Tips for Writers – Part 1

I’ve given many talks in the last few years on writing and getting published. Most of the following information is based on those talks. It’s by no means the definitive guide – there are a lot of people far more knowledgeable than I am in this area. But I hope it’s helpful in some small way to any prospective writer.

Apologies for the informal manner it’s written in - as I explained, it started off life as a talk. And I quite like it this way - it’s nice and personal - do let me know what you think!

Of course, this advice is not going to suit everyone. I’ve given the details of some other websites where you can also find tips – some of these might suit you better. And I’ve also supplied a useful reading list.

 

There are three pieces of general advice I always give -

1/ Be optimistic - lots of unknown writers get published every day, so why not you?

2/ Work hard, but never let writing become a chore. If you’re not enjoying writing, your reader is probably not enjoying reading!

3/ Develop a thick skin and never take no for an answer. Don’t give up. And get used to rejection - it comes with the territory.

 

First Things First - Writing the Book

I should start off by saying that I write popular fiction, or as some call it: commercial fiction, romantic fiction, women’s fiction, contemporary romance. So much better than writing unpopular fiction, don’t you think?

But if you’re interested in being the next Joyce or Kafka - this advice is probably not for you.

I often get asked ‘how do you write a whole book’? At the risk of sounding facetious – you get a pen and paper, or your computer, and you put one letter after another until they make words. And eventually these words will make sentences, and those sentences will make paragraphs, and so on. It may sound obvious – but the only way to actually write a book is to get on with it and literally write your story down. So as Maria says in the Sound of Music – ‘Let’s start at the very beginning, it’s a very good place to start’.

The most important thing of all - make time to write

 

Many people say that they would write a book if only they had the time. Ask them how many hours a week they spend watching television, in the pub, talking to friends on the phone, listening to music? Yes, writing means making sacrifices - mainly involving your social life and your television viewing. I pretty much gave up watching tv and going out - which sounds severe - maybe it is - but if you really want to write - do it - make the time. The way to finish a novel is doing a little on a regular basis - there’s no real secret, you just have to stick at it.

If you really want to write you will find the time. And switching off the television in the evenings is a very good place to start. Try making up soap operas in own head and translating them to paper - soon you’ll keep yourself entertained and have the makings of a book to show for it.

 

Some General, Practical Tips for Writing

Set aside some time every day if possible to write. Even if you don’t feel like writing – do something writing related – do some research – edit what you’ve already written, make notes – sometimes you may be too mentally tired to write and never force yourself.

Never use ‘I’m too busy’ as an excuse. Your house will probably be less tidy, those wobbly shelves won’t get fixed in your life time, and sometimes the dishes will sit in the sink for the evening – but these are the sacrifices you have to make! I personally think that housework is highly over-rated.

Once you’ve set your writing time aside try to do it regularly so you won’t forget your plot and what your characters are feeling. I find if I’ve been away from my writing for too long I have to read back over things to remember where I was with everyone. If you can’t write every day - think about your characters and your plot every day and when you go back to your writing read back a couple of pages to refresh your mind as to where you left off.

Try to have some sort of desk in a well lit and if possible quiet area – you get used to writing with children thumping about in the background so try not to worry too much if they are. Buy yourself nice notebooks, coloured pens, nice folders or writing journals – these things make writing more of a pleasure.

If possible get your hands on a computer – my first one was an old one from my Dad’s office which would have ended up in a skip if I hadn’t rescued it. It was an Epson with a B drive and it did me grand. I now have a second hand Dell lap top. There may be a local business who are getting rid of computers – ring around and see – you could be lucky. Or you can pick them up in Buy and Sell fairly cheap. Typing directly onto a computer takes a while to get used to but once you have it makes writing so much less painful – plus you have spell check! A very useful tool for any writer.

Another suggestion it to keep a writing diary. Jot down how many words you manage at each session. It’s most satisfying to see how those words add up.

Or if you respond well to deadlines - keep deadlines – eg – 1,000 words by Monday.

You may find this works for you.

Now it’s time to start writing!

 

The first thing you need is your genre

The very, very first thing, before you decide on your characters and plot, is to decide what sort of book you want to write - what genre – and I would suggest the type of book you like to read is a good place to begin. For example I enjoy reading romantic fiction – I’ve read lots of different authors in this genre - both Irish and world authors; and women and their friendships, family dramas and relationships fascinate me!

It’s a bit of a cliché, but I would suggest start off by writing about what you know - that way you’ll be more confident about your subject. You may find the story you want to tell slots into a certain genre. Like horror, thriller, crime, medical thriller, techno thriller, romance, comedy, sad lads and dads (Nick Hornby and Tony Parsons) etc etc. But don’t worry too much if it doesn’t – you may be inventing your own genre like the last one there - sad lads and dads – who knows? Try not to mix the genres though - readers like to know what they are getting - that’s why covers and blurbs are so important - readers like to know that the book they pick up on that table in Eason is the type of book they like to read. They don’t want their romance to turn into a horror blood fest half way through or visa versa! Write what feels good – what flows and what makes you smile, wince, laugh out loud or what spooks you.

If you have children or work with children – what about children’s fiction? Be warned, it’s not as easy as it sounds. In fact, in my experience, writing for children is just about as hard as it gets! I certainly haven’t cracked it yet, but I’ll get there. If you are thinking of writing for children – read, read and read! Children’s books have changed a lot in the last few years especially, and there are some cracking books out there to give you some inspiration. Authors like Sharon Creech and Mark Haddon are producing some brilliant and unusual books. Try ‘Love That Dog’ or another dog book ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time’. Enjoyable for any age. See the ‘Best Children’s Books in the World’ in the Children’s Books section of this website for more reading suggestions.

The first thing is to read extensively in the area you’re interested in writing in. Get a feeling for the genre – the types of characters, the dialogue – is it zippy and light, are there long descriptive passages or not, how long are the average books – sorry to be so technical but these things matter – publishers, in general balk at huge, thousand page manuscripts. For popular fiction – this is A format fiction – the ‘norm’ is 100k to 150k words. Publishers vary but this would be the average.

Which comes first – the plot or the characters?

With me, it’s a bit of both. Once I have a general ‘setting’ – then I round it out with characters and then the plot seems to write itself.

But if you’re a first time writer what should you do? Here are some suggestions to help you along.

 

Once you’ve decided on your genre then decide on the setting, characters and the plot.

First setting - setting is important – if you can, make the setting interesting - if the action is talking place in an office - make it a newspaper office or the office of a politician, a spy, or a planning office where there are dodgy deals going on. Don’t just make it any old office. People love reading about unusual and slightly different things - they want to be brought out of their own lives and into a fantasy world - all be it a very realistic fantasy world. Of course, if your characters are strong and real enough, it doesn’t matter where the book is set; as long as you can bring them to life with conviction.

For example in Marian Keyes’s last book - ‘Angels’ - she set the action in LA and centred it around the movie business. Her latest, ‘The Other Side of the Story’, is set in the world of writers and literary agents.

Books set in the countryside are also popular – for example Katie Fforde’s books are mostly set in rural England.

In my books I have used lots of different settings tied in with the characters and their lives - things that interest me or have captured my attention - from kite making, to art galleries, wildlife parks, children’s bookshops, county council offices, and dating agencies. I’ll come back to research later - but do try to pick an interesting and unusual setting if you think it would suit your book.

 

Plotting

There is no right or wrong way of plotting a book. Many writers - Harold Robbins for example - never use (or used) plot outlines. They just write blind. It’s a process of trial and error. Using a plot outline is one way of doing it and it has worked for me.

I would suggest that you need to know the beginning of your story and have a clear idea of how it ends – the middle is just the ‘filling in bit’ – bringing the characters to your happy or Frank Mc Court type unhappy ending. You will probably find that the characters just won’t do what you want, take on a mind of their own and change your ending – but so be it – that just means they have become real people – congratulations.

Ideas for plots come from everywhere - from magazines and newspapers; in shops and on buses; from people chatting; from travelling; from trying to imagine what would have happened if you made a different choice in your life somewhere along the line; from books; from plays and films; from dreams and daydreams - ideas are all around you - you just have to soak then up.

Now I’m going to tell you how I plan my plots. I tend to do this in a quite logical and straight forward manner. It’s not something that works for everyone but it has worked for me. And now I rely less and less on the outlines but I still do them. For every book I have plot outlines - some people call these ‘step-sheets’ – these are mainly comfort blankets for myself – I often don’t use them at all but I know they’re there if I need them!

Before I start a book I do two things - plot sheets and character biographies or ‘sketches’ - I wouldn’t dream of starting without them - it gives me structure and framework and confidence to begin the hardest chapter - Chapter 1.

I’m afraid I can’t tell you how to come up with a plot - this is something - that like your characters - just comes out of your imagination. You have to mull it over, think about it, jot down preliminary notes and keep building up these notes till you have the bones of a book.

But I can make some suggestions -

The Opening

Have the book starting just before something happening – a murder, a marriage break up, an accident, a birth - something dramatic and attention holding. The event - and ideally it should happen pretty near the start of the book - is called a narrative hook - something that draws the reader in and grabs their attention.

I would suggest starting just before this narrative hook so that the reader has some idea of the impact of that event - for example - the man or woman can be going about their normal business when out of the blue their other half announces that they are having an affair. (In ‘Some Kind of Wonderful’ (2003/2004) this happens to one of the main characters, Rosie) It has more impact if you show normal life before this shock announcement.

Open with a strong and attention grabbing sentence if you can.

‘It Had to Be You’ (to be published in Ireland in September 2004 and UK/US 2005) opens like this –

The minute Anita walked through the door of ‘Happily Ever After Bookshop’ that fateful Monday morning Molly knew that something was up. Although Anita looked perfectly normal - her long red hair tied back in its customary loose chignon, her floor-sweeping black jersey dress clinging in all the wrong, bumpy places - there was a strange expression on her face. Her usual Monday wrinkled brow looked a little less furrowed and her gait was loose and almost girlish, unlike her more normal heavy-footed loaf. She smiled at Molly as she soon as she swung open the door, sending the small bell into wild reverberations.

 

Another example - It is a truth universally known that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife - Pride and Prejudice begun in 1796.

So try starting with a bang or at the very least a whimper and a taste of what’s to come!

 

Conflict

Conflict is a novel is very important. Present your characters with problems to solve, difficulties to be overcome and make them take action.

 

Climax and Resolution

The book must have a climax and a resolution. If it’s romantic fiction - give the characters happy or at least hopeful endings.

The book could have a surprise or twist towards the end - exploit powerful emotions. Cathy Kelly is particularly good at this.

 

A Word on Flashbacks

Try to stay away from flashbacks - generally they are not a good idea. Readers are interested in what happens next, not what happened ten years ago - unless it has direct bearing on how a character acts now and it is the best way to describe how they got this way.Only use them if you really need to. Of course, I ignore this all the time myself!

 

Foreshadowing or hints of what’s to come

Put little hints in to keep the readers interested - it raises questions in their heads and makes them think. For example -

You could make a character hide a gun in their bag, clear their bank account, buy a wig , begin a strategic phone call, rip up a letter.

Make sure you explain the hint later or it will be a red herring - which should not really be used except in farce or comedy.

 

Endings

 Your readers will remember your ending more than any other scene in the whole book. And the choice of whether to read your next book or not can hinge on it so - Make it good!

In general people like happy endings - it’s a fact of life. Readers also expect a clever and well thought out resolution to the action. I like to end some of my books with an Epilogue – a summing up of how my characters are faring one year on. This works particularly well for romantic fiction as readers might like to know if your characters really did get married or not, buy that house, get that new job etc.

 

Next, and most importantly - the characters

It’s vital that your characters are interesting and likable. Sure they can have flaws but not huge, insurmountable ones. Sometimes flaws can make the character more likable and more real - you could make them clumsy, shy, awkward, but never violent, rude or inconsiderate unless they change during your story.

Character parts can of course be nasty and unlikable - but they can’t have leading roles. In fact the nastier and more awful they are the better. You could have a psychotic ex boyfriend, a nasty boss, a gossip who gets her comeuppance. In ‘Something to Talk About’ (2002) I have an awful character called Paula who certainly gets hers!

Your readers should be able to identify with the main character or characters - this is also very important.

If you can’t create vivid and interesting characters which come alive in your reader’s head, then you can’t write a good novel - it’s as simple as that. You can’t just be the puppet master - they have to be real.

George Baker in ‘Dramatic Technique’ claims that ‘Great drama depends on a firm grasp and sure presentation of complicated character - thus the old statement know thyself becomes for the writer know your characters as intimately as possible.’

A character must be three dimensional and you as his or her creator must know everything about him or her - the physical, the sociological and the psychological - to make them leap off the page and be ‘real’.

Writing character outlines or sketches before you start writing can be helpful and add to these as your write your book. Give your characters names - choose them carefully - make them easy to read and pronounce. Strange or exotic names that no one can make out on the printed page, let alone pronounce are not a good idea. Try the phone book or a baby names book for ideas. Choose names that suit them. Try not to use ugly or old fashioned names unless you are making a point. Ditto too trendy or fashionable names - like Romeo, Kylie, Tiger-Lily etc.

Try not to be too cliched with your names unless you are writing comedy - Renaldo Ramsbottom is not really a believable name unless your book is an old fashioned comedy.

Your character sketch could include –

Your character’s names (all of them – does he/she have a nick name or pet name?)

What does he or she look like?

Hair colour

Eye colour

Size

How does he/she walk?

Any physical characteristics?

Where was he/she in school?

Did she finish school?

Did she like school?

Did she go to college?

Past jobs?

Parents alive?

Any grandparents?

Who are her friends?

Relationship history

What does she wear?

Any sisters or brothers

Any characteristics that set her apart

What type of person is she?

And so on . . .

 

If you know and like your characters your readers will too

 

Continuity – this is another good reason for writing detailed character sketches – you will always know exactly what colour your character’s eyes are.

 

A note on dialogue - dialogue is especially important in popular fiction and you have to get it right. It must advance the plot above all; so cut out any irrelevant niceties, and cut out protracted greetings or goodbyes. Don’t have any boring or irrelevant conversations and make sure that each conversation moves the plot along. Work on your dialogue - it should seem spontaneous and clever. And dialogue tags - he said, she said etc - try to keep these to a minimum - notice how few experienced authors use - their dialogue flows and they don’t need tags. Avoid using too many embellished tags - he shouted furiously, he retorted cruelly, etc - it makes the writing laboured and unnatural. (I’m a terror for this!)

Your Narrator

Think about your readers before you decide on viewpoint - or who eyes you will tell the story through - if you are writing a romance or a piece of fiction for mainly female readers - it would not be fitting to have a man telling the story - most readers want to identify with the narrator

Some books are of course for both men and women - crime novels and thrillers - these could use several narrators of different genders - or the story could be told through several different eyes.

There are many different ways of telling the story and here are just three of the more common/popular -

Objective viewpoint - or when the narrator is outside the character looking in

For example

Molly woke up at six o’clock on the dot. She got up slowly, walked to the bathroom and opened the medicine chest. As she opened the cabinet door she noticed her bloodshot eyes.

 

First person subjective viewpoint or First person narrator

“I”

This can be difficult as you can only tell one viewpoint and can bore the reader quite quickly unless you get the tone exactly right. But it can be very effective.

Many great books have been written in the first person – eg Jane Eyre, Rebecca, Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson, David Copperfield

 

Limited Omniscient viewpoint

The writer can get into the head of several different characters and describe the story from their point of view - usually the main three or four characters. Readers like this technique best apparently (I’ve no idea where I read this!).

 

So there you go – I hope you’ve found some of this useful. In Part 2 I’ll talk about -

 

Research

Finishing the book

Editing your own manuscript

Sending your book to an agent or publisher

List of agents and publishers

Dealing with rejection

Congratulations – your book has been accepted – what happens next?

 

Keep writing!

 

Reading List

Vital for Any Writer

Writer’s and Artist’s Yearbook 2004 (published every year)

 

Highly Recommended

From Pitch to Publication by Carole Blake

One of the best guides to getting published and understanding the whole book world from contracts to agents. Written by a top UK agent and well worth buying.

 

Other Useful Books

How to Write a Damn Good Novel by James N Frey

Useful sections on character developement

Especially good for those interested in writing crime novels

 

Writing the Blockbuster Novel by Albert Zuckerman

Shrewd if a little scary - good for the more experienced writer

 

To Writers With Love by Mary Wibberly

All about writing romance – esp good if you’re interested in writing Mills and Boon novels or sagas (both highly underrated in my opinion!)

 

Writing Popular Fiction by Rona Randall

Useful if a little dry

 

See also the Links page for some useful websites for writers

 

End of Part 1