Getting Started with Writing

When I decided to take on this project it was with the realization that I really don't have a damn clue what I'm doing.

Sure, I've read a lot of fantasy over the years, but when I actually sate down to do it, I didn't know where to start.

I started, like thousands before me, with a google search.  I typed "How to write a novel” into the search box and started my quest.

I found out that there is no real cut and dry method. There are as many approaches to writing a novel as there are would-be authors.  Many people just sit down and start writing. I found out this is referred to as “the seat of the pants” style of writing. Others use extensive outlines detailing every twists and turn before they actually write anything. Randy Ingermanson teaches the snowflake method which is a hybrid of the two styles.

I liked Randy’s approach so I’m sort of giving it a try. I went through the first four steps and ended up with a one page outline of my idea that ended up being about 4 pages in reality.

I took a couple of weeks to massage my plot structure.  I went back and forth, adding and removing. One thing I noticed is just how cheesy and clichéd my entire plot structure read. It was like every bad piece of fantasy I've ever read rolled up into one.  I became discouraged at just how overused the structures were in my outline no matter how much I tweaked it.

I then thought about some of the greatest fantasy I've read by George RR Martin, Robert Jordan, and Brandon Sanderson. I broke down some of their plots and found that their plots were just as cheesy and overused as mine.  It wasn't the plot that mattered as much as the story. It’s how they tell the story that makes them great.

Reinvigorated, I decided to cut to the chase and start writing. I was itching to try. I wrote out some general information about the first few scenes I wanted to focus on and decided to give it a try myself.

File > New I clicked. The bright white screen came to life in front of me, cursor blinking, I sat and thought “Ok. Now what.”

Referring to my scene notes, I started to write. I plunged into the scene and made a bee line for the first conflict I devised.

An hour later I reviewed my work. I needed help. This was not what I had in mind. I decided to seek out at least a couple of books on writing. Something to give me a frame of reference.

On Randy Ingermanson’s site he mentioned a book by Dwight Swain called Techniques of the Selling Writer . This book has really helped me get started. I learned about showing vs. telling and the motivation-reaction unit.

Another book that’s really helped me get under way is Stephen King’s On Writing. His book was as entertaining as it was informative.

So I've taken some of these lessons to heart and I’m stumbling like a newborn through the world of writing. But, I’m trying, I’m writing, and I’m getting a little better every day.