Fun writerly advice

I am here wrangling with the Novel*, which now feels especially real since I’ve confided in my literary agent about it.** So it seems especially timely that these two articles have just appeared online to offer advice to struggling novelists everywhere.

~ The UK Guardian asked a number of novelists to give their top tips for writing fiction. I especially agree with one of the points Sarah Waters (Tipping the Velvet) makes:

Writing fiction is not “self-­expression” or “therapy”. Novels are for readers, and writing them means the crafty, patient, selfless construction of effects. I think of my novels as being something like fairground rides: my job is to strap the reader into their car at the start of chapter one, then trundle and whizz them through scenes and surprises, on a carefully planned route, and at a finely engineered pace.”

~ In response, Laura Miller at Salon.com  posted a list of what readers require of a novel.

Since we’re on the subject, here’s a quick Novel update: I’m up to 67,000 words, with an intended goal of about 100,000. Of those, I’d say about half of them are close to what I intend. Meaning that when I reread them I’m not tempted to scream with embarrassment or hit the “delete” button. I’m in that state where I’m caught between intense excitement and insecurity. Meaning, business as usual.

On the plus side, I am completely enthralled with my characters and my novel’s subject matter (Victorian England’s Aesthetic movement). Which is a good thing, since I’m spending lots of time there. Even when I’m not actively writing, I’m thinking about my character’s motivations, their histories, and what their final fates will be. Which sounds more ominous than I intend, though you never know. If one of the characters start to annoy me, I can always write them out.

This is probably the first book I’ve worked on that isn’t intended to be illustrated or elaborately designed. That alone is sure to provoke insecurities within my book arts-obsessed self. But this has also given me a lot of freedom to write whenever and wherever — no thoughts about production considerations, or needing to paint, just get down the words, the sentences, the scenes. To trust myself as a writer, rather than a a book-maker.

On the software side, I’m using the Mac-only Scrivener program, which I like a lot, now that I’ve gotten used to it. It allows me to save scenes as individual documents within a master document, then move them about as I see fit. I discovered Scrivener when I participated in National Novel Writing Month, which gave me that push to get the first 50,000 words out.

But still the doubts remain: Can I really write a “real” novel?

I hope so!

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* The above photo gives you a sense of my process. Each post it note has a scene, story thread, or theme written on it. And yes, they’re color-coordinated. I move them around to get a sense of what should happen when, and why. It’s like playing with fate, but in a good way.

**She’s even asked me that age-honored question: “When can I expect a finished first draft from you?” Yikes.

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