Do you want to write a novel? Session 3

Do you know them?

After a week without class, we return to the work with the third part of Do you want to write a novel?

This week we will devote entirely to the construction of characters. Characters that you fall in love, you want to keep writing more and more words, page after page. The aim is also, of course, your readers will love too, do that they also want to keep reading the adventures of these little so special people.

As I have said many times, in my case the creation of the characters is one of the most important things. It is precisely these, those characters that appear almost out of nowhere, who push me to write their story. It is a reverse of many writers, I know, but hey, everyone is different and it is important to find your own formula, your own way to feel comfortable when typing.

First of all, let's start by generalizing a bit. Although there are exceptions (like everything in this life), it is usual that your characters are those who bear the weight of history. It can be people or things, a priest or a bar of soap, but generally, the stories we read in books happen to someone or something.

In this way, your characters are a key thing in your novel. Yes, we all know stories in which the character is unimportant and the important thing is the action, and also the opposite, of course. But even in cases in which your characters are just a figure at which things happen, readers must be interested in your characters. Otherwise, if you do not care in the least what happens to them, it is likely to close the book and go do something else.

I constantly fall in love with the characters (of mine and others), but you need not be like me…

Your characters, like everyone, want to get something. There has not to be something great. Not all characters have to want to save humanity or destroy the villain. The ambition of your character can be a shower without her son pounded the door without stopping. Or do not be late for a meeting. Or make macaroni without being sticking to the pan. Or convince this guy so cute to marry with her and not with her cousin who is prettier and richer.

Usually, most of the characters, want to be happy and live in peace. It depends on you, as an author, what your character considers 'happiness'. You know, a shower, a wedding, a cup of hot chocolate ... What seems good to you. You know they are not going to complain...

Typically, your characters suffer (a little or a lot, or too much...) to achieve their goals. If not, we would not have history. If your character is dying for a cup of tea, and get up and do it ... because, well, that's it.  Not much more to tell...

It's different if your character wants a cup of tea and it turns out that does not fit a single bag. He goes home to his neighbor to ask her, but his neighbor just drinks coffee. So going to the corner store to buy a box but, oh wait, it turns out that he has forgotten his wallet at home...

If your character is a more or less real, the normal is somehow react to unforeseen events. Your characters are (usually) human, and as such have feelings. They get angry, get overwhelmed, laugh, cry ... Are their reactions that we are going to show what he's made of your character, and that, in turn, will allow us to go take shape history.

For example, if the character you want tea, not the same feel annoyed at having to leave her apartment to buy tea voices that requires a tea bag to each of its neighbors. Reactions are different and, therefore, will take a different path history.

Ideally, your character is as close as possible to a real person. And real people are not perfect, so that we can forget those characters like Mary Poppins, practically perfect in everything. We are not always friendly, we are not always in a good mood or we feel like work.

And the same goes for the characters perfect in his wickedness. That villain having fun twisting necks of chickens as entertainment in his spare time, he hates absolutely everyone and whose highest aspiration is to finish the good of the story just because are not very credible, is that they are also very boring.

The theory is clear, I think.

We all want to write unforgettable characters, those who would follow until the end of the world. Characters who steal your heart or you hate so hard to be taken to keep reading just to see how they get what they deserve. It is not easy, of course, but why we are here.

For me, what helps me is to know a lot of my character. I use to learn many things from them, but then not even use them directly in the story, but it helps to situate, to imagine, to know how they will react, which makes the writing process much faster and enjoyable.

Many times it is something that I made in an unconscious way. I can just imagine them standing before me, his facial expressions, clothing and sometimes even their smell. In my case, I'm much better build characters who develop a coherent plot for them. It's a curse, I know.

Depending on your history will have one or more players, one or two opponents and a variable amount of people just walking by. Perfect. You are the director of your work, so that you're the boss. Typically, your protagonists and antagonists are those who take all your attention, but do not neglect your secondary.

I am always in love with side characters, I know of what I speak.

Of course you do not need you to know the whole life of that lady that intersects with your main character only once in the metro stop, but try that your side characters has something that makes them unique, something that makes them be anything more than a silhouetted against the wall.

The best way to know your characters is, of course, asking. On this page you can see an example of fifty questions that let you know much better  your creatures. I may seem a bit excessive (to me it seems), yet I cannot wait to do the test with my players for this year's NaNo.

If you think is TOO MUCH you can do a shorter version. Shout to your characters basics: name, date of birth, current job, family, etc ... Also I can be very helpful to make a short summary of a typical day in your life: what time is usually up, do breakfast, what to do next ... You can be all you want and retailers, obviously, the more detail you put, better known to your friends...

A key question that we cannot do is forgotten What you want? Since marrying a millionaire to find his lost dog, it's up to you, but it is vital that you know this as it will be what you advance the plot. And I tell you, I'm a mess for these things, but this year I'm being good.

In any case, try to visualize your characters. If it's any help, you can even help you with photos of real people, famous actors, your cousin, your neighbor who lives in the fifth floor ... If you can see it, feel it, probably will be more fluid your writing and your characters come to life for your readers.

Sometimes, they would be so much lively, which often begin to do things on your own in a way that you can’t imagine...

Homework for next week I think is fairly obvious. You will have to start to get intimate with your characters, begin to know them well. You'll spend much time with them, so you better do it now ... Of course, you can do everything detailed as you like, but try to at least baseline data:

- Name

- Age

- Three physical characteristics

- Three mental characteristics

And above all

- What do you want? What is your motivation?

Of course, when you started to write your story you may have to change one or more characteristics, or even motivation, but remember that all this previous work aims to make writing your novel a lot easier than you thought at first.

Go ahead, little kids!

Do you want to write a novel? Session 2

Or not...

After Week 1, we have to face the Week 2.

If you worked for this past week and you must have an idea about what you are going to write in your novel. Have you thought about what you like and what you dislike, what you want to read and what really have wanted to start writing.

Perfect!

Unless you are a genius and then I don’t know you are doing here, it is normal that right now you may have only a slight idea about what you want to write. That is, something like I want to write the story of a young woman who discovers a schoolmate who did much damage and intends to apologize to everyone he misbehaved.

I want to write the story of a pirate who takes as a slave to a naturalist and from that moment her life changes and just wants to look for animals.

That kind of thing. Okay, is normal.

You have great ideas, or small ideas, very original or not original at all, but you're dying to write about it. But, generally, at this stage of preparation of the novel all we have is that, a general idea, vague and imprecise, that does not tell us much more about how our story will develop.

It is time, then, to prepare our novel itself. Here we have several options, because like everything in life there are tastes for everyone...

Plotter VS Pantser

Thus, most writers fall into two distinct camps, and almost opposites. I mean Plotters against Pantsers. Some cannot imagine how to work of others, and the others put their hands to their heads thinking how is it possible that someone can work that way, but you know that each person is different...

Plotters are those who plan every detail of the novel they are contemplating to write. Chapters, numbers of words, important events, plot and subplots ... everything you can imagine they have already planned and targeted.

By contrast, the Pantsers are those who sit to write a novel like an adventure. Usually only know the basics, and from there they sit every day and begin a new adventure.

The plotters say that if you do not know what will happen in your story would be unable to write anything, the pantser claim that they know what is going to happen with all the mystery story would have evaporated and therefore would be unable to write anything.

What is the correct position? Well, neither, or both. But above all, it is a very personal decision and, like everything else, depends much on the character of the author.

In my case, I adopt an intermediate position. I like to plan some, a little , enough to know roughly what will happen , but when more ideas I have is when I'm actually writing . It is in those moments when you're in the middle of the story when the characters themselves are asking you to write this or that. And we all know that you, as an author, you are a mere slave of your characters...

I have to say, in my personal experience, and with NaNo framework in mind, the best times I've done have been the times I've planned something, even a little. I have never come to plan everything everything

everything , so I do not know if I would of much or all the contrary , but sometime I have to try , I suppose ...

When we talk about Plotter or Pantser, if you are a Plotter does not mean that you have everything planned to the millimeter and refuse to include any changes. On the contrary, those ideas that just happen as they write more easily incorporated to already have a specific place where to fit it.

For me, for example, is extremely useful me talk about my plot with some friends. There are authors who refuse to speak anything of what they are writing because it says that then lose interest. For me it is quite the opposite. Talking with my friends (especially those who also write) about what I have planned to write not only makes me even more excited with my story, too, in many cases, it gives me ideas that will be very useful later.

In this case, such that for many of you is the first time that you dare to write a novel, I think it is better to work some basics. If you are Pantser to death as well, not going to hurt you...

I think it is essential that before you start writing your novel have clear some obvious points:

1. What is the story (plot). It's okay to want to be as surprised to see how it evolves your novel, you should not rule out the element of surprise, but I think that this time it would be nice if you prepare a timeline, albeit short, with the most important points of your story. Then return to this, do not worry.

2. Who is in your story (characters)? Just below discover you urgently need a character at that point in the story or, quite honestly, the mother of your neighbor's protagonist is not particularly important, but I think to start you should know at least the basics about your protagonists. We will not talk about the characters now, the next day we will devote the entire session.

3. Where goes your history (World Building). Is not the same build a story around a piano student in contemporary Bulgaria do about a Roman slave days before the death of Caesar. This becomes more important if you are going to write your novel placing it in an alternate universe, for historical fiction and fantasy worlds. If your story is to be placed in a special environment (space, fantasy world) or even in a city you do not know, you should make some guidelines so that everything matches in the best way possible.

Building a map of your story

If you want to write to nail it, sit down every morning with something in mind to write about instead of going mad to see if you get something nearly-good, I think it's a good idea to have a map to keep going.

This map can be as detailed as you want, but in the most basic case, I advise you jot down at least three key moments: the beginning, middle, and end.

The end of what I mean, because I never (NEVER) know how they will end my stories and they are there, unfinished and waiting to have mercy on them. So we're going to take seriously (me too), and we will work on this.

This mind map can be as long and detailed or as short as you like. You can write, one by one, the chapters of your novel, with great detail (points of view, most important actions, dialogue, etc. . .), Or you can target a single sentence mentally remind you what you have to deal in that chapter. The latter is what I usually do, but as always, it depends on the person.

Again, I repeat to create this mind map that not means that you should if you only have to write this and refuse a new idea or a new character. On the contrary, you can always include it and see where takes you. But I have this map says is a tremendous help when you have to write a certain number of words a day , as with the NaNoWriMo , and you sit in front of your computer without you can think of anything.
At that point you're going to say thank you for being announced even a phrase like the girl is angry with the protagonist he has looked to another in the nightclub.

Narrative Structure

Again, even if you are pure of heart Pantsers , I advise you at the time you begin your novel you may have more or less clear narrative structure something that will keep your history.

There are many types of novels, very different from each other , and the structure is not always the same . This will depend a lot on your way of writing and your personality and voice as an author, but , generally , all stories have some key points that are precisely what makes the story forward .

The classical model , we learn that even at school, is that not talking about a story in three acts : Beginning, middle and end.

Beginning : We know our players , we place ourselves in his world, and we know the first turning point , when our characters start having problems (of any type ) , and is when the action begins. This should not be more than 25 % of the story , but there are exceptions , of course.

Middle: Here we are in the heart of the matter. This section should occupy 50% of the story, approximately. The turning point we saw at the beginning if it does become increasingly difficult, so that our hero has to overcome different difficulties, until the final issue, we see in the

End: Our protagonist must face the biggest problem of all (from getting money to buy that ice cream that both want to end his greatest enemy in an epic battle), everything is solved (for better or worse), and we ended our history. Here you will spend the last 25% of the story.


These turning points, these problems, make the most important milestones in our novel and are what gives us the basis to start working. For example, a turning point that our protagonist would become unemployed and have to return to live at home with their parents. His life has changed from the beginning of the novel, but with the following points of inflection thing complicating going until the end, for better or for worse.

Easy, right?

No, at least for me, so that I too I have to work very hard with this.

As a homework assignment for the next session, I suggest that you try to map your story. If you are Pantsers to death, try to at least imagine the major turning points in your history. If it helps you to visualize, you can think about turning points in series / books / movies.

In Frankenstein, for example, there is a clear turning point when the doctor abandons his creation.

In Jane Eyre, Jane's life changes when her aunt sent to the orphanage, and then switch back when it starts working for Mr. Rochester.

Is that clear? Well you know what you should do now...

NaNoWriMo in Sofia, a creative (and mad) adventure about writing novels

Are you ready, inner writer?

I have to confess that I’m a bit nervous about this project. I think I’m not mad, only nervous. This is the first time that the Sofia City Library is going to host the NaNoWriMo and, well, I really want everything to be perfect.

 PER-FECT.

 The NaNoWriMo project is a great idea for this kind of people who constantly say Oh, I really want to write a novel… one day. Or Oh, I have thinking about this perfect plot for ages, maybe I have to write down… one day. 

Write a novel is quite easy. I’m not talking about a really good novel, a masterpiece. I’m talking about write a complete story, with a beginning, middle and an end. 50000 words of your story. About vampires, princesses, cheerleaders or blacksmiths. About whatever you want to write. 

And, yes, the keyword in the last sentence is WANT.

 NaNoWriMo is a very exciting project about personal goals and craziness about literature. The National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) was founded in 1999 by Chris Baty, an overcaffenaited mad man who thought that was possible to write a novel in only one month, the month of November.

 Err… Ok, Chris. Fine. Sure. Whatever.

 Actually, I trust him. Really. It’s possible to write a novel in one month. Maybe not the perfect novel, maybe only the first draft, or only the beginning of your story. But if you want, if you really want, you can write it. It’s not so much. Only 50000 words in a month. Nearly 2000 words per day.

 That’s all. 

I did the NaNo since 2004. Sometimes I reached my goal, sometimes not, but I always enjoyed the process. If writing is part of your life, part of your passion, you have to try, at least once in your lifetime. 

And why not try this next November?

 In the Sofia City Library we are preparing a lot of activities about the NaNoWriMo. Yes, the NaNo is in November what we want to do a lot of things before this crazy adventure starts. We can talk about creative writing, about plots, about how to develop characters and more and more. 

So... Do you want to write a novel… this November? Do you want to join us in this exciting challenge?

 Great! You only have to visit us at the Sofia City Library and ask about madness NaNoWriMo. I would be very glad to hear about your novel. Really. And then, we can procrastinate together, talk about your main characters or plot bunnies. So.Much.Fun. I promise. 

Stay tuned, writers!

More Info |  NaNoWriMo

Do you want to write a novel...right now?

Camp NaNoWriMo, where everything is possible. Literally.

Maybe you are this kind of people. You know, the kind who is always planning and talking about write a novel... some day. But now you have the chance of write a novel in a month. In this month.

Really. Trust me.

Is not magic. It's passion. Love. Madness. It's Camp NaNoWriMo. 

Camp NaNoWriMo is a quest to write a novel in a month's time. That's all. You only have to write, and write more. And then, write a bit more. So easy. Well, maybe it's not so easy but you only have to enter in the website, choose a word goal and start to write. Don't worry about corrections now. In the next month, or maybe in the next year, you can correct all your mistakes, but in this moment you only have to write. Really.

Sit down. Write down.

It's crazy, I know, but there’s so much fun and noveling is like a kind of magic. And you have this magic in your hands right now so don't waste it! Maybe you are afraid. I understand you. It's difficult to start to write but when you decide to do, it's wonderful! Don't miss it!

Of course, I'm enrolled as well in this Camp NaNoWriMo. I set my goal on 20.000 words for this month and for the moment I haven't write any word. Nothing. It's a shame for me, but don't worry. I'll reach my goal for sure. I only have to write, ehem. 

Do you wanna do this crazy thing with me? It would be great! We'll can cry at the same time, you know, and blame everything in our characters, and talk about plots and the essence of the divinity... Just let me know... If you are interested in creative writing, stay tuned! This is the first time that Sofia City Library is hosting the NaNoWriMo adventure and in the beginning of September we are preparing a lot of projects about this so I will very happy to hear about you. Come to our library and ask us! We are ready to encourage you to start the most amazing chance in your life.

And now, it's time to write. Are you ready?

More info | Camp NaNoWriMo