have a computer, there's really no need for index cards and the like. Use the word processor you undoubtedly have and write whatever you want to preserve. Keep a file for miscellaneous, because you never know what categories will crop up as you go along. And also keep a "Notes" file on every topic of use to you. You can even gain insight into what you want to write by just reviewing and sorting and organizing your notes.

You may even want to invest in a Palm Pilot or something of the like to make it easier to make notes whenever something impresses you. Also, if you cut and paste a quote, be sure to include the source of the quote, so you can use it later with proper attribution.

If it's historical fiction you want to write (one of my favorite genres, by the way), then you need historical references. You probably need to study history in college if you haven't already done so.

I like your idea of visualizing the characters by reference to who would play their parts. Do you cut and paste pictures of them into your notes, to keep track? You can also use the special features of your word processor or other software (I just took a course in Microsoft Office, so I'm up on much of this) to do things like genealogy tables for the characters, especially if you intend to follow them through time. Whenever something like this is a part of your research, and including maps and such, print them out and pin them to a cork board next to your desk. Then you can add and subtract elements at will, but the visual connections will help the story develop.

There are formulas, and you can get writing training on-line. You can also read successful authors for the specific element you need. As you read, notice how a really good author whose work you respect solved the particular problems.

How to sketch in the passage of years so that the essential things for your reader to know to follow the story are covered, but without becoming boring? Enter a character we haven't seen in a few years, so they have to talk about what has happened to "catch up."

What do you do to illustrate a change of heart in a character that is critical to the story? Focus on a small thing that can symbolize the change, such as a souvenir of an old relationship that gets forgotten, then discovered when packing to move to a whole new life. Let the character meditate on the change, and evaluate how he or she feels about the difference.

And so it goes. When you hit an awkward spot, assemble the thing to the point where the dissonance lies, and then go read the best example you can think of that resolves the dilemma. Often it it just a spark of a single idea that will make the whole thing come into focus. When you see an especially artful technique, copy the passage and put it in an "examples" file, along with the relevant reference.

Answer 5

Every night before you go to bed, just write down all the random peices, ideas and research for the story. It can become organized later, just get the ideas out there on paper first! But writing a book is hard work, and you said that you were to lazy to type the out line up or get notecards! Maybe it's not for you...just try and focus for like a half hour every day to get it started.

Answer 6

Keep a notebook by your bed so that when you wake up you can begin jotting down exactly what you dreamed for the book. That's you subconscious putting the story together...you know the phrase "let me sleep on it"? Even knowing who you want to star in it as a movie is helpful. That gives you a solid idea of what the characters look and act like. Good luck!

Answer 7

Keep notes, Index cards may help individuals, dreams can come TRUE!

Check your locale Library for books on WRITING, or surf the web like google or Ask Jeeves, narrow down your search...

Good writing B W/U...

Answer 8

Pick a topic and work with it. If you get a good idea write it down so that you don't forget it. Be sure to write a great plot and make it really exciting.

Answer 9

Inspiration comes from dedication.
If you're too lazy now, how are you going to wrtie 90,000 words, revise, rewrite, and edit 3-10 drafts before you're done?
This is the difference between a writer, and a wanna-be: dedication, not "Oh, haha I'm lazy."

Answer 10

set aside or block time for it everyday & put those ideas down, you can organize them after awhile.