Among avocations, the "way to write a novel" is perhaps among the most debated, written about and obscured of any of the available conventional wisdoms to be found. The conversation gets downright political when you consider that, truly, there is no one way to go about it, and just as certainly, no right way or wrong way.
Writers are left to discover "their" way, often choosing from a menu of approaches floating among the flotsam and jetsam of that available writing conversation. But without benefit of experience and the pain of trial and error, attaching veracity and function to the resume of the spokesperson for one's chosen truth -- too often from the mouths of the uninitiated -- can have devastating effects. Even worse, some writers spend decades assuming there is indeed only one way, and that any other way is just counter-intuitive noise to be avoided.
With writing, pain is optional. And yet, for many it remains oh-so-romantic a context for the creation of stories.
Sooner or later, though, after years of frustration and failure, some writers quietly look elsewhere for writing truths that, upon closer examination, simply make more sense, even when it comes to the process of idea and narrative development.
In this 2500 word tutorial, blogger and bestselling writing mentor Larry Brooks exposes what he calls "The Lie" about how and why novels work, and the path toward achieving that milestone, and thus, how and why the prescribed approach to achieving those criteria is a critical decision.
It isn't a question of planning or plotting, outlining or drafting, because indeed, writers working at either end of those spectrums have verifiable success to show for it. Pick your endorser, they await in both camps. The question resides at a deeper level of truth, one that defines process as the search for what works, rather than the means by which one embarks upon the journey to discover it. The difference is subtle yet powerful, and it can change a writer's career with a simple acknowledgement that they may indeed be going about this all wrong, and that a better approach may not require adopting a less comfortable approach to story development after all.
Larry Brooks is the author of two bestselling writing craft books, "Story Engineering" and "Story Physics." His writing website, www.storyfix.com, has been chosen by Writers Digest Magazine as one of the "101 Best Websites for Writers" for the past six years running.
Writers are left to discover "their" way, often choosing from a menu of approaches floating among the flotsam and jetsam of that available writing conversation. But without benefit of experience and the pain of trial and error, attaching veracity and function to the resume of the spokesperson for one's chosen truth -- too often from the mouths of the uninitiated -- can have devastating effects. Even worse, some writers spend decades assuming there is indeed only one way, and that any other way is just counter-intuitive noise to be avoided.
With writing, pain is optional. And yet, for many it remains oh-so-romantic a context for the creation of stories.
Sooner or later, though, after years of frustration and failure, some writers quietly look elsewhere for writing truths that, upon closer examination, simply make more sense, even when it comes to the process of idea and narrative development.
In this 2500 word tutorial, blogger and bestselling writing mentor Larry Brooks exposes what he calls "The Lie" about how and why novels work, and the path toward achieving that milestone, and thus, how and why the prescribed approach to achieving those criteria is a critical decision.
It isn't a question of planning or plotting, outlining or drafting, because indeed, writers working at either end of those spectrums have verifiable success to show for it. Pick your endorser, they await in both camps. The question resides at a deeper level of truth, one that defines process as the search for what works, rather than the means by which one embarks upon the journey to discover it. The difference is subtle yet powerful, and it can change a writer's career with a simple acknowledgement that they may indeed be going about this all wrong, and that a better approach may not require adopting a less comfortable approach to story development after all.
Larry Brooks is the author of two bestselling writing craft books, "Story Engineering" and "Story Physics." His writing website, www.storyfix.com, has been chosen by Writers Digest Magazine as one of the "101 Best Websites for Writers" for the past six years running.
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