Writing a Novel: Understanding the Arc of the Story

Novels are funny things. If you do it just right, your readers will be hooked from the opening line. They'll continue reading just to find out what happens next. And they'll even forgive those minor errors that all writers make from time to time. But if you do it wrong, you'll find that your readers not only put down what they're reading, but they won't pick up something with your name on it ever again. And that was your career as a writer.

One of the ways to grab and keep a reader is by understanding the traditional arc of the story. Now, I'm not advocating that you adhere to this arc. But you should be aware of what it looks like so that you'll be able to tinker with the arc as you see fit. You don't want to be too traditional, after all. It could bore the readers you're trying in engage.

The arc of the story can be seen as an inverted "V" that's a little lopsided. You typically start your novel with your main character doing something that he or she does every day. Then something happens to disrupt that. Perhaps it's a result of something the character does or maybe it's some outside influence. Whatever. Something has to happen (unless you're writing a "Day in the Life" kind of story, which I personally find a little boring). So, something happens to disrupt the equilibrium and something has to be done to solve the problem that's cropped up. And so begins your arc, your climb up the long side of the inverted "V."

If you're writing a novel, you'll probably have to throw in a few more obstacles. Just one probably can't sustain the entire novel. A short story may only need a single obstacle. Regardless of how many problems you introduce to your plot, they eventually come to a head, to a climax, to use the common term.

After the climax comes the little bit of wrapping up that's necessary to most plots. Here you'll often find emotional resolutions, people settling down, and just a general calm feeling. Unless it's part of a series, in which case you'll probably have to leave an opening for something else to happen (otherwise, what's the point of writing a series of novels).

This is just a very basic idea of the action in the story. Sometimes the action will be action/adventure related and sometimes it will be more emotional, but there's always something that needs resolving in a novel. That's what brings in readers. Play with this arc until you have something that will work for your story. But always write with your readers in mind.

Novels Versus Short Stories: It's More Than Just Length

Novels and short stories are similar in many ways. They both tell a story, usually involving characters and plot. They both entertain, engage, or educate the reader. And they are both written by a (hopefully) diligent writer.

But writing a novel is simply not the same as writing a short story, and it's not all about length. I will be the first to admit that many of the differences between novels and short stories are related to length, but it's still worth looking at these differences.

The first difference is in the amount of material that can be presented in a novel. A short story is under 10,000 words. Any longer than that and it should be more accurately termed a novella. With only 10,000 (probably less) words to work with, you have to be selective. You can't have hundreds of characters and twelve different subplots. You simply don't have the room. So, writing short stories means you'll have to learn how to choose what's important to the story itself. Your plot and your characters will be limited. In essence, a short story ask for economy of the writer.

In contrast, novels have really no upper word count. If it's over 80,000 words, it's definitely a novel. But you could write as many as 500,000 words. That's a lot of space to do whatever you like. You can have a thousand characters and multiple plots and an infinite number of subplots as you craft your novel. A novelist can afford to create new problems and obstacles for characters to solve simply because there is room to solve those problems. As long as the core of the story remains intact, and the readers don't lose sight of this core for very long, the novelist is free to move about and create according to whatever whim happens to appear. Not every word in a novel have to mean something. Words can exist in a novel purely because the writer wants the reader to experience them. As long as the readers aren't lost, it works.

Short story writers don't have that luxury. If a short story deviates from its core, even if it's just for 1000 words, it's very hard to recover. Deviations from the core tend to be edited out or survive as a weakness in the story. Short story writers have to economize, so every word has to count. Not a single word in a short story can exist just because the writer wants it there. Each word must serve a purpose.

Which is more difficult? Both have their challenges. Short stories demand economy and novels demand that the writer be in it for the long haul. They are both valid and beautiful art forms. Pick the medium that best fits your story and craft it well.

Practice Writing: Creating Fiction From Non-Fiction

Creative writing is an art and a process of discovery, but it is also a skill that can be acquired with practice. Everyone once in a while I give my readers a practice exercise designed to help hone the craft of writing fiction. While my focus is usually on how to write a novel, you can take these same tips and apply them to short stories, flash fiction, or other works of fiction.

Some of the best stories have an element of truth to them. Even though I write fantasy novels, my characters and the situations they find themselves in are usually based around things that have happened to people that I change and exaggerate beyond recognition. So, for this practice exercise, recall an incident that happened to you or to someone that you know. Write it down as it happened, fact for fact. Don't change anything and don't get creative. Just the facts.

Now, take that incident and turn it into fiction. Change and embellish until you have a story that captures your readers. At the moment, your reader might only be you, and that's okay. Create a story that you enjoy reading based upon factual events. Your finished story might look nothing like the factual account, and that's fine. The point is to find inspiration in real life and change it into something people might like to read. That's the point of being a writer, really. To have someone read the stories you've written.

You can repeat this exercise as many times as you need to. You might find that certain events lend themselves to becoming fiction and others are better off as non-fiction. This is normal. Experiment and see what works.

Dealing With Distractions While Writing a Novel

So, I've spent the last four days working on a book. And I'm no further ahead than I was four days ago. Okay, maybe I'm 200 words further ahead, but for someone who normally writes 5000 a day, 200 in four days is just not good.

The problem? Distractions. All kinds of distractions. The dog threw up. My nephew was over two days in a row and it's not easy to write with three boys under nine years running around. The cat got himself stuck in the ducting and had to be extracted. The dishes looked like they needed to get done. I suddenly realized that someone had touched my bookshelves and things were out of place so I had to reorganize the entire thing. I had presents to wrap. The laundry needed some attention. And I had 15 e-mails from clients to deal with.

When reading this list, it seems like I was simply busy. But the problem really was one of focus. When you work from home and have ready access to the Internet, it's very easy to get distracted. You turn your head and suddenly there's something else you could be doing. And maybe it's something that really needs doing.

In the short term, getting a little distracted now and then isn't going to kill me. So I basically did nothing for four days. So what? The truth is, if a writer allows him or herself to be distracted too often, nothing will get done. Nothing productive, at any rate. The real trick is avoiding distractions to begin with.

If you're going to write professionally, you have to take yourself seriously. Set up a time and place to get work done. Real work done. Have a space that is free of possible distractions. Unplug the phone and certainly turn off your cell. And unless you need the Internet for research, disconnect. Better yet, go somewhere that doesn't have Internet. This is becoming more difficult now as most coffee shops and libraries have Internet access. Check your e-mail once before you start working and once after. Not during your work hours. Surely your e-mail will keep for a few short hours while you get some writing done.

Not all distractions have something to do with phones or the Internet. Housework and kids might be interrupting you. The housework can probably keep. Give yourself permission to NOT do the dishes right this second. They'll still be sitting there for you a few hours from now.

Kids are a different story. If possible, try to get the kids out of the house. Maybe they're off at school or you can get your sister or neighbor to watch them. Whatever works. You're trying to get something accomplished and it's not always easy to do with children running around. If you must work while the children are at home, try to get them to participate in an activity that is quiet and engaging. Coloring, molding Plasticine, or playing with blocks all work wonders for younger children. Older children might want to read. Whatever works for your children.

The point is you'll never finish that novel if you don't sit down and write it. A little time off here and there is fine. I look at the last four days as a vacation. But the vacation is over now and it's time to get back to work. And I do mean work. 5000 words today, 5000 words tomorrow, and I'll have tackled a large chunk of what I'd meant to tackle four days ago.

So how do you deal with distractions? Avoid them in the first place. You won't always be successful, but if you keep your focus and remember what your goal is, you should be able to fight off those distractions most of the time.

And remember this: any day that ends with the sure knowledge that you accomplished everything you could is a good day.

The Difference Between Fiction and Non-Fiction

I was listening to a couple of academic friends the other day as they had a rather heated discussion. They were talking about the difference between fiction and non-fiction, specifically as it applies to novels. They were trying to define literary fiction and literary non-fiction. At first, I wondered why it mattered, but left them to their discussion (read this: argument).

But the topic stayed with me enough that I got to thinking about it. How do you decide if a novel is fiction or non-fiction? With my own novels, it's easy enough. I write fantasy. I write thing that cannot happen, at least not in our world. But what about novels that take place in the real world full of events that could actually happen? How could you tell by studying the text of the novel if it was fiction or non-fiction?

The answer is simple. You can't. You might be able to make an educated guess, but you could still be wrong. There have been cases that prove this. For example, in the 1980s a writer published a book that he claimed was a slightly edited version of an authentic diary kept by a 19th century Irishman by the name of Gerald Keegan. People accepted this diary as a non-fiction account of Keegan's life. It was studied and used as research by the most respected institutions.

However, it wasn't long before research led to an interesting discovery. The Keegan diary had been published almost a century earlier as a novel, Summer of Sorrow. Many people were fooled into believing that it was a work of non-fiction, accepted it as a work of non-fiction.

So what's the answer, then? Well, I guess that a work is whatever it purports to be, whatever the public accepts it as. Summer of Sorrow was accepted as fiction, claimed to be fiction, and so it was fiction. When it was republished as a diary, it claimed to be non-fiction and was accepted as such. Later, it was again moved back into the realm of fiction.

When determining whether a work is fiction or non-fiction, use this purport test and you'll find the job made much easier. If you care about such things. I read for the pleasure of it, not because a work is either fiction or non-fiction.

The Importance of a Writing Journal When Writing a Novel

I'll be the first to admit that I often ignore my writing journal, at least for certain projects. Of course, those are also the projects that never seem to get finished or, if they do get finished, they take years to get anywhere near completion. So I understand as well as anyone the logic behind keeping a writing journal. Keeping a writing journal almost forces me to work on my project of the moment every day simply so that I have something to record in my journal.

Sometimes my journal reads "4100 words written, Thief's Heartache. Subject to revision" In fact, this was my only entry from yesterday. It's not a very helpful entry, but I had been just writing and not thinking about what I'd written. Therefore, what I wrote on that particular day will have to be heavily revised before anyone ever gets to read it. Very heavily revised. It's not my best work, but it has the potential to be very good. Somewhere.

But my most useful entries usually include reflections and observations about what I wrote. What's working, what's not, and what might work in the future. If I'm writing a novel, I might keep track of the plot. Even if I have a fully formed plot in my mind before I begin writing, it usually changes before the end of the second chapter. So it's a good idea if I keep track of important changes. Like names. I change the names of minor characters quite frequently. And if I don't write them down, I can forget and keep using a name I've long since discarded.

So a journal keeps me motivated to finish a certain project and helps me keep track of changes I might make to an overall plot. But it also helps me keep track of other things that relate to my writing. Did I read a book or article that can serve as inspiration, now or in the future? Maybe I watched a TV show or movie that could serve the same purpose. Or maybe I found a particular spot in the local park that inspired me to write 5000 words in one shot. These are all things worth keeping track of. My memory might be good, but with over 20 story lines and hundreds of characters running around in my head, I forget things. A journal makes me write it all down, and I can always go back later if I have to.

This isn't to say that I reread every writing journal I've ever kept. Hardly. But it's all there, organized on a bookshelf, waiting for me to need it.

Writing a Novel: How Much to Write a Day

I got an e-mail today from an aspiring writer. She wanted to know how much she should write each day if she wanted to call herself a novelist. My first instinct was to tell her to do the math. You want to finish your novel in X number of days, and you want it to be Y number of words long. So do the math. Then I realized this wasn't really a helpful answer. Anyone can do the math.

She wanted a goal for writing a novel, and I have a really hard time setting goals for other people. I'm not the one writing her book. But an answer like that is maddeningly unhelpful. So I thought about it a while. I thought about it as I composed an article I'd been meaning to get to. I thought about it as I worked on a rough draft for my third novel. And I thought about it as I edited the manuscript for my second non-fiction book. Then, realizing I'd been awake for 27 hours, I took a nap.

When I woke, the e-mail was still sitting there. The e-mail gremlins hadn't  answered this girl in my absence. It was time to come up with a real answer. I realized that I had one that came straight out of my own experience. When I started writing my first novel, Arianna's Tale, I wrote maybe 500 words a day. 500 usable words. Sometimes that meant I'd write 2000 but only keep 500. So that seems like a good answer to me.

Sort of. Finally, I decided that the answer was this: Start by writing 500 usable words a day. Every day. Holidays, weekends, days you feel so sick you can't sit up. Type them, scribble them on notepaper, whatever. But get 500 words done every day. If you think you can't write tomorrow, write 750 today and 750 the day after tomorrow to stay on track. Deal with writer's block in any way that allows you to meet these goals. But meet them. No excuses. If I made excuses, my first novel never would have been completed.

Over time, and well before I'd finished the first novel, those 500 words became too easy. I'd have them done shortly after breakfast. Then I'd waste the rest of the day doing whatever came into my head. So I upped my goal. I decided that I could write 1000 each day (not including all the discarded junk, of course). I was getting better at putting my idea, my story, onto paper (actually, into the computer). By the time I approached the end of Dragon's Tempest, I was writing 2500 usable words a day. Now, halfway through Thief's Heartache, I'm writing an average of 4000 words a day. Some days I allocate some of this word count to another project, but I always meet this goal.

So my answer to the question would be this: start with 500 words every day. When that become too easy, adjust it so that you're still writing, still working towards that finished product. If you don't miss a day, you'll soon find yourself with a completed novel on your hands.

The Fifth Mistake of Professional Writing

If you're going to be a professional writer, you have to learn how to manage your time. Not doing so is the fifth and possibly the most damaging mistake a writer can make. Of the top five mistakes a professional writer can make, this is the one I'm guilty of on a faily regular basis. This mistake is sneaky and can take many forms.

The most obvious way this problem manifests itself is in distractions. If you're spending 4 hours on Facebook or Twitter, or simply sufring the web for no particular reason, then you're gulity of allowing yourself to get distracted. You can't write while you're ready every status update posted on Facebook in the last 4 hours. It's just not going to happen. You have to learn to close your web browser and get back to writing. Better yet, don't open the web browser in the first place.

There are other ways that time management becomes a problem, at least for me. I'm an incredibly impulsive person and I get e-mails from clients all day long. I check my e-mail (which I should probably only do once a day anyway) and accept virtually all requests from my clients. Need a 2000-word article by noon? No problem. Generally. But when I accept 6 requests for articles to be completed by the end of the day, and lengthy articles at that, I might just have a problem managing my time well enough to get them all done.

Fortunately, solving time management problems isn't that difficult. You simply need to be able to see the projects you've accepted, their deadlines, and have them broken down into smaller tasks. You can do this easily enough with a large whiteboard or even an oversized calendar. Put it up where you'll see it constantly. When you start getting distracted or you're tempted to take on too much, just look up at your calendar and remind yourself that you have a job to do. Now. Not tomorrow.

I don't like whiteboards and my calendar is pretty and too small to help. But I do love post-its. I write tasks on post-its and plaster them like a calendar all over my window, right in front of my computer. This way, I can look up when I'm wasting time on Facebook and realize that I really do have to get a chapter done. Now! Then I can close my browser and get something done.

Admittedly, managing your time takes a degree of will power. But, if you're going to be a professional writer, well, you have to learn to discipline yourself and get something done. Get a lot of somethings done. It's the only way you'll make any money as a writer. Writing is a great career, but you have to work at it.

The Fourth Mistake of Professional Writing

This time I'm going to share with you a mistake that I made. Repeatedly. At least five or six times when I first started writing professionally. Five or six times in a row, I might add. And the mistake? Quoting a price for a project that is far too low for the work involved.

This mistake can kill a writer just as surely as any of the others. If you accept a project thinking that it will take you only 8 hours and it winds up taking you 24, well, you're not making much money (or at least not as much as you should). There's really only one way to avoid this mistake. You have to read everything about a project, and read it carefully.

Before you read anything, determine what your hourly rate is. I charge a minimum of $60/hour of work in most cases. I'll work for cheaper in the cases of charities or other worthy causes, but I won't work for free (see the second mistake). That $60/hour (or more, depending on the project) includes research, a draft version that is approved by the client, revisions, editing, and the production of a final polished version. When I just started out, I charged less. As I gained experience, my price went up (just as the time it takes me to complete a given project went down, so clients ended up paying the same anyway).

Once you know what you charge per hour, figure out how many hours the project in question will take you. This requries a little experience and you'll probably get it wrong a few times, so get to know yourself and your ability to complete a project. I can complete a 1000-word article, start to finish, in about 1 hour, if the subject matter is at least a litle familiar to me. Subjects I'm not versed in may take 2 hours. If I'm ghostwriting an entire book ... well, that takes more than just a few hours. My price always reflects how much time has to go into a project.

When your quoting a price to a client, know exactly what you're promising. Work out exactly how much work you'll be doing and have it specified in a contract signed by both you and the client. You'll probably make a mistake once in a while and have to just eat the cost yourself. But a contract helps you to see how much work you're committing to. It also serves as a barrier for when a client tries to pile on more work without providing you with additional compensation. This will happen, so learn to stick to your contracts.

The Third Mistake of Professional Writing

I was wandering around the Internet the other day (since I have nothing else do while my brain organizes my next plot) and I came upon what must be the third mistake of professional writing. I saw at least three sites out there asking for entire chapters of an e-book as a sort of "test" for writers, promising that if these writers meet their standards, the writers will each get a contract to write an e-book. Paid and everything.

This sounded odd to me, as a professional writer. So, I decided to enlist the aid of a couple of online writing pals to investigate one of them. We each signed up and received a description of the potential e-book and were told which chapter would be our "sample" chapter. Interesting fact: all three of us were assigned different chapters in the same e-book. If this book had 14 chapters (which it appeared to), and the site managed to get 14 people to write "sample" chapters, then they get an entire e-book without ever having to "hire" any of the writers. Sneaky, sneaky.

The lesson here: a "sample" should not be an entire chapter or article. A "sample" would usually consist of a very short work, just enough to show your abilities as a writer (and a researcher, as most writing requires some research). Don't put your faith in false promises and hand over more of your work than necessary. Best case: use something already published as a writing "sample." At least you've already been paid for it.

The Second Mistake of Professional Writing

Well, I've had a week to think carefully about the question, and I think I've come up with what I believe is the second mistake professional writers make. It's very tempting for an aspiring writer to just want to get his or her name out there, regardless of pay. Writing for free is a mistake that many aspiring professional writers simply don't recover from.

This mistake can take two different forms. The first is simply submitting written work in the form of articles and stories to various websites for no pay at all. There are many websites out there that will allow you to post your own work and make a little money. Even if that money is small, it's better than nothing.

The other trap aspiring writers fall into is the promise of pay at a later date. There are dozens of companies out there who will tell you that they can't afford to pay writers right now, but they'll get to it in the future. This is never true. NEVER. Even well-meaning companies don't follow through. Why pay for something you can get for free? If you volunteer your services, even once, don't expect that company to ever pay you. It simply doesn't make good business sense.

If you really want to be a professional writer, you have to treat yourself as a professional. Write for a fee, not for free. True, there may be instances where you want to donate your time, such as editing the newletter for a charitable organization, but these should be few and far between.

The First Mistake of Professional Writing

I received an e-mail this morning asking what mistakes a professional writer might make and how to avoid them. The list is long and confusing and ranges from what to avoid in a computer to what kind of clients you might seek out. However, I managed to shorten the list to five disastrous mistakes. The first of these is quite simple: don’t bite off more than you can chew.

I’ve met many aspiring professional writers who leap in with both feet and taken every job that comes along regardless of pay or who the particular client is. These writers seem to forget that while there are 24 hours in a day, no one can write 24 hours a day 7 days a week. If you take on every job that comes along, you run the risk of burning out and being unable to meet deadlines. Getting a reputation for missing deadlines is the kiss of death in the professional writing world.

Meeting deadlines is important, but there’s more to this first rule than that. Think of the beginning of your writing career as a résumé-building opportunity. Each project you finish, especially if that project is for a well-respected client, is another notch on your belt, figuratively speaking. As your experience grows and you gain a reputation for quality work, you can charge more money. You may be able to earn $60 or more per hour. However, this will not happen if you’ve committed yourself to 100 projects that pay $10 an hour.

Most professional writers are searching for the jobs that pay well. You won’t find these if you’re bogged down with all those little projects you should never have accepted in the first place. Pace yourself, know when to say “no,” and always be on the lookout for a job that you really shouldn’t turn down.

That First Draft

I’ve just finished the first draft of my third novel Thief’s Heartache, and it got me thinking about first drafts. It always feels like an accomplishment, finishing that draft, but at the same time, it feels like I’ve only just started a journey. Writing a novel is a process, and it’s one I thoroughly enjoy. However, I have to admit that pounding out that first draft isn’t a whole lot of fun.

Then it occurred to me that the first draft isn’t supposed to be fun. It’s the work part of writing a novel. The fun starts after you finish that first draft. The beauty of creating revisions, the excitement of perfecting your story, and the sheer joy of finishing your book … all these things are what makes writing so much fun for me. The first draft is only the beginning of the process.

And that beginning can be a painful one. Getting started and mastering the basics of fiction writing is no small thing. Putting those ideas on paper and getting them to take on a form that makes a certain degree of sense is not always easy, and many people have asked me where I start when tackling the maze that is the first draft. The answer isn’t necessarily what you’d expect.

I start by reading. I read something in the genre I’m attempting to write. There is endless inspiration to be found by reading the work of respected authors in your own genre. I’m a fantasy writer, so I read Robert Jordan, Terry Brooks, Lord Dunsany, JRR Tolkien, and even Mercedes Lackey. These authors, along with many others, never fail to inspire me to write.

I also keep a journal of my thoughts for a few days. I think carefully about what type of plot I might like to pursue and write everything down. Usually, somewhere in those scribbled notes I can find the basics of a novel outline. And from this outline, my first draft can emerge. And though my first draft bears little resemblance to the finished product, I can rest a little easier knowing the hardest part is done.

So how do you go about completing your own first draft? I don’t know. Everyone is different. All I can tell you is that if you don’t get through that first draft, you’ll never finish that novel.

The Need for Romance: Love as an Essential Plot Element in Fairy Tales

Love is a common and recurring theme in most fantastical literature. Whether this love exists “between brothers and sisters, fathers and daughters, older women and young maidens, brides and bridegrooms, and suitors and their bachelor friends” (McGlathery ix), romance in fairy tales catches the attention of the reader and moves the plot forward, shaping the events that occur throughout the story. Many times, love serves as an essential plot element in many fairy tales, including “The Golden Bird,” “Goblin Market,” and “Alice Brand.”

“The Golden Bird” is a tale in which the romantic element, platonic though it is, is not immediately apparent from the text itself. It is not until the end of the story, the final paragraph in fact, when the fox asks the prince “to shoot him dead and cut off his head and paws” (Zipes 222) that the fox transforms into the brother of the beautiful princess. This crucial piece of information “would seem to hold the key to the fox’s persistent devotion to his mission” (McGlathery 41). When looking back on the story with this revelation in mind, it becomes quite apparent that the fox’s love for his sister is necessary to the plot. He is determined to see his sister freed, going so far as to aid the prince repeatedly in his quest, despite having his initial advice and warnings ignored. His determination and devotion is entirely the result of his love for his captive sister, and he will go to any lengths to ensure her freedom. This same love brings about a peaceful conclusion for the fox, his sister, and the prince. Without the fox’s desire to rescue his sister from her captors, the prince might not have been successful on his journey and the story may never have happened.

It might be tempting to assume that the fox is only looking for a way to return to human form throughout the story, manipulating the prince into fulfilling his desire and mutilating his body. A close reading of the text, however, does not support this idea. Once the fox returns to human form, “nothing more was missing from their happiness as long as they lived” (Zipes 222). It is quite clear from a detailed examination of the text that the fox wants much more than simply to return to his human form. He desires a reunion with his sister above all else, and he wants this enough to cohabitate with his sister and her husband after he is released from the magical spell that had been cast over him years before. It is likely that he would not have been “content to live with the sister, even after she is married” (McGlathery 164) had he not had a true love for his sister.

The love between sisters is the catalyst for a peaceful resolution in “Goblin Market.” This first hint of this love arises when Lizzie is warning Laura that she “should not peep at goblin men” (Rossetti 49). Her fear for her sister is genuine, even before the conflict of the story becomes apparent. The love for a sister is the cause of this fear. Later in the poem, Lizzie’s love for her sister Laura is strong enough that she is willing to risk her own life by confronting the goblin men and attempting to purchase fruit from them. When the goblin men hold the fruits “against her mouth to make her eat” (Rossetti 407), Lizzie still refuses to comply, even when tormented and even tortured by the goblin men. Her love for Laura is stronger than her fear of the goblin men or the threat of what else they may do to her. Their bond as sisters is essential to the plot of the poem and is the reason Lizzie is so determined to return with the juices of the goblin fruit on her own flesh. Lizzie would be less likely to risk herself in this manner for someone she did not truly love, making love integral to the plot of “Goblin Market.”

The strength of Lizzie’s love goes far beyond simply placing her own life in jeopardy. Lizzie invites Laura to suck the juices from her flesh when she declares, “Hug me, kiss me, suck my juices” (Rossetti 468). Lizzie allows such an intimate action in the hope that it will save her sister. The sucking of the juices does seem sexual in nature but the rest of the poem, though filled with sexual imagery, in no way supports a sexual relationship between the sisters. Instead, Lizzie is offering herself to her sister, not in a sexual way, but as a sacrifice necessary for Laura’s redemption and eventual salvation. Lizzie’s sacrifice is one of love and devotion and is a sacrifice that she does not make lightly. It is this love and devotion that moves the plot forward and results in Laura’s recovery after consuming the goblin fruit.

In “Alice Brand,” the love that exists between Alice and her lover Richard is of a more romantic nature and forms the basis of the story. Richard, after killing Alice’s brother, is forced to live as an outlaw in the forest. Alice, who could blame him for her brother’s death, loves him enough to admit that the fight between Richard and her brother was “but a fatal chance” (Scott 22). Her love leads her to follow him into the forest, leading to the events that take place during the remainder of the poem.

The love Alice and Richard share results in more than simply two lovers spending their lives together in the woods. Alice’s love for Richard allows her to stand against the dwarf Urgan “void of fear” (Scott 65). Her love is strong enough to risk her own life for the sake of her beloved, much as Lizzie risked hers by confronting the goblin men in “Goblin Market.” By taking this very real risk and facing Urgan, the “hideous dwarf” (Scott 59) is finally revealed as her brother Ethert Brand. Because Ethert Brand is not dead, Alice and Richard are able to return to society and eventually marry. Were it not for Alice’s love and devotion to her lover, none of this may have come to pass.

Love and romance often have a powerful role in fairy tales. This love may be platonic, as in the case of “The Golden Bird” and “Goblin Market.” The love in these stories is chaste and non-sexual in nature, but it is also incredibly powerful, as demonstrated by the determination of both the fox and Lizzie. The love in fairy tales may also be of a more romantic and sexual nature, such as in “Alice Brand” where the bond between lovers and their dedication to each other propels the story forward. Regardless of the type of love found in any particular fairy tale, romance is often pivotal to the plot, shaping the story and controlling the final resolution while exploring human emotion. These tales of love and romance stand “as a welcome vehicle for depicting this realm of human emotional experience” (McGlathery 197).

Works Cited

McGlathery, James M. Fairy Tale Romance: The Grimms, Basile, and Perrault. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1991. Print.

Rossetti, Christina. “Goblin Market.” Representative Poetry Online. Web Development Group, Information Technology Services, University of Toronto Libraries, 2009. Web. 2 May 2011.

Scott, Walter. “Alice Brand.” The British Literary Ballad Archive. LiteraryBalladArchive.com, 2008. Web. 2 May 2011.

Zipes, Jack. “The Golden Bird.” The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm. New York: Bantam Books, 1992. 216-222. Print.

Using Literary Allusions in Your Novel

Literary allusions are figures of speech that make reference, directly or indirectly, a place, event, literary work, myth, or even a work of art. It is generally left to the reader to make the connection, though sometimes the author will clearly articulate the particular allusion. If this is the case, the allusion is more appropriately termed a “reference.”

Most of the time, the author places an allusion in a book by way of a single phrase or reference to something that is not explained to the reader. If the reader has read the work that the allusion refers to, he or she will understand the allusion. If not, the allusion might as well not exist for that particular reader.

When an author uses an allusion, it is typically done as an homage to a previous work that was written by a different author. Sometimes, an author may allude to their own previously published work, though this is less common. My own novels are full of allusions, though only someone familiar with my favorite authors would ever catch them. If you read Arianna’s Tale after reading works by JRR Tolkien, Lord Dunsany, Robert Jordan, Mercedes Lackey, or Terry Brooks, you will catch subtle references to each of their independent works. It is my way of honoring them without bringing too much attention to that fact.

When writing your own novel, you might feel the urge to make your own allusions to the work of authors you admire. There is no harm in this, and for the reader familiar with the allusions you choose, it can add depth and interest to your novel.

It is sometimes difficult to understand allusions without actually seeing on in action. For this reason, I am going to explain one of my favorite literary allusions, which can be found in Neil Gaiman’s Stardust:

“He thought of Victoria’s lips, and her grey eyes, and the sound of her laughter. He straightened his shoulders, placed the crystal snowdrop in the top buttonhole of his coat, now undone. And, too ignorant to be scared, too young to be awed, Tristran Thorn passed beyond the fields we know …” (Gaiman 54)

Much of the novel Stardust alludes to previously published work, often quite directly. In this particular passage, Gaiman is alluding to Dunsany’s The King of Elfland’s Daughter with his use of the phrase “the fields we know.” Dunsany uses this phrase frequently enough throughout The King of Elfland’s Daughter that it is instantly recognizable when it appears in Stardust.

Gaiman uses this phrase in much the same way Dunsany does, and for many of the same reasons. The words “beyond the fields we know” serve to remind the reader that Tristran is moving out of the everyday world and into the realm of Faerie. He passes from what would be acknowledged as normal into a place where nothing can be predicted and nothing is as “we know.”

In another sense, Gaiman uses this phrase to connect with the reader. By using the word “we,” Gaiman is implying that the door to Faerie, at least in Stardust, is not only found through the wall by the village of Wall, but in other places as well. The reader probably is not familiar with the fields of Wall, so using the phrase “the fields we know” might appear out of place. However, like Dunsany, Gaiman is telling the reader that his story happened in Wall, but it could have happened anywhere. Faerie is not a part of the physical world, and so it could be anywhere in “the fields we know.” This expression can resonate even with readers who unfamiliar with Dunsany and his work, including The King of Elfland’s Daughter.

Gaiman copied the phrase “beyond the fields we know” directly from The King of Elfland’s Daughter. It is certainly an homage to Dunsany, whom Gaiman mentions in his “Acknowledgments” at the end of the book. For the reader familiar with Dunsany, and likely for Gaiman himself, the use of this phrase is also a little piece of nostalgia, allowing the reader to connect Stardust directly to The King of Elfland’s Daughter.

The Art of Adopting Another’s Voice

I’ve been thinking a lot about ghostwriting lately, mostly because I’ve taken on a few ghostwriting projects. As I thought about it I realized that the real key to ghostwriting is to be able to sound like another while you write. This is actually kind of an art and not an easy thing to accomplish.

So, for those people interested in pursuing the idea of becoming a ghostwriter, how do you practice this art? I’ve found that one way to do this, at least for fiction, is to take an existing short story and rewrite it from the perspective of another character in the story. As an example, I recently was “practicing” by rewriting short stories collect by both the Brothers’ Grimm and Andrew Lang. I choose a character who doesn’t really get much to say and rewrite the same story from the perspective of that character. While I’m doing this, I read the original text and carefully try to match my tone and language to the original author. This strengthens my skills as a ghostwriter.

My latest example is from Lang’s “The Troll’s Daughter.” “The Troll’s Daughter,” in its original form, is told from the perspective of the young boy who eventually becomes an emperor. This places emphasis on the boy’s service to the troll and the eventual role that he plays in assisting the first king in repaying the debt. However, by changing the perspective of the story to that of the troll’s daughter, the focus shifts to the blossoming love between her and the youth, and their struggle to be together. It is also possible to get a deeper insight into the emotions and viewpoint of the troll’s daughter, most of which are not included in the original story.

I’ve included my “practice” here to get a better idea of what I’m talking about:

There once was a young girl who lived in a palace at the very bottom of the sea. It was a lovely palace. The chairs were made of the whitest ivory and inlaid with both gold and pearl. The rugs and cushions were brightly coloured and soft under her feet. She even had flowers and trees to enjoy and little fountains which sprang from delicate snail-shells. These fountains created music that delighted the senses.

And yet, for all of this, the girl was not happy. She spent her days wandering from room to room, sad and forlorn. She lived in terrible solitude, unable to leave her golden prison. Her father, a great troll, had locked her under the sea to keep her from everyone. She longed for the day when she would once again be free, but felt that all her hopes were in vein. Her father would never set her free.

Then one day a lad entered her palace and spoke to her. At first, she was terrified. But he spoke so kindly and so gently that she soon lost her fear of him. The lad explained how he had come to be in her palace, and that he was the servant of her troll-father. The troll had turned him into a fish and sent him to explore the sea. The girl grew to trust him and was glad of his company. But she could not yet bring herself to tell him of her father and her forced imprisonment.

So the months passed and they revelled in their time together. But the girl realized that it would not always be this way. The lad, who had now grown into a youth, must return to the troll. He had to put on the shape of a fish once again so that he might pass through the sea alive when the troll called him home. Before she would allow him to leave, however, she told him that she was the daughter of the troll he served, and that she was being held against her will. She devised a plan that would allow her to spend her life with the youth free of her underwater prison. But there was much that must be done, so she bade the youth pay her close heed.

The girl told the youth of the many kings who were in debt to her father. Those who did not pay their debts would lose their heads. One king in particular, the first king who must repay his debt, did not have the money and would surely die.

“I know that for certain,” the girl told the youth. “Now you must, first of all, give up your service with my father; the three years are past, and you are at liberty to go. You will go off with your six bushels of money, to the kingdom that I have told you of, and there enter the service of the king. When the time comes near for his debt becoming due you will be able to notice by his manner that he is ill at ease. You shall then say to him that you know well enough what it is that is weighing upon him — that it is the debt which he owes to the troll and cannot pay, but that you can lend him the money. The amount is six bushels — just what you have. You shall, however, only lend them to him on condition that you may accompany him when he goes to make the payment, and that you then have permission to run before him as a fool.

“When you arrive at the troll's abode, you must perform all kinds of foolish tricks, and see that you break a whole lot of his windows, and do all other damage that you can. My father will then get very angry, and as the king must answer for what his fool does he will sentence him, even although he has paid his debt, either to answer three questions or to lose his life. The first question my father will ask will be, ‘Where is my daughter?’ Then you shall step forward and answer ‘She is at the bottom of the sea.’ He will then ask you whether you can recognise her, and to this you will answer ‘Yes.’ Then he will bring forward a whole troop of women, and cause them to pass before you, in order that you may pick out the one that you take for his daughter. You will not be able to recognise me at all, and therefore I will catch hold of you as I go past, so that you can notice it, and you must then make haste to catch me and hold me fast. You have then answered his first question.

“His next question will be, ‘Where is my heart?’ You shall then step forward again and answer, ‘It is in a fish.’ ‘Do you know that fish?’ he will say, and you will again answer ‘Yes.’ He will then cause all kinds of fish to come before you, and you shall choose between them. I shall take good care to keep by your side, and when the right fish comes I will give you a little push, and with that you will seize the fish and cut it up. Then all will be over with the troll; he will ask no more questions, and we shall be free to wed.”

With those instructions, the youth transformed himself back into a fish and was gone. The girl could do nothing but wait. Time passed and the girl knew the king would soon have to pay his debt to the troll. Finally the day came when she was called home by her father. She was made to parade before the youth as part of a whole crowd of women. She knew the youth could not recognise her so she pinched him as she walked past to make him aware of her presence.

The youth immediately caught her around the waist and the troll had to admit that the first of his riddles had been answered.

Then the troll asked, “Where is my heart?”

“It is in a fish,” answered the youth.

The troll scoffed. “And would you know that fish?”

The youth smiled and responded, “Yes, bring it forward.”

Schools of fish were brought before the youth, and the girl made sure she was close at his side. When the right fish finally appeared, she pushed him, and he grabbed up the fish. At her urging, he drove a knife into the fish and cut out its heart. He then pierced the heart with his blade, causing the troll to fall over dead.

The girl and the youth rejoiced as the bonds set by the troll were all broken. The birds and beasts once bound by the troll were all set free. The kings did not have to repay their debts. And the girl would never again have to return to her prison in the sea.

The youth was quick to wed the girl, and he was declared the emperor of the many kings of the area. He and his empress kept the peace and ruled with wisdom and compassion. To this day, they live together in harmony and love.

Literature and Politics: The Beauty of Non-Engagement

Politics and political reality have a way of entwining themselves with every facet of our lives, including our literature. Some authors will write directly about political trends or current events. Others are more subtle, preferring to take an approach that lends itself to political non-engagement. While some may see this as socially irresponsible, the reverse is in fact true. Non-engagement is the more socially responsible approach to producing great literature.

When a piece of literature addresses a specific event, trend or political reality, it is immediately relevant. This “engaged” literature, whether poetry or prose, may be temporarily popular because it speaks to the events of the moment. Once the moment has passed, the relevancy is lost, and an otherwise beautiful piece of literature may fade into obscurity. When Stan Apps probes the nature and validity of war, challenging the reader to understand that “war is the way you have been thinking” (Apps line 9), it seems relevant and even poignant. However, in another time, one not plagued by controversial wars, religious intolerance, and a politically charged atmosphere, the reader may lose his or her ability to connect on a deeper level with the poem. While “VI” will always remain a beautiful piece of literature, it may eventually lose its relevancy by speaking too closely to the era in which it was written.

On the other hand, literature that does not engage with a specific political reality has the benefit of relating to many different political trends and events. Kafka’s The Castle, for example, describes a world disconnected with any specific political reality. The town has no name, the castle itself is ambiguous at best, and only a single initial represents the principle character. He does not even have a true identity. Yet, when reading The Castle, it is possible to connect it to a variety of different political or bureaucratic situations that have occurred throughout the twentieth century and beyond. The Castle could be read as expressing the irony of bureaucracy, both as it is now and as it existed in previous eras. It might also be seen “as a critique of industrial society, of exploitation, alienation, bourgeois morality – of capitalism, in a word” (Kundera 106). Kafka, simply by creating a story that is the very embodiment of political non-engagement, has produced a literary work that can apply to all political realities. A work that does not attempt to address a particular event or trend is open to interpretation, and as such can relate to almost any situation. In Kafka’s case, non-engagement has fashioned a piece of literature with an enduring and timeless quality that many engaged works simply do not possess.

Creating a literary work that does not engage with political trends is not the same thing as ignoring political reality. Instead, literature is at its best when not engaged with current events or trends, especially in a political sense. The beauty of non-engagement is that it allows the reader to relate to the text regardless of the current political climate. The Castle, which is arguably one of the best examples of literature that is non-engaged from political reality, has emergent themes that enable the reader to apply it to any era. The reader can come to his or her own conclusion regarding the overall issue of the work, and therefore has more value in the particular piece of literature than the author has. The author of such a work is taking a backseat and allowing the reader to engage with the current political reality by not engaging during the process of writing. This makes literary work that exhibits non-engagement even more socially responsible than engagement. By creating a piece of literature that is applicable in any era and can be interpreted to apply to many different social-political situations, the writer is acknowledging political reality and being politically responsible.

This is not to say that a writer has any political responsibility. Writers can write for a variety of reasons. Writing political stories or poems is a choice, as is the decision to engage or not engage with political trends. However, if a writer chooses to remain non-engaged from a specific political reality, he or she has the unique opportunity to create a piece of literature that is relevant in all times and speaks to many different events and trends. In this way, non-engagement is the more socially responsible way to engage the reader in both the language of the piece and the issues it can address.

Works Cited

Apps, Stan. “VI.” God’s Livestock Policy. Los Angeles: Les Figues Press, 2008.

Kafka, Franz. The Castle. Ed. Mark Harman. New York: Schocken Books, 1988.

Kundera, Milan. “Somewhere Behind.” The Art of the Novel. New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2003.

Brief Review of “Mother Superior,” by Saleema Nawaz, published in Mother Superior: Stories

You can use short stories to practice writing a novel. To do this, you should look at some good examples of short stories. The stories in Mother Superior, while fairly normal in nature, are well written and interesting. If there's one flaw in these stories, it's that many of them, including "Mother Superior," are quite predictable in nature. However, this isn't always a bad thing.

In the short story “Mother Superior,” by Saleema Nawaz, the narrator is a lesbian secretly in love with a young pregnant woman by the name of Joan. While this story is simple and presents relevant information in a straightforward and sensible manner, it is nonetheless quite predictable in regards to plot. Additionally, there is little insight given into characters other than the narrator.

Both the language and style of this story are almost painfully simple. Her vocabulary and even sentence structure are bare and to the point. This allows the reader to perhaps give more attention to the story itself, and a little less to the exact form with which it is presented. Given the controversial subject matter, from homosexuality to a mother-to-be who smokes and drinks alcohol, this basic approach seems quite appropriate.

Nawaz quite carefully arranges the information in “Mother Superior,” likely in an attempt to disguise the exact plot of the story. She certainly gives enough detail for the reader to understand what is happening in the moment, but no more than that. For example, it is quite necessary to understand that the narrator is a lesbian, as indicated on page 1, but to reveal any more of her motivations in regards to Joan would give the plot away far too soon.

Furthermore, in regards to Larry and his character, Nawaz reveals that Larry “…begins to weep…” (Nawaz 9) when Joan first goes into labor, leaving the reader to infer that he is not very enthusiastic about the impending birth. While the author does not state that Larry will leave immediately before the birth of the baby, it is implied. It is not until the following page that Nawaz reveals that Larry did indeed desert Joan. Nawaz’s decision to delay the revelation of information at many points in the story provides a method by which to keep the reader engaged.

Despite the attempt to hide the plot, the basic story of “Mother Superior” is easy enough to discern early on from the text. The core of the story, which is the attraction of the narrator to Joan, may unfold across ten pages, but it becomes quite predictable by page 2. Nawaz first gives an indication of this attraction when she writes, “Joan used to think I’d go to hell for being a lesbian, but now she thinks I’ll make it to purgatory because I’m practically a nun anyway” (Nawaz 1). While the narrator is supposedly paraphrasing something Joan had said to her, this information can lead the reader to conclusions that are confirmed later in the story. The reference to sexual orientation and the narrator’s lack of sexual activity on the first page of the tale indicates that this has some relevance to the plot. Since “Mother Superior” was written in a time when stories of unrequited love abounded, it could easily be assumed that this single quote might indicate such a theme, regardless of any other facts the story might present.

Nawaz quickly gives additional hints to the narrator’s feelings when she reveals that the narrator looks forward to the day when it can be “just the two of us” (Nawaz 2). This is in reference to Joan, and combined with the statement from page 1, gives the reader the definite feeling that the narrator is strongly attracted to Joan. Not long after this, the narrator plainly thinks that the man who has entered Joan’s life, Larry, should just disappear as she wishes “…for this to really be a convent…” (Nawaz 5) so that she might be alone with Joan. This only reinforces the idea that Joan likely does not return the narrator’s feelings, and that the narrator feels as if the only way she can have Joan in any way at all is if she has Joan completely to herself.

However, it is really impossible to be sure of Joan’s feelings and motivations. As “Mother Superior” is written from the first person point of view, there is very little insight into her thoughts and motivations; what insight is given is skewed by the perceptions of the narrator, so the reader never really knows the truth about Joan. While the reader may desire additional information about Joan, the story itself is about the narrator and her feelings. For the reader, Joan is a secondary character, despite appearing on every page. Nawaz effectively puts the reader directly into the story, first by her choice of voice, but also by denying the narrator a name. Without a name, the reader becomes the narrator. Given the content, first person narration is particularly suitable.

“Mother Superior” is an interesting mix of simplicity and controversy. Its use of a particular narrative voice and the careful and studied revelation of detail keeps the reader engaged and interested, even when the plot becomes obvious.

Works Cited

Nawaz, Saleema. Mother Superior: Stories. Calgary: Freehand Books, 2008.

Writing a Novel: The Horror Genre

There are many easily identifiable fiction genres on the market today. One of the most popular genres of literature is horror fiction. This genre, which has the ability to frighten its readers and induce feelings of horror, is closely related to crime fiction, dark fantasy, and thrillers. Horror fiction may be either supernatural or not, depending on the subgenre.

Characteristics of Horror Fiction

The defining trait of horror fiction is the response it provokes. A good horror novel evokes some type of psychological, emotional, or even physical reaction that causes some degree of fear in the reader. Authors of horror fiction will use a variety of techniques to accomplish this goal, usually involving a monster of some kind. Often this monster will be supernatural in nature, such as a werewolf, vampire, ghost, or mummy. However, more realistic are sometimes used to the same effect, usually in the form of a serial killer.

The entire genre is built upon a very particular kind of fear — the fear of the unknown. This can be accomplished in many different ways. If a book manages to terrify and even horrify the reader, it can be effectively classified as horror fiction.

Writing Horror Fiction

Creating your own work of horror isn’t necessarily as easy as it sounds. You have to be able to frighten your audience, and readers simply are not easily scared. However, if you think about what frightens people in general, you’ll have a place to start. Get out a notebook and jot down some of those things that elicit a feeling of dread — creepy crawlies, things that go bump in the night, and even something as simple as the dark. Then expand on these things. Keep your notebook with you and keep track of those things that cause you to jump. If you’re afraid of it, chances are someone else is too.

You’ll also have to choose a monster. Start by deciding if you’re interested in creating a human monster or the more supernatural variety. If your “bad guy” is human, he needs to be absolutely terrifying. He must be so far beyond what is considered normal human behavior that your readers are really and truly freaked out. Otherwise, you might find yourself in the wrong genre.

If you choose werewolves, vampires, or other supernatural monsters, you’ll need to be equally careful, but for different reasons. These monsters have all been done before (just take a look at your local bookstore), so attracting an audience and keeping them entertained can be a challenge. Try to put a new spin on some old favorites and you might have found your niche.

Setting is as important in horror novels as it is in any other type of book. You’ll be tempted to use the old favorites — graveyard, dark basement, lonely attic — but try to think outside the box. Everyone expects something bad to happen in a graveyard. Try using a sunlit garden or resort beach. If you are using traditional horror locations, try to do something unique to catch and hold the interest of your reader.

Using Gore in Horror Fiction

There’s often a debate regarding how graphic a horror novel should be. It’s really a matter of satisfying your audience while staying within the bounds of good taste. If you’re writing for children or young people, you need to be cautious. While even children like to be scared, you don’t want to be too explicit. Keep your descriptions general and use vague terms when crafting horror for children.

Adults expect more of everything. They pick up a novel described as “horror” and they expect more gore and more fear. Almost anything goes when writing for an audience comprised purely of adults, so let your fingers fly and create intricate and explicit scenes while writing. However, don’t be gross. If you can’t write well enough to avoid being vulgar, then you probably shouldn’t be tackling a genre as challenging as horror.

The horror genre is exciting, thrilling, and terrifying. It involves creating engaging plots, frightening your readers, and generally having a good time. If you choose to write horror fiction, you will find that you have almost limitless possibilities.

Writing a Novel: The Length of a Novel

When writing a novel, there are many things to be concerned with. Creating realistic characters. Coming up with an engaging plot. And writing something long enough to be considered a novel. Let’s face it, 2500 words isn’t a novel. A short story, maybe. But if your goal is to write a novel, you’ll have to have some idea of how long your work may eventually be.

How Long Should My Novel Be?

The length of a novel really varies depending on your audience. Specifically, you’ll need to consider the age of your average reader. If you’re focusing on children’s novels, keep in mind the attention span of new readers. You’ll want to keep your story relatively short, perhaps 15,000 to 40,000 words. Any longer and children under 10 years of age may be intimidated.

Older children, up to about age 14 or so, might be interested in longer books. But most of them are still not ready to tackle a full-length novel. These readers will expect a more complex plot, however, which usually means a longer book. A story from 50,000 to 75,000 words will satisfy their craving for a longer book without overwhelming them.

Teenagers and young adults are much more difficult to judge. Some of them are still reading 50,000 word novels, while others have moved onto adult books and ideas. It really depends on the person. Writing specifically for this age bracket is tricky, so don’t try. Those who are still reading fiction for children will continue reading fiction for children. The teenagers who are ready for specific adult genres, such as western fiction or romance, will make the effort to tackle longer works.

So how long should adult genre fiction be? The word count for a full-length can vary, but if you’re hoping to be published, you should be aware that most publishing houses won’t even look at your book if it’s below 80,000 words. This is a good minimum if you’re writing genre fiction.

Identifying a healthy maximum is more difficult. In general, your book will be as long as it needs to be. You may intend to write 100,000 words, then find that it took many more words to really tell your story. On the other hand, you may fall far short of your goal and struggle to create a novel of 80,000 words. There is no magic number.

That said, most novels will run about 100,000 to 105,000 words. This will typically give you an approximately 300-page book. A little shorter or longer doesn’t make much of a difference. However, some books run quite a bit longer, 150,000 words or more. These tend to be epic novels and are found in many different genres. Some examples include The Lord of the Rings and Pillars of the Earth. These are very long books (The Lord of the Rings was originally intended to be published as a single volume), but it works. So, if you’re writing an epic, and notice your word count approaching 200,000 words or even more, don’t worry about it. Epics do that sometimes.

How Long Will It Take to Write a Full-Length Novel?

This is a question I’m often asked and can rarely answer with any real accuracy. There are an incredible number of factors involved. Do you have a fully developed story or will you have to spend six months just ironing out the details? How quickly do you type? How many days a week can you devote simply to writing your book? The answers will dictate how long it will take you to complete your novel.

As an example, assume that you’re writing a 100,000-word novel. Also assume that you’re going to write 1000 words a day, 5 days a week. At that rate, it will take you approximately 5 months to write your story. That doesn’t include editing, revising, or encountering the dreaded writer’s block. If you can’t write 5 days a week, or you write slower than 1000 words a day, it will take you longer.

How long it takes isn’t necessarily the issue, nor is the relative length of your book. While there are authors who write 4 or more novels in a year, others produce only a single novel in that same time. And these works will all vary in length. If you’ve told your story in a way your intended audience will appreciate, then it doesn’t really matter how long it took or how many words your word processor tells you the novel is.

If the novel is too long, edit some of it out during the revision process. If it’s too short, give the reader some more information in crucial areas of the story. Either way, make sure you stay true to your story, telling your story with as many words as it takes.

Writing a Novel: The Western Fiction Genre

There are dozens of fiction genres on the market, from science fiction to fantasy. Western fiction is really part of the historic fiction genre, but it is distinctive enough to warrant its own category. The popularity of western fiction dates back to the dime novels of the late 1800s. They were considered romantic to those living on the east coast and featured gunslingers, heroes, and the exoticism of the Wild West.

What is Western Fiction?

It might be simple to state that a book, which claims to be western fiction, must take place west of the Mississippi River before the dawn of the 20th century. This might be an accurate description, but if you want to write western fiction, you’ll have to become aware of what fans of this intriguing genre are looking for in a good book.

Avid readers of western fiction will know whether you’re even attempting to be historically accurate. They’ll notice those errors that could have been avoided by a few minutes of research and won’t be very forgiving. Before you put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), do yourself a favor and sit down for a little research session.

You’ll want to get the right feel for your book. Westerns will naturally be rougher and less refined than an historic novel set in Victorian England, for example. The characters will be tougher, nature less forgiving, and the tows much simpler.

Finally, you need to make sure that you’re focusing on your hero (or heroine, as the case may be). Westerns are typically about the journey of the hero and less about-facing some great evil. While there’s nothing wrong with having a “big-bad” in your story, readers of western fiction are looking for more than a showdown. They’re intelligent people who are searching for realistic characters, plot, and an exciting conclusion. Don’t let them down.

Can I Use Historic Figures in My Novel?

The idea behind using historic figures in western fiction is a valid one. You’ll engage readers who know something about your real-life character and get the chance to enlighten those people who maybe didn’t even know Annie Oakley or Bill the Kid were real people. And it can be fun and exciting to recreate characters from centuries past.

However, choosing to include historic characters in your book can also present difficulties you may not be prepared for. Generally, fans of western fiction will know a great deal about historic characters. If you get something wrong, people are going to notice, and these people are going to be annoyed.

If you want to include historic characters without incurring the wrath of your readers, do so sparingly and with care. Unless you’re willing to do countless hours of research and spend many hours refining your ideas, don’t write about well-documented events. Look through the known history of Billy the Kid (or whoever the character is) and look for lapses. If there’s a period of time when little or nothing was recorded, that’s where you can get creative, at least within reason. Don’t change important dates or locations, but if you can sneak in some of your own details here and there, you’ll have a more interesting book.

Western fiction is exciting, rough, and fun. Pick your era, do your research, and start writing. Before you know it, you’ll have become an author within the western fiction genre.