5 Important Things I Wish I'd Known About Novel Writing By Colleen M. Story, August 23rd, 2020 I received my...
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5 Important Things I Wish I'd Known About Novel Writing
By Colleen M. Story, August 23rd, 2020
I received my first publishing contract in 2013. But for over a decade before that, I labored over manuscript after manuscript, failing to reach my goal.
I floundered around for years because I didn’t know what I was doing.
Most writers are self-taught at least to some extent, but there’s a difference between practicing and experimenting and simply wasting your time because you don’t know what you don’t know.
Looking back, I can now identify five important things I’ve learned that I wish I knew when I started writing novels. Had I known these things, I believe I might have reached my goal of attaining a publishing contract well before I did.
By the way, these things apply whether you’re seeking a publishing contract or plan to self-publish—either way, you need to create a quality novel that readers will want to curl up with.
1. The hero/heroine must take an active role in the story.
In one of my first novel-length manuscripts, there was always something happening to my heroine, but she wasn’t doing much to affect her destiny. She was the victim in most circumstances, being buffeted about by what others were doing and by the particular ways of her world.
Unfortunately, this sort of limp-toast heroine is not one readers can identify with for very long. They may feel sorry for her initially, but eventually, they will grow tired of her non-action and become bored with the story—the last thing you want to have happen.
How to turn it around:
If you notice your heroes are a little too much like victims in your story, turn it around by finding out what your hero wants. Desire is a great motivator, so as long as the hero wants something significant enough that it’s worthy of a novel-length story, you won’t fall into the passive-hero trap.
2. There must be a compelling antagonist.
In my early novel attempts, the “bad guys” were often monsters chasing my heroes around and always showing up at inopportune times to provide a little action. The problem was that after they showed up for about the third time, the action had become routine, and there was nothing new to explore.
Of course there are convincing monster stories—Jaws comes to mind—and there are ways to make monsters compelling, as long as the writer does so purposefully. It’s often a mistake of new writers, however, to focus most of their creative energy on the hero and not nearly enough on the antagonist.
How to turn it around:
Today, I don’t even bother starting a new novel until I know who the antagonist is, because I understand that this character is likely the most important one in the story.
A compelling antagonist challenges your heroine, tries to prevent her from getting what she wants, and adds most of the excitement and intrigue to the story. If you have a good antagonist, often everything else will fall into place.
3. Story structure is critical.
When I started writing novels, I knew very little about story structure. Worse, I wasn’t wise enough to understand that I needed a lot more education in this area before I could expect to write a publishable novel.
Part of the issue: I was and still am a “pantser,” meaning I typically write without an outline. I typically start with an idea of my main character and what he/she wants, then see where my imagination takes me. Unfortunately, before I understood about story structure, my imagination often ended up dumping me about halfway through the book, when things became too muddled for me to go on.
It wasn’t until I went to my first writer’s conference that I realized what I’d been missing. It’s not just about three acts, rising action, or the climax, though these are all part of it. It’s about being able to sketch your story in a logical sequence that makes sense even to someone without the time to read your book.
A lack of story structure is one of the main reasons novels are rejected by agents and editors. Anyone can write a compelling opening. Anyone can have a great idea or theme. It’s the pro writers who can take a story and follow it through to its logical conclusion while keeping a reader’s interest along the way.
How to turn it around:
Learn everything you can about story structure as soon as possible! You can read about it, take classes, and work with a mentor if you like. I’ve done all three and they were all helpful.
Keep in mind that learning about story structure doesn’t mean you have to outline if you don’t want to. It just means that you understand the important elements of a good story—then you can work those in through whatever writing process works best for you.
Here are a few books on story structure I highly recommend:
- The Anatomy of Story, by John Truby
- Story Structure Architect, by Victoria Lynn Schmidt, Ph.D.
- Blueprint Your Bestseller, by Stuart Horowitz
4. Each book must stand alone.
One of the most common mistakes I see writers making with series—and which I made early on, too—is breaking one book into two or three. My first book mentor taught me not to do this. I had planned a trilogy and sent her the first book of the three for a critique.
In my mind, I saw all three stories as one story, and I expected the reader would go from one to the next to find out what happened. My mentor promptly freed me of this mistaken perception! It was fine to have the same characters in all three books, and fine to have overarching plotlines that would hold them all together, but “each book must stand alone,” she said.
I disagreed at first, but then I realized the wisdom of what she was trying to teach me. Each book must have a satisfying climax and resolution. You can’t leave the reader hanging.
If you’ve ever read a book in a series and had the plot drop off at the end because the author expected you to get the next book (as I have), you understand how frustrating that is. The result is that your reader will not buy the next book (as I didn’t) and you will lose—not gain—a loyal fan.
How to turn it around:
No matter how many books you have in a series, make sure each one stands alone. Each one should have its own story structure and exist in its own right, so if a reader comes to your third book and hasn’t read the other two, for example, he/she can still enjoy the story. Read series written by the pros—you’ll see that they always do this.
5. You must start building a platform before you publish your book.
This is another huge mistake I made that many other writers make, too. They wait until they either get a publishing contract or self-publish a book to start building a platform.
The problem is that by then it’s too late—for that first book, at least. Unless you’re a celebrity with a ready-made audience, you must grow an audience before the book comes out so that you have some people who are interested in buying it.
Otherwise, no one will know who you are and unless you land a deal with a large publishing house that devotes lots of money and time to your title (hardly ever happens these days), your book will come out only to be practically ignored.
How to turn it around:
Start building a platform now! A platform is simply your way to get people’s attention. If you’re not sure how to get started, check out my free worksheet, “What’s Your Author Platform Superpower?” It will help you start building a platform that works with your unique talents and interests to attract new readers to your work.
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Colleen M. Story
Colleen M. Story inspires writers to overcome modern-day challenges and find creative fulfillment in their work. Her first non-fiction book, Overwhelmed Writer Rescue, was named Book by Book Publicity’s Best Writing/Publishing Book in 2018, and her novel, Loreena’s Gift, was a Foreword Reviews’ INDIES Book of the Year Awards winner, among others. Her latest release, Writer Get Noticed!, was a gold-medal winner in the 2019 Reader’s Favorite Book Awards for writing and publishing, and a recent 1st-place winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards. With over 20 years in the creative industry, Colleen is the founder of Writing and Wellness (writingandwellness.com) and Writer CEO (writerceo.com).
Please see her author website (colleenmstory.com) or follow her on Twitter (@colleen_m_story).
