Practice Writing: Many Beginnings

You can't get good at something unless you practice, practice, practice. This is true of just about everything, including beginning a story. If you want to improve the beginnings you write, you must practice writing beginnings over and over again. You have to practice different types of beginnings as well.


To practice, pick a beginning you have already written or write a new beginning to a story that is burning to be written. There are no rules to this beginning at first. Just get it down on paper, or on the computer screen, as the case may be.


Now take this beginning and rewrite it several times. Start by rewriting it in a way that puts your main character in the middle of the action. Make sure this beginning leaves the reader with at least one unanswered question, but it should not be confusing. Action, not confusion. Tweak your beginning several times until you have accomplished this.


Rewrite it again, but this time not with a main character performing an action. Instead, begin your story by focusing on an important thing, place, or animal. Make your beginning full of description. Bring it to life with your words. But also include some type of catalyst. Maybe the location or thing is what springs the story into action. Maybe it's the motivation for your main character. Whatever it is, try to begin the story absent any actual characters. It may not always be a practical way to begin a story, but it's good practice.


Begin the story again, but this time try being funny. Write amusing lines or anecdotes. Have characters amused by everything. Intrigue the reader with all that is funny. Make sure this leads to interest. Keep the reader reading by amusing while at the same time leaving questions unanswered.


Finally, rewrite the story beginning by adding an essay or prologue. Perhaps it's the main character reflecting on what happens in the story before you actually get to telling the story. Perhaps it's the narrator giving information that the reader needs in order to understand the story that will follow. It might just be the history of the setting you're using. It doesn't matter. Begin with exposition. It may sound dreary sometimes, but it can also be helpful..


Look back on the beginnings you've written. They should all be to the same basic story, but they will vary dramatically. Return to these beginnings. Pursue them. See which one takes you further. Perhaps you are now well on your way to writing a novel.

Practice Writing: Omniscient Point of View

The last writing exercise I posted focused on point of view. This one expands on that. So go back and either do the Point of View Exercise, or retrieve one of the scenes you may have created during that exercise. This is the starting point for the Omniscient Point of View Exercise. You should use one of the scenes that is in first person, or create an entirely new scene, still in first person, if you would prefer. You could even start with a passage written by someone else, as long as it's in first person.

Take your passage, which should already be in first person, and rewrite it so that it is now in third person limited. This won't change the passage all that much. You're not shifting much more than a few words, so this part is easy. First person has much in common with third person limited, after all.

Now convert the passage from the first person limited point of view to the omniscient point of view. This time the narration will change considerably because the narrator can see all events, even those the character has no knowledge of. The narrator also knows the thoughts of everyone in the story, which will, of necessity, alter the very nature of the scene.

Now go back to the original scene and rewrite it again. This time you will remain in first person, but you'll change the nature of the character to be someone who lies. Have the character lie effectively to the reader, and then reveal the lie.

Rewrite the scene with the lie in the third person limited. This time, because there is at least a little distance between narrator and character, the lie is not so easily revealed. In fact, it may not be revealed at all. It is here that a real difference between first person and third person limited can be discovered.

Finally, take the first person scene with the lie and rewrite it from the omniscient point of view. This time, purely because of the point of view, the lie is known from the start. The narrator, after all, knows everything. From this point of view, truly deceiving the reader is difficult, sometimes impossible. You can mislead, perhaps, but even so, you'll have to keep yourself far from the mind of the character who knows the truth of the lie. Such is the nature of the omniscient point of view.

Take a look at the variety of scenes you have produced. All are similar in that the same things are happening, but they are also quite different. It is through these scenes that you can get a real feel for the different points of view. This will help you better understand which point of view will best work for your story.

And you should always use what works best for the story you want to tell.

Practice Writing: Point of View

Point of view is something that you don't really understand, from a writer's perspective, until you've experimented with it a little. To do this you first need a story idea (or at least a single scene) and three different characters. Spend some time developing your characters before you continue with this exercise. Well-developed characters will enhance the exercise and better help you understand the nuances of point of view.

Once you have three characters and a scene for these three character to actually be in, it's time to write the scene. It doesn't have to be more than a page. Keep it short because you'll be rewriting it several times. Start by writing the scene from your point of view. This is a good thing to keep on hand as you move through the different points of view. It will act as your reference. Remember, the scene must be exactly the same each time. It is only the writing of it that will change.

Once you have your 'master scene', it's time to experiment with point of view. Rewrite the scene three separate times, each time using a different character as the point-of-view character. The same things will happen, but as you experience the scene through the lens of each individual character, you will notice subtle variations. Character #1 notices things that Character #2 takes no note of. Character #3 is so obsessed with how others perceive her that she barely notices anything at all. The thoughts and emotions of each character will have a clear impact on the overall narrative.

If your characters are fleshed out and alive (on the page, of course), each and every scene will be different. Oh, the sequence of events will be the same, but what each character focuses on, the things they care about, and their independent thoughts will greatly change the narrative. Play around with this a few times and you'll quickly see what I mean.

Practice Writing: The Power of Descriptive Writing

Descriptive writing is the backbone of fiction. Think about it. If you don't describe anything at all in any way at all, you've really got nothing to work with. But describing anything is based almost entirely on a certain point of view. How I would describe a woman and how my main character would describe that same woman would inevitably be different (unless I am my main character, which I'm not). Not only do our own personal filters determine how we describe a character, but what he or she is doing will also make a difference. To understand this, try the exercise below.

Start by describing a woman. She's not doing anything, not moving, just standing there. Describe her, then read what you wrote. Because she's not doing anything, you probably focused exclusively on her physical characteristics. If she's not doing anything, there's not much else to describe.

Now take that same woman and describe her tending her garden. She looks exactly the same and she's wearing the same clothing, but now she's actually doing something. Describe her, then read what you wrote. This time you probably described what she was doing and how she was doing it. There will probably still be some physical description, but now that the woman is in action, there's a great deal more to focus on.

Time to throw emotion into the mix. Take the same woman doing the same thing (tending her garden), but this time you know how she feels. She's happy. Describe her tending her garden while she's happy. Notice how your description differs once again.

Finally, describe this same woman tending her garden while she is happy and you are feeling sad. Notice how your own emotions color your character descriptions. This is important to note because most of the time, at least if you're writing mainstream fiction, the author shouldn't really be all that present. Unless you are a part of the story, readers don't need to know that you're sad, angry, happy, or anything else.

So why is the above exercise important? Well, it helps you see how what your characters are doing and feeling have a great impact on how you present your characters to your readers. Developing your characters is a complex process, one that takes time and focus. Practice makes perfect, so work at it until you get it right.

Fiction Writing Rubrics: Scoring Your Own Novel

Every novel needs critical feedback. And I do mean every novel. I don't care if you're writing your first novel or have published 10 already. You have to think critically about your novel, assessing its strengths and weaknesses, so that you can constantly improve your writing.

Creative writing students will recognize rubrics from class. These are what your instructors use as a guide to marking fiction. Since fiction is notoriously difficult to mark, a rubric can at least standardize the process and take some of the emotion out of evaluating fiction. Rubrics are used every day in a classroom setting.

But fiction created for class is not the only fiction and needs a fair evaluation. Novels must be both evaluated and scored before you even think of submitting it to anyone. Whether you seek out a traditional publisher or decide to self-publish, a manuscript that hasn't been evaluated is not ready for the public eye. Not even the eyes of an editor, and certainly not the eyes of a publisher.

But how do you go about scoring your novel? Well, you use a rubric very much like a classroom instructor would. But novels are longer and more involved than the short stories most instructors have you write, so they require a slightly different rubric. Use the questions and guidelines below to help you score your novel. Or, even better, have someone you trust score it for you. But not just anyone. Your cousin who's never read anything except comic books? Probably not a good choice. If you've written a fantasy novel but your mother has only ever read romance, she's probably not the right person either. You need someone who can offer constructive feedback and has knowledge of the genre. If you can't find someone who fits this description, score the book yourself.

Novel-Writing Rubric

Score each question according to the following guidelines by giving it a number from 1 to 5.

1. Not present
2. Present but not addressed
3. Addressed but needs additional detail or clarity
4. Well done, but needs a little polishing
5. Excellent and vividly written

Description

• Does the novel show instead of tell by engaging the five senses?
• Are descriptions powerful and vivid but delivered in short bursts?
• Have you avoided cliches except where appropriate to the story and the character?

Setting

• Is the setting appropriate to the characters and the genre of the novel?
• Is the time frame both clear and appropriate to your novel?
• Does the chronology of the novel make sense to the reader?

Main Characters

• Is your protagonist clearly established early on?
• Is your antagonist a worthy adversary?
• Do all your main characters behave consistently and have believable motives?
• Are physical descriptions conveyed clearly without overburdening the reader with description?
• Do your characters express their personalities through actions and words (avoiding large blocks of exposition)?
• Is your point of view consistent and does it fit with the novel?
• Do your main characters make up most of the scenes in the book?

Minor Characters

• Do your minor characters have consistent personalities?
• Are minor characters developed enough to be believable?
• Do your minor characters stay in the background except when they're actually a part of the action (they shouldn't take over a scene)?

Plot

• Does the plot flow smoothly and consistently from beginning to end?
• Do any subplots detract from the main plot of the novel?
• Is the conflict appropriate and believable?
• Does the conflict engage readers?
• Does the beginning of the book grab readers and encourage them to keep reading?
• Does the rising action of your plot lead naturally to the final crisis?
• Is the final crisis believable?
• Are all plots and subplots wrapped up by the end of the novel?
• Is there an underlying theme of your novel?

Structure

• Does your novel have a clearly defined beginning, middle, and end?
• Do the plot, characters, and setting interact to make the entire story more believable?

Use these questions to see how well you've constructed your novel. Once you've done this, you can go back and see where you need to make adjustments. Anything with less than a 4 needs work. 4s should be polished to become 5s if possible, but I think every author will tell you that having a 4 here and there is something we all just learn to live with. You might want to consider evaluating each chapter on its own so that you can really isolate the little problems that crop up.

Remember to be honest when evaluating your own book. It's not easy to be critical, but the entire process will only make your novel stronger.

Writing a Novel: Using Short Stories as Practice

Writing a novel is a challenging task, regardless of genre, characters, plot, or word count. Taking fiction from conception to completion takes talent, dedication, creativity, and a little bit of luck. It takes practice to be able to weave something as complex as a novel. And one of the best ways to practice the art of novel writing is to start with short stories.

Why Should I Practice Writing a Novel?

Most people have to practice a skill to become experts, even those people born with a natural aptitude for their craft. Doctors aren’t born knowing how to perform surgery. They need years of schooling and practice before they can be considered surgeons. Lawyers need practice law to really get a feel for it. And novelists need to practice putting words together in a way that tells the story that needs to be told in an exciting and coherent fashion.

Short stories provide the best platform for this practice since they are like novels in many respects. Short stories and novels both require realistic characters, a coherent plot, and settings that make sense. The details of a short story are just as important as those in a novel, perhaps more so. In a short story, you have fewer words to convey the entire arc of your tale, so you have to learn to make the best use of your word count.

Your short story will also need to engage your readers right from the beginning just like a novel. You’ll have to weave your story to a climax just like a novel. And you’ll have to resolve the conflict in your short story just like a novel. A short story follows the same basic design as a novel, except for the length. Therefore, short stories are a great way to practice creating a comprehensive story.

The Advantages of Using Short Stories to Practice Novel Writing

There are many advantages to starting with short stories. They’re shorter, for one thing, so you’ll be finished with it that much sooner. Most of the other parts of perfecting your story will also take less time. Revising and editing, for example, will be much faster with a 10,000-word short story than a 100,000-word novel. And you’ll have an easier time convincing friends and family to read your story if it’s shorter. This means you’ll be able to gather opinions regarding your story without having to bribe anyone to read an entire novel.

The shorter word count has another advantage. With such limited space, usually less than 10,000 words, you have to be very careful regarding what information you include. It tightens your writing, forcing you master the art of conveying information without rambling. You’ll have to plan your story carefully, and this can only benefit your skill as a novelist.

Finally, the market for short stories has expanded exponentially in recent years. The Internet allows you to distribute your story and possibly even make money on it simply by making it available to consumers through websites such as SmashWords. This means that you can sell several short stories while you’re pitching your novel to publishers. Some authors even make more money on short stories than they do on novels.

Short stories are an excellent way to practice before you begin writing your first novel. Short fiction gives you the opportunity to hone your craft and expand into genres you may not have otherwise attempted. The decision to practice the art of novel writing can only improve your skill.

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.