Help, I've fallen and I can't get up! (Or how to resume writing if you have stopped)

Before I begin with this entry, I wanted to extend a kind thank you to those who have started to follow this blog and for those who have linked to specific entries, or even the blog itself! Your support is greatly appreciated.

I write this blog with no intent to profit or benefit from it beyond having taken the journey doing it. As you've probably noticed, I have not added ads to the blog, nor will I ever. I do not even have a donation button. So, that anyone has taken the time to respond to this blog at all is extremely valuable to me. I hope that you continue to enjoy and make use of the things I have learned.

In addition to this, I would like to point out -- once again -- that these are my opinions. I try to support my opinion with the opinions of other writers. Sometimes, I even find some facts out there on the internet! Please do not swallow every word I say with blind trust. I want every person who reads this blog to reach out and come to their own conclusions. If it happens to be inline with mine, that is wonderful.

Now, onto the real subject.

Something I hear about frequently is that a writer friend of mine has abandoned writing or has not picked up their pen in months. Some made the long haul for Nanowrimo and have since jumped off of the bandwagon. In some cases, they face-planted directly into a mud puddle. This often just adds insult to injury.

It causes a bit of pain to realize that I too have suffered from this syndrome. I think all writers do from time to time.

I have some insights that I have developed, oddly enough, without much influence from others. Writing is a very personal journey. For me, even more so. I'm fairly willing to hand out copies of my work to people who want to read if I have any trust in them whatsoever. However, until the moment I dedicated myself to posting to this blog as I became inspired to, I had not shared many of the details of the actual journey itself.

This post, I warn you now, is extremely personal for me. Because of this, I will be opinionated, stubborn and sometimes surly. I may even sound grumpy. (That may be due to the fact that it is 5:19 AM and I am looking at a draft with 61,661 words and I don't want to type a word because I really enjoy the look of that word count.)

Yes, I am procrastinating.

In order for this post to make sense, I will have to tell you a bit about two projects I am working on. This is relevant, because this is what I had to do to dig myself out of the latest hole I have buried myself in.

I will also warn you that this post meanders in all sorts of directions. If you're looking for the nice, neat and tidy posts you are used to. . . look away. Quickly. This is the union of a pig sty with chaos. This may sound angsty as well. In a way, it is. Emotions tend to be angsty things, and these are some of the darker emotions of writing.

The Projects!

Project One: My epic fantasy series. (As of yet, Untitled)

This is the novel series that I started with NaNoWriMo '09. I have 61,661 words to it at the moment. I have done some drafting, I have done some minor edits, and I have done a lot of world building for this story. I am writing slowly. After November, I admit to having done the inelegant face-plant directly into a pile of ....

... I'll let you imagine just what I fell into.

This story is my love child. It has been hard for me to write, however. I have strayed outside of my normal comfort zone and have not only pursued an epic, but I have pursued a story where people die. I have pursued a story that delves into grief, joy and difficulties. I have pursued a tale where a man must give up the things that he loves in the hopes of protecting them and giving them a future, only to find out that those hopes and those sacrifices meant nothing in the end.

I pursue a tale where men and women struggle for things that they believe in for the sake of people other than themselves. I pursue a tale where these same people then sacrifice those things they have fought so hard and long for in hopes of doing something purely for themselves.

This is a tale about building a future through a shroud of tragedy. It is a dark epic that finds glimmers of light in the oddest of places.

It is action and adventure paired with a little romance. And lust. (What is a good story without at least a little bit of lust, after all?)

I fell off the bandwagon on this story for a few reasons. As I mentioned before, it is difficult to write. I do not like writing of the deaths of people, even fictional. I have always been a fan of those stories where many people somehow manage to survive against all odds.

This time, I sacrificed those people. I let people die as is their fate. If someone is struck through the heart with an arrow, I allow them to bleed and become a statistic.

I have let main characters survive and die as necessary. After all, these people are but human, and humans are fragile.

So, I admit, I did get a keen sense of pleasure from killing off the random villages and describing their fates. There was something thrilling about the process. Also, there was something gleeful about making some of my friends squirm as I discomforted them.

I love a good, dark epic fantasy. So, this is my journey to write one. But I fell off! Woe is me.

Project Two: Ten Years Later (Tentatively titled: Darkest before the Dawn)

Yep. I revisited the world of the epic fantasy ten years later, on a different side of the continent that the main story takes place. Characters from the epic reappear. Ones who have not yet been introduced earn their keep. Ground work on "What Happened After?" is set into place. A few major players from the epic have minor roles, but are not the stars.

The star of this book is someone who does play a major role in the epic. However, she is not a major character, nor does she have a long term role. Her story did not begin until after she died and became a witch.

Er.. what?

In my world, in order to become a witch, you must first suffer fatal injuries. In a sense, it is a divine intervention of sorts. The powers of a witch are powers of nature, and a tie with nature that can only be completed once she (or he) has experienced all aspects of life. Including death.

If the person who dies is to be a witch, then he or she survives the injuries after walking through the shadows of death, of a sort. It is those "I have seen the light in the tunnel and somehow survived" type of people, who by all rights should have died. More people with the power to become a witch die than actually become a witch. It takes someone - or something - with a lot of dedication to keep one of these people from dying completely.

In this character's case, it was a bit of both.

This story is also a dark tale, at least at first. However, the main point of this story is a story of hope. It is the story of someone who has lost it all and has somehow survived despite that fact and has a glorious chance to take it all back. With an indominable spirit and a desire for vengeance, this witch goes on to not only serve justice, but to reclaim everything that she has lost.

It also touches into grief and healing, but is mostly a feel-good story about someone who does overcome those odds.

This novel was how I picked myself up off of the ground.

How I stood back up

After NaNoWriMo '09 ended, I think I wrote maybe 1,000 words a week total. Of which I deleted more words than I added. Very counterproductive, that. In furstration, I put it aside completely at the end of December, flailing in general. Who doesn't, sometimes?

I knew where I wanted to go with this story. I worked hard poking at it, but the inspiration that is still with me was having trouble coming to the surface. It is a form of writer's block, but somewhat different. I had the entire story, I knew what I needed to write, I knew what was happening in the scene. I just could not get myself to type the words onto the computer.

When coupled with a general sense of failure, this can result in tragedy for a writer. And the inability to put words to the page.

So, I asked my husband one day to buy me some writing journal or another. I wanted to jot down some story idea or another that was rattling in my brain.

He came out of the store with a pack of four 16 sheet journals.

Truly, these were the bestestestest things I have ever laid my eyes on. I squealed. There is a yellow, a blue, a green and a pink journal in each pack.

My creative juices had a collective freak fit and went into a state of catatonic shock. Who ever would have thought something so simple as a 16 sheet writing journal could make such a difference?

Armed with these journals, I began to write random stories. I had two false starts before I found project #2 kicking around in my skull.

The first 24 hours resulted in 6,400 handwritten words.

By the weekend, I had 12,800 and had the starts to a story I was really satisfied with.

After the shine wore off a bit, I found myself right back to where I had left off: saddened, discouraged and thinking I would never get a project properly finished, edited and out the door.

I took a step back, blogged a bit to motivate myself, and glared at my computer.

Then, I fell onto the solution of my problem.

Belief.

For one critical moment, I believed I could do this. I just had to figure out how. So, I made this expression at my computer and my writing paper: >:|

Project One is my dream novel(s). It is the story I wish to publish and share with the world. I had reached that precipice and stared into the abyss. The abyss stared back and mocked me.

No one is going to help pick you up when you fall. You must do it on your own. I realized this and started trying to find out just how to do it. I sat on my rump and reflected and found that I still had that critical belief in myself. It had just gone into hiding into some dark, dusty corner. It was a skeleton in my closet.

Just to repeat this: No one is going to help pick you up when you fall.

People will say kind things and try to help, but only you can help you get back up at the end of the day.

This is kind of painful to write about. And embarrassing. But, I am human, so there we have it.

Again, just in case the first two times weren't opinionated and stubborn enough:

If you want to be a writer, stop relying on other people to pick you up and start relying on you. People, like me, will tell you kind words or mean ones trying to motivate you. But at the end of the day, when you fall in the mud, you need to believe that you can stand back up. An agent may love your story, an editor may shower you with praise. A publication house may pick up your story. However, none of this will ever happen if you do not believe that you can make it happen.

Now, onto the next stage of recovery:

Remembering to Write

Life gets in the way. Some of the time, I just forgot to fit writing into my day. I got distracted by shiny objects or by how warm and comfortable my bed really was and how much I enjoyed sleeping.

I cannot tell you how to remember to write each day! I fail at it miserably enough. (I am one week in of non interrupted writing. I feel like I'm succeeding at rehab.)

One tip I can suggest: Never ever take a day off completely. Write one sentence at a minimum. Once I fail to do that, it is sometimes a month before I pick up my pen again, which is totally unacceptable if I wish to become a professional author, as I do wish to do.

Finally, making progress!

Once you have gotten back up, it is easier to stay on the horse than to get back on after you have fallen. Train yourself not to give up. Once you do, you have to go back and find those shreds of belief and motivate yourself. This is hard. Oh, is it ever hard. But if you sit there and tell yourself that you can do it AND you actually do it, good things will happen.

Oh, yes. Good things will happen.

Believe. Remember to Write. Make it Happen.

Three very simple things that are extremely difficult to do. But, I stand by it. Hindsight is rather good for me, and each time I have fallen off, this is exactly how I ended up getting back up on the saddle and riding off towards that gorgeous sunset.

Now, as soon as I submit this and drink some tea to soothe my frayed nerves, I will exceed that shiny 61,661 word count. I want 75,000 by Monday, and they will not write themselves down.

By Friday, I want 85,000.

Two weeks from now, I want 100,000.

Can I do it?

I don't know. But I'm back up on the saddle, and I refuse to fall just yet. If I do, I will get back up.

But, I can thank four little 16 sheet writing journals and Project Two for helping me get the courage to resume on Project One. I will continue to write Project Two as a reward, but I have rededicated my focus back onto Project One where it properly belongs.

I would like to note that I had five spelling mistakes in this entire entry. For writing at 5-6 AM, not bad!

Also, a piece of advice before I find some fancy schmancy quotes to share: Do not forget to take your tea bag out of your water. It leaves unpleasant surprises an hour later.

Quotes on Motivation, Inspiration and anything else I feel interesting at this hour:

• Dreams are extremely important. You can’t do it unless you imagine it. – George Lucas
• A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams. - John Barrymore
• The man who goes farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure-thing boat never gets far from shore. - Dale Carnegie
• Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will. - Mahatma Gandhi
• The world is full of willing people, some willing to work, the rest willing to let them. - Robert Frost
• The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person's determination. - Tommy Lasorda
• The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand. - Vince Lombardi
• One’s best success comes after his greatest disappointments. - Henry Ward Beecher
• Don’t be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated. You can’t cross a chasm in two small jumps. - David Lloyd George
• A man's doubts and fears are his worst enemies. – William Wrigley Jr.
• Failures are divided into two classes - those who thought and never did, and those who did and never thought. - John Charles Salak

The Stereotypes and Cliches of Fantasy Writing

First, I'd like to thank Ian T. Healy (spelled correctly this time..) for the subject of today's blog post. His original post is as follows: @rebeccablain "Fantasy: more than dark elves, demons, and magic"

There is so much more to this subject than just dark elves, demon and magic... so I thought it would be a good time to do the post on the whole lot of them.

Let us first be honest with ourselves. It is very difficult to write a 100% original fantasy piece. With thousands of fantasy novels on the shelves, many of the ideas held within those volumes are twists on cliches or stereotypes of some sort until they are no longer cliche or stereotypical.

However, there are a lot of writers who stick with the cliche / stereotype. This is a shame, but it is not really avoidable. After all, you must border on true genius in order to totally escape having these elements in your novels.

With that said, I will start by regurgitating a very insightful post from a short story publisher of the science fiction and fantasy genres. If you are not aware of this publisher, you should be. Allow me to introduce you to Clarkesworld Magazine. The below is an except from their submissions page. This content is a direct copy paste and used for educational purposes. It in no fashion belongs to me. I only wish I were this brilliant.

Though no particular setting, theme, or plot is anathema to us, the following are likely hard sells:

• stories in which a milquetoast civilian government is depicted as the sole obstacle to either catching some depraved criminal or to an uncomplicated military victory
• stories in which the words "thou" or "thine" appear
• talking cats
• talking swords
• stories where the climax is dependent on the spilling of intestines
• stories where FTL travel is as easy as is it on television shows or movies
• time travel too
• stories that depend on some vestigial belief in Judeo-Christian mythology in order to be frightening (i.e., Cain and Abel are vampires, the End Times are a' comin', Communion wine turns to Christ's literal blood and it's HIV positive, Satan's gonna getcha, etc.)
• stories about rapist-murderer-cannibals
• stories about young kids playing in some field and discovering ANYTHING. (a body, an alien craft, Excalibur, ANYTHING).
• stories about the stuff we all read in Scientific American three months ago
• stories where the Republicans, or Democrats, or Libertarians, or the Spartacist League, etc. take over the world and either save or ruin it
• your AD&D game
• "funny" stories that depend on, or even include, puns
• sexy vampires, wanton werewolves, or lusty pirates
• zombies or zombie-wannabes
• stories originally intended for someone's upcoming theme anthology or issue
• stories where the protagonist is either widely despised or widely admired simply because he or she is just so smart and/or strange
• stories that take place within an artsy-fartsy bohemia as written by an author who has clearly never experienced one
• your trunk stories

This is perhaps one of the best pages I have ever seen that goes into exactly what not to do for a serious submission. Read this, absorb it, and quickly Hall of Shame most of the things for this. However, there are venues for this type of writing. But, for the most part, they are hard sells, just as the magazine states.

Let us go through this list and pursue just why these are stereotypical, cliche, or hard to sell.

• stories in which a milquetoast civilian government is depicted as the sole obstacle to either catching some depraved criminal or to an uncomplicated military victory

First, milquetoast means the following: sissy: a timid man or boy considered childish or unassertive -or- A person of meek or timid disposition; meek, timid (source, define: milquetoast via google.)

Reason: Well, first, anything timid or meek isn't really a challenge. Second, give us a better villain, something more interesting, please! Granted, this is just my interpretation, but I wouldn't be interested in reading this.

• stories in which the words "thou" or "thine" appear

Reason: Above all, most people do not use thou or thine appropriately. It takes away from the genre, it does not add to it, ladies and gentleman. I have seen it used exactly once in modern writing to good success. David Eddings used it sparingly as flavour text. This is why he got away with it. Thou and Thines often take away, they do not add to the environment. Especially when they are not used properly.

• talking cat, talking swords, talking.. anything.

Reason: I lumped these together because it is the same basic concept. Talking animals can work, but in this case, it doesn't fit the publication. I can think of several great series and stories that use these concepts. However, most tend to be cheesy at best, without good justifications for the talking pets and objects. This concept is so abused that publications like Clarkesworld have totally just abandoned them completely.

• stories where the climax is dependent on the spilling of intestines

Reason: I absolutely love this. I became a huge fan of Clarkesworld just for this reason. Gore has its place in fantasy. Especially Sword and Sorcery. However, a story dependent on it is not a great story. I've yet to read a published work that was dependent on it and I ever read a second time. With that said, there is stuff like that out there. But, I have not returned to those novels since reading them. This does not mean that you cannot have death or gore in your books. It means that you should not base the story or novel on the gore. This is an important distinction.

• stories where FTL travel is as easy as is it on television shows or movies (time travel too)
  

Reason: Magic can be limitless... but limitless magic can be truly annoying. If they can do all of these things so easily, then what is the point? In my opinion, once a character is able to do such things easily, he or she should be able to snap their fingers and get it done. Then, there would be no point to the story.

• stories that depend on some vestigial belief in Judeo-Christian mythology in order to be frightening (i.e., Cain and Abel are vampires, the End Times are a' comin', Communion wine turns to Christ's literal blood and it's HIV positive, Satan's gonna getcha, etc.)

Reason: I think this is fairly obvious. There are markets for this type of work, but your short story or novel should stand on its own feet, not on the belief systems of the real world.

I have done a few of them... you can figure out the rest.

Dark Elves, Dragons and Dungeons, Oh my!

Novel or short story writing is not without entering into the world of stereotypes and cliches. I have stated this before, I will state it again in the future, I am certain. What will determine whether or not you are a good writer is what you do with the stereotypes and cliches you come up with.

There is nothing stating that you cannot use a cliche or stereotype. However, in order to succeed, it is up to you to make certain that you somehow twist it so that it becomes something new. Making something unique is truly a difficult task. It is very difficult, as a writer, to separate yourself from the things that inspire you. Writers who read and enjoy a certain series will often pick up aspects of that series in their own writing. It is so very common. The key is that you catch yourself doing it and transform trash into gold. Until you make it your own, those elements are trash. Just accept that, it will make you a better writer in the long run.

Is there more to fantasy beyond the stereotypes? Of course there is. Make your Dark Elves distinct by stepping away from the normal evil elves and go into a world where these elves separated from their lighter skinned brethren for a good purpose. Have them just be a genetic mutation and no different than their lighter counterparts. Get rid of the lighter counterparts altogether. And for the love of all that is pure, don't make them look and act like a cookie cutter. Make them dark skinned humans with an ear mutation. Do something to make them different than opening a Dungeon Master's Guide and reading about it.

Dragons? There are lots you can do with dragons. The best concept I've heard for a dragon? Make them stupid and dislike hoarding things. That will make people stop long enough to go "What the heck is this?"

The instant you make your reader ask questions is the moment that you are stepping away from the stereotype. Fantasy need not be cookie cutter. If you find your concept in another book, add or take away until your concept becomes unique. Then take it and make it your own. Only then will you surpass the cliche.

I cannot give you a template on making sure your races and people are not stereotypical. That is something personal you have to conquer on your own. However, we have all dealt with it. If you find a truly unique concept, work with it. It may just go somewhere really pleasant.

The Rejection Letter

The rejection letter is something that everyone faces every now and again. In fact, some believe it is not possible to be a true writer until you have been tempered by the flames of the rejection letter. Whether or not this is true, there are a lot of things to learn about this letter, from how to cope with the fact you have been rejected to what you can gain from the rejection.

I have received far more rejection slips than acceptances, this much is for certain. However, I am one of those who enjoys receiving rejection slips. I am very curious to see what is contained within, and try to discover what I have learned from them. In fact, I have written stories and submitted them to important markets just to receive a rejection.

But, why would I do this? First, once you get one or two under the belt, they do get a little easier to accept having received. Using this logic, I would rather have my first faltering steps be done in a controlled fashion. While I expect my fantasy series to receive a rejection, it would not be so great a thing if it was the first rejection I ever received.

Know yourself. Would receiving a rejection on your prized story or novel send you for an emotional roller coaster that results in your cart leaving the rails? If so, grow some thick skin by experiencing rejection in short stories you do not care so much about. It will still hurt, but you will learn from it and grow from it, if you so choose.

I can not teach you what the standard rejection looks like. There is no standard. It is by slush reader or by editor and by publishing house, e-zine or magazine.

So, this guides us to the fun part of this post! The collection of sites dedicated or making mention of the rejection letter. I will have plenty of comments and opinions, both on editors and on writers, but this will wait until after you have had a chance to read the rejections.

Rejection Sites:

Rotten Rejections - A Reference to a Book
Literary Rejections on Display
Rejecting Rejection
Famous Author's Rejections Surface
Making Light: Slushkiller
Dallas Woodburn's Writing Life: Rejection Letters
Susie Smith's Children's Stories Famous Rejections
Rejection Letters before they were Famous
Collection of The New Yorker rejections
Ursula K. LeGuin: A Rejection Letter



Resources on Rejections:

Why you get Form Rejections
How to deal with Rejection Letters
Wikipedia's Rejection Letter Entry

There are obviously many, many more sites than I have listed here. This list will grow over time, but here is a good start.

The most important thing to remember is that the individuals who are reading your story do not have enough time to be personally offended by your writing. When you receive a form rejection, you story simply does not fit what they are looking for. This may be caused by poor writing quality or a story that simply does not suit them. The unfortunate part of the form rejection is that it is impossible to know exactly why your piece of writing failed.

This is where the handwritten or personalized rejection can be a double edged sword. Frankly, it is easiest to accept a form rejection. There is nothing personal in the rejection. Your story was not what they wanted, and that it that. When they personalize it, it is much easier to get personally offended by what the editor has to say.

Especially if it is because your editor felt the story was so poorly written they couldn't leave it alone and had to mention it. Unfortunately, without seeing what you submitted, it is impossible to say whether or not an editor is justified in saying this. However, there are ways to find out if the editor was just having a bad day or if there is really something needing changed with your submission.

First, if the same piece gets several really bad, personalized rejections from different editors, then you should seriously start looking at the reasons why. There will be editors who are having a bad day and take it out on you. Accept that now, your pride might be a little more intact at the end of the day. However, like I said before, most are too busy to spend the time to do so.

Live and learn. If your writing skills need improvement, start your next book and continue improving. Keep submitting, keep writing, and keep learning until defeat turns into victory.

On the flip side of the coin, there will be stories that editors notice, they like, and just simply cannot buy for one reason or another. This will spark into the 'good' rejection. It is personalized, but it is complimenting you! Some smaller publishing houses will always send some form of personalized reply. However, most are just too busy to do so, especially the larger houses. I suggest you mount those rejection letters. They are few and far between, and are worth their weight in gold, so far as I am concerned.

But, if your story is good enough to get a 'good' rejection, why were you rejected in the first place?

Publication is a business. I suggest you drill this into your head now. A publishing company has no interest in catering to your 'fantastic new concept that has never been done before, sure it is weird, but it is different and interesting'. They are interested in what sells. You need a story that toes their comfort lines while providing something new to the market. This is a lot easier said than done. You need a story that grips them, fits into their business, and can be sold. High writing quality and a good story have a good chance of getting published. A talented writer who knows their market *and* has writing quality *and* a good story *will* find a home for their stories or books.

Surviving the rejection letter is more easy than it sounds. Accept it, learn from it, and move on.

For now, enjoy the rejections and feel free to link any rejection sites you find amusing or useful, and I will add them to this post.

The Basics of Writing

The dream of many writers, both young and old, is to one day walk into a bookstore and see their published novel sitting on a shelf. But, this dream is often smashed through ignorance and a lack of realization on just how difficult the publishing industry is.

I am working towards submitting a novel manuscript to Tor | Forge. This journey started when I was somewhere between ten or twelve years old and I picked up a copy of A Wrinkle in Time. Until I picked up this book, I was functionally illiterate. Sure, I could sort of read and write, but I had no interest in it. I was more interested in seeing how far I could hit a softball or trying to determine just how high one really could jump when using a trampoline. I am entirely unsure how my parents survived my antics, or even how I survived them unscathed. But, I owe a great deal of thanks to Madeleine L'Engle for doing what an author does: writing.

In the years since I first picked up a pen and begged my mother for notebook paper on which to write, I learned one thing painfully quick. In truth, I knew nothing at all about writing. In a detour that did me far more good than not, I began to read every fantasy novel I could get my grummy paws on. My first piece of advice to those who wish to write? Read, read, read. Then, just as you feel that your brain is full to capacity, please read some more. Learn from the mistakes of the published. Learn to identify what errors that they do not make.

Then, lay your own writing out before you and compare it to those who have come before you. There are reasons that these writers are published and you are not. This is a very good first step.

This blog is not meant to make you feel happy. I will try to be as blunt and honest with you as possible, because these are my experiences. These posts will also delve into resources that I find extremely useful. As a writer, I do a great deal of research. The blame for this is on my work as a freelance author. While I am specialized in search engine optimization, I have ghost written several non-fiction books. Unfortunately, due to the very nature of ghost writing, I cannot mention the titles of these books. However, I will say, if you do not have a high threshold for punishment, avoid the freelance market like the plague. You will make more money at McDonald's.

Because I am interested in the science fiction and fantasy fields, this blog will be specialized towards providing information on these two genres.

Back to the meat of the subject: writing. If you wish to be published, there is one very important thing that you must have: a manuscript. When editors discuss a book or a short story, the term manuscript will come up often. Manuscript format is often intimidating for those who are not familiar with it. Every publishing house has their own guidelines for submission, as well as their own opinion on what manuscript format is. Here is Wikipedia's entry on the manuscript format. Here is Tor | Forge's submission guidelines. I suggest you read both and make yourself comfortable with them. There will be a future post dedicated to the manuscript format, but this is a good start. Tor | Forge is very clear about what they want. Not all publishers are, so beware.

Do not feel like you need to write your novel in manuscript format. There is time for formatting after the story is written if you do not have a firm grasp on the right formatting yet.

If you want to write a novel but have not started yet, I suggest that you learn the basics of plotting. While many successful novelists can write a draft without a plot line, knowing how a plot functions is a fundamental part of writing a marketable novel. Even if you do not write the plot line explicitly, you need to ensure that the elements of a good story are present.

Yes, if you clicked the above link that reads plot line, you will quickly determine that it is referring to plays and screenwriting. This is intentional. Your novel may have many plot lines, but every line you draw should reach some form of logical conclusion and contain the elements found within, even if they are not necessarily meant for science fiction and fantasy. Every good book, no matter the genre, has the elements of the plot line as described above.

If you have the basics of a plot line, characters that your reader can associate, and a strong desire to succeed, novel writing is far from impossible. However, expect the journey to be long and hard. You will fall down. What matters is that you get back up and try again.

For now, I leave you with Writer's Beware. Writer's Beware is a part of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, or the SFWA. If you are interested in publishing, have a manuscript, and want to see your work in print, this site is for you.

I will be doing a future post dedicated to Writer's Beware, as well as the scams that you may encounter on your journey towards publication.

For now, I leave you with a decent supply of reading material. Enjoy!