How to Write a Brilliant Novel: The Easy Step-By-Step Method of Crafting a Powerful Story (Go! Write Something Brilliant) (23 page)

• Hook
  
• Summary
  
• Marketability
  
• Who/Why
  
• Mechanics
  

Your proposal is nearly finished! You have your well-threaded synopsis, knockout first paragraph, and a compelling query letter that hooks your editor. Now, all you need are the sample chapters!

Every proposal package includes sample chapters for the story you are proposing. Even if you are a multi-published author, you will have to write sample chapters for new contracts with new publishers, so it is wise to learn how to write them now.

When new authors read “Sample Chapters” in the submission requirements of an editor or publisher’s website, sometimes they are tempted to think,“I’ll pick my
best
chapters: chapter one, chapter eight, and chapter twenty-two.” Delete that thought. Editor’s
do not
want to see a set of random chapters. They want to see the
first three chapters
. They want to see how the story flows, they want to hear your voice, and they want to know how you develop characters. So, when you see the words “Sample Chapters,” think: first three chapters. If you have a
short
prologue, you can include it. If, however, you have a prologue that is five pages long (and really, you shouldn’t, but that’s another discussion), include it as one of your first three chapters.

We’ve talked at length about writing your chapters, especially the beginning chapter. And, if you have followed the Lindy Hop Plot structure, by chapter three, your hero should be setting out on his Noble Quest. You’ve built in the Story Question, introduced your hero’s goals, immersed him in Storyworld, tightened your writing, made it colorful—all with the hopes that you’ve stirred enough interest for the editor/agent to ask for the
full manuscript
! Think of the synopsis as your editor's first introduction to your writing, the teaser, so to speak. The sample chapters make them fall in love with your style.

When you prepare your sample chapters, refer to the publisher's guidelines to know how to format it. Some want a specific type style and margins. Always put a header on the top left with your name and the name of the manuscript. Add the page number in upper right hand corner.

I usually spend at least two weeks on my sample chapters, making sure they are compelling, introduce enough conflict, and make the editor want to turn the page. It pays to take the time to get it right, so don’t rush it. Usually a good proposal takes me a month. One week for market research, another two for sample chapter polish,and one more for synopsis and query polish. Don't rush it. Once an editor reviews your work, if he or she turns it down, it is hard to get a second chance.

Writing is not a
profession, occupation or job; it is not a way of life. It is a comprehensive response

to life.

Gregory McDonald

The writer’s life is at once exciting and lonely. No one else is inside your brain with you as you create. No one else feels the same triumph when you get the scene right, or when your characters are finally overcoming their trials. I have a friend who calls me and occasionally she’ll hear a long silence and know that I’m in the middle of a big scene. She’s a good enough friend to say,”Uh, I’ll call you later.”

Getting your career started takes time and sometimes more energy than you have to offer. Whether you are a stay-at-home mom or a man working full time, or vice-versa, you’ll struggle with carving out time. I was a home-schooling mom, and I really struggled sometimes with the balance between my kids’ needs and my creative ideas running away with me.

Which brings me to a few hints about the life of a career
writer.

• Write consistently.
  

I know people “write when they can,” but if you are serious about wanting to finish something, create a writing time every day, and discipline yourself to sit down for say, thirty minutes, or an hour to write. I know some mothers write in ten minute snatches, but for me, I need to have that sitting-in-my-chair time that makes me churn out pages. Some people set page amounts. I write 4000 words a day. But back when I was homeschooling all four kids, it was 1500 a day. I still wrote a 90K novel in sixty days. Divide those sixty days into five days a week, and that would be a total of twelve weeks, or three months! You need to decide: Is writing for you
profession
or
playtime
? The answer will determine how you approach your time.

• Do your
  pre-work.
  

Have your Action/ReAction scene or Action Objectives, your hook, and setting already figured out when you sit down to write.
At the end of my previous session, I will have jotted down the Action Objectives of the next scene, defining the element of the Action and ReAction, and who the players might be, and the POV character. I might also have the setting picked out. Since then, I’ve mulled over a hook in my mind, and perhaps some dialogue. Then, when I sit down, I usually start with a few descriptive words that will define my scene, I review my notes, and then I start writing. Don’t surf the net, or answer e-mail, or you won’t maximize your time. Be deliberate about this time. Don’t even answer the phone!

• Schedule “craft” days.
  

Give yourself permission to keep learning.Taking a walk to talk out your character’s motivations, or reading “how to write” books are also a good use of time and are essential to grow as a writer. Schedule in “craft” days where all you do is read to learn. This is as important to your writing time as putting the words on the screen.

• Find your balance.
  

In the end, we have to remember that God has given us all gifts: home, family, our health, friendship, and the gift to be able to write stories. Be a good steward of all of these. Is your writing becoming an obsession? Are you turning into a workaholic? Is your schedule unbalance—and I don’t mean an occasional several days where the house is a dump but a perpetual hey-I-don’t-cook-anymore crisis. If you answered “yes” to any (or all) of these questions, then maybe you need to back up and look at how you can reorder your life and make room for each gift that God has given you.

I’m thrilled that you want to be an author. I love being an author. I love crafting stories, I love seeing my books in Barnes and Noble, and most of all I love getting mail and hearing how my stories have affected readers. I feel like I’m a part of God’s big picture in a global way. Cool! But there are some realities that you need to be aware of as you go forward.

Reality
Check
#1:

Most authors write
four
books before they get one published. Not everyone is John Grisham. Or Stephen King. Or even J.K. Rowling, who, by the way, wrote and rewrote and rewrote Harry Potter before it ever found a publisher. (It was rejected numerous times!) My best advice? After you finish a book and send it into an editor or agent, start another book. You will have learned so much in the writing of the previous book, and you’ll want to apply it.

Even if you get a rejection, diving into the new book will help keep the dream alive, and maybe even give you insights on how to fix the previous book. Also, when you
do
get published, you’ll have an “arsenal” of books ready for your publisher to take a look at, and possibly add to your bookshelf!

By the way, I wrote four books before my first one was published.

Reality
Check
#2:

Everyone gets rejected, even published authors. And the rejection might not have anything to do with your voice.It might be about timing in the market, or perhaps someone else with a similar book beat you to the publisher. Don’t take the rejection personally. Yes, maybe you need to tighten your plot, deepen your characterization, or even ramp up your craft, but the agent or editor doesn’t even know you. They only know your story, and their rejection is
not
a rejection of you. Re-evaluate the manuscript with an objective eye, see where you can strengthen it, and dive back in. Or, refer to Reality Check #1 and keep going!

Reality
Check
#3:

Being published will not make your life easier. Okay, it
is
fun to see your novel on bookstore shelves! But truly, being published only takes your thoughts and puts them out there for the entire world to see. If criticism is tough for you, then you may feel bruised and battered, your dream crushed when (not if!) you read a bad review on Amazon. Being published only makes things harder, in some ways, because your next book has to be better. And likewise, the one after that. The bottom line is: You need to be confident in who you are and what you’re about
before
you get published. Because after you’re published, you’ll have people scrutinizing you in ways you never realized.

Q:
There are so many kinds of books out there, and it seems each publisher wants a different thing. Where do I
start?

A:
Work with publishers who are willing to work with you.

There are many publishers out there who are thrilled to work with new writers—and the list is growing. Heartsong Presents, an imprint of Barbour Publishing has contemporary and historical lines. Love Inspired (an imprint of Steeple Hill) also has historical and contemporary lines, as well as a suspense line. Both these markets are awesome, because they get your books out to a target market who loves to read the genre they order, and not only do you gain experience, but a readership. And it’s very fun to walk into a Wal-Mart and see your book sitting on the shelf.

But, you say, I want to write science fiction!

Okay, great. There are two ways most authors' careers grow.

Route 1: Snowball to success.
Maybe you have started with a Heartsong book, and grown a readership. Maybe you’re also selling to Love Inspired. (Many many authors make a great living selling to just those two lines. They have devoted readers and are reaching people every day.) You could stop there. Or, because that science fiction novel is still in your heart, and because of your numbers and experience you land an agent—and he finds a market that publishes sci-fi. You finally sell the book of your dreams.

Route 2: Go for the big bang.
With this route, you work on that manuscript for years and years, submitting that sci-fi, waiting for the market to open, honing your work, winning contests, submitting to agents. You finally get an agent who sees the vision of your story, and you listen to what they say until you get a manuscript they can sell. Then your agent submits it around and finally the sci-fi publisher buys it.

Regardless of the route you’ve taken, you’ve spent time honing your work, dreaming the big dream. You’ve just gone about it via different routes.

I write for the same reason I breathe...because if I didn't, I would die.

Isaac Asimov

The Novel in You!

So there you have it! You’ve discovered and created and are set to publish the novel in you! You should feel proud of all you’ve done. For one, you can never watch a movie or read a book without asking, “What’s his greatest fear?” or, “What’s the lie he believes?” And you’ll know how to talk intelligently about premise and Black Moments. You’ll sound really smart to all your friends! Most of all, when they ask, “Hey, how do you know all that?” you can say, “I learned it
when I wrote my novel
.” Cool.

The most important thing is that you’ve learned the tools to create the
next
novel in you. And the next. And the next!

I hope this book has been helpful. Drop me a line and tell me about your book. And, if you need some personal one-on-one help, check out
My Book Therapy.
We’ll help you discover the writer in you!

I want to leave you with
one last secret
:

• Explosive two to three chapter opening event (fifty pages)
  
• Multifaceted characters with humorous and endearing quirks, favorite foods, music, sayings, hobbies, pet names, and mannerisms.
  
• Realistic plot with a make-it-worse for them on all levels: physical, spiritual, emotional (and a happy ending).
  
• Storyworld that makes you feel the scene and sense the mood.
  
• Backstory in small pieces, culminating to the final scene.
  
• Well-researched details that make the story and characters realistic.
  
• Thirty pages action and suspense with a homerun ending.
  
• Spiritual message that touches the heart.
  

Congratulations on your novel! And on not quitting until you wrote “The End.” Let me know when your book hits the shelves!

(Or the list of books every author should have!)

Getting into Character
by Brandilyn Collins

How to Grow a Novel
by Sol Stein

Stein on Writing
by Sol Stein

Techniques of the Selling Writer
by Dwight V. Swain

Plot and Structure
by James Scott Bell

Writing the Breakout Novel
by Donald Maass

How to Write a (Damn) Good Novel
by James Frey

And don’t forget to subscribe to the writer’s blog at

www.learnhowtowriteanovel.com
(http://www.learnhowtowriteanovel.com/)
!