Crafting a Novel

People often ask me how I get my ideas for books. I have to tell you there is no one way. For instance once I saw an unusual name on a boat and it brought to mind a fantasy story of moons linked together by the Moon Goddess. I enjoyed writing the book but immediately after it was released I found I'd misread the boat's name. The book was obviously meant to be written, hence my not reading the name properly.

 

Photos often play a part in my book ideas. Going through photos of my parents I suddenly thought - why not write their love story. I knew the basics of the story but had to fictionalise a lot of it. I also found if I called them by their real names I couldn't get the story to flow. Changing them to fictitious names made the work flow much faster.

 

Often a work in progress will stir the mind with ideas for a second, third or even fourth book, but there I have to be careful. I must finish the work in progress first and get it ready for release before I attempt the next volume. If I don't I end up with a lot of unfinished manuscripts.

 

Writers block can often still the writer's muse. The best way I find to get around this problem is to jump the hole in the story. Ignore it completely and go on to a part of the book where you know what happens. Often the filling for the part I've missed will pop into my mind before I go too far forward. Although I enjoy writing all my books, I also enjoy editing them. It's surprising how your brain fills in gaps with words you wouldn't normally dream of using. Plus there's the aspect of you mentioning something that hasn't actually happened. Quick backtrack to mention this in the appropriate part of the novel. 

 

If the novel is a first for you, remember the first attempt is only a draft. The hard work comes once you've finished the first draft. Now you have to put it all together and make sense of all those words. Good luck!