Chomping at the bit.
At this point, I'm just fighting furiously to keep from jumping into the novel. I might not need to wait till November. I do hope that whenever I begin the novel that I use the NaNoWriMo method of a writing quantity goal and no rewrites till it's all done. That's why I'm trying to do all the research now.
But while I do the research, little plotletts keep bubbling up in the back recesses of my mind. Characters as well. Do I begin to write character bios on my blog? Will that be giving too much away? I rather feel like character bios would be more like the characters people develop via fantasy role-playing games. They might be of great use to another player who wants to steal them, but really it's all in the play. No two of us would play our fantasy characters the same. No two of us would write the same character into the same plot.
Along with the ideas come the doubts. If I am ever to be able to pull this novel off, will I be able to birth another after that? All my life, I have dreamed of being a novelist. I love to read. I have plenty of fantasies. But do I have what it takes? It wasn't until I heard Jodi Picoult speak at our local library that I realized that there are other minds that think like mine. That people might even want to read an "ethical novel." That's my own term. I like it. It describes many of Jodi Picoult's novels. Wrapped around a plot that is seemingly just a generic novel is a deep ethical question. She doesn't necessarily give you a conclusion, but you certainly have a lot to think about when she is done. Her books are challenging, but not to the point where you are put off by the work.
Can I do that? Well, if I don't try, I'll never know. DH tells me that I might be biting off more than I can chew. Don't most novelists start with short stories? Why don't you write this as a short story? Why go for a novel first?
This? A short story? You know, now that I think of it, I don't see as many short fiction pieces in magazines as I used to? Is the art of short stories being lost or is the audience not captured? What gives?
Anyway, this is a novel. My last nanowrimo might have been usable as a short story, but not this one. Maybe some day I will revisit the last one and see if I can shorten it. Probably not. More than likely, my whole problem is that I'm way too verbose.
But while I do the research, little plotletts keep bubbling up in the back recesses of my mind. Characters as well. Do I begin to write character bios on my blog? Will that be giving too much away? I rather feel like character bios would be more like the characters people develop via fantasy role-playing games. They might be of great use to another player who wants to steal them, but really it's all in the play. No two of us would play our fantasy characters the same. No two of us would write the same character into the same plot.
Along with the ideas come the doubts. If I am ever to be able to pull this novel off, will I be able to birth another after that? All my life, I have dreamed of being a novelist. I love to read. I have plenty of fantasies. But do I have what it takes? It wasn't until I heard Jodi Picoult speak at our local library that I realized that there are other minds that think like mine. That people might even want to read an "ethical novel." That's my own term. I like it. It describes many of Jodi Picoult's novels. Wrapped around a plot that is seemingly just a generic novel is a deep ethical question. She doesn't necessarily give you a conclusion, but you certainly have a lot to think about when she is done. Her books are challenging, but not to the point where you are put off by the work.
Can I do that? Well, if I don't try, I'll never know. DH tells me that I might be biting off more than I can chew. Don't most novelists start with short stories? Why don't you write this as a short story? Why go for a novel first?
This? A short story? You know, now that I think of it, I don't see as many short fiction pieces in magazines as I used to? Is the art of short stories being lost or is the audience not captured? What gives?
Anyway, this is a novel. My last nanowrimo might have been usable as a short story, but not this one. Maybe some day I will revisit the last one and see if I can shorten it. Probably not. More than likely, my whole problem is that I'm way too verbose.
posted by dsimom @ 11:15 AM
2 Comments:
At 1:35 PM,
Rachel said…
Having succesfully completed exactly one Nanowrimo, here are my thoughts ...
-- outlining plot is a good thing (v. helpful when you get stuck on a particular day's 1700 word count)
-- knowing who your characters are is extremely helpful (bios are a great idea)
-- timelines can be good, esp. if there is a lot of history that won't show up in the actual story
DH is full of, um, wait -- does he read this? :) I have no idea what "most novelists" do. Short stories are entirely different animals than novels; going from one to the other isn't necessarily a logical step. This is not like getting ready to run a marathon!
Nano is, to some extent, about jumping in the deep end and doing your best to swim out.
Besides, 50K is (technically speaking) a novella, not a novel or a short story. Hah!
As to the whys and wherefores of short fiction (and lack thereof), my understanding is that the audience for magazine-based short fiction is not what it used to be, and it's hard to pay writers enough for short fiction to make it worth their while. However, there is still a lot of short fiction being published in collections ... well, "a lot" as defined by me, so who knows what that means. Never mind that I mostly read science fiction and fantasy. So basically I know nothing hard-facts about short fiction publishing rate changes! :)
At 10:25 AM,
Bookhorde said…
Toldya, if you get a livejournal you can lock your posts so only a select number of people can read them (named "friends"). [/nag]
Anyway, do you read short stories? I don't, therefore there is no way I could/would want to write one. It's an entirely different form.
Character bios are a good idea. Basic questions for each character include:
1) What does the character want (most)?
2) What does the character fear (most)?
3) What can temp the character to give up what she wants?
How about letting your characters write their biops in your blog? (or livejournal, *cough*nag*cough*)
Last thought: There's no right wau to write a novel. Whatever works for you is the right way.
--alyn--
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