Fiction writing can be its own reward

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There's no greater escapism than good fiction. Creative writing is the driving force behind major movies, computer games, best-selling novels, comic books, even the best TV commercials. They all tell a story; behind every one is a writer, or team of writers; and all of them begin with an idea.

In the fertile soil of writers' imaginations, idea becomes plot; plot becomes novel; novel becomes movie script; movie becomes spinoff game. From STAR WARS to LORD OF THE RINGS, the process of development is the same — and some of the best Hollywood franchises started life as freelance writing. For example, the cash juggernaut of the PREDATOR movie series. (I'll tell you that story in a post of its own, soon!)

You have The Idea, which is why you're working the puzzle: 'how to write a novel' ...

It's time to choose your jumping-in point. Only you know how much you know, and what you still need to learn. Let's get started by tackling the puzzle one point at a time:

You're inspired to write, needing only the fundamental skills to write a novel, but perhaps you need help with a plot that won't 'gel' ... or to work out the ENDING to your plot, or perhaps the start of your novel, or even with its middle section. These are fundamental challenges. In other words, every writer takes this particular bull by the horns sooner or later, so there's no need for you to re-invent the wheel!

Another fundamental challenge is character creation. Before you even start to write, you meet the necessity to create characters. Some will seem to give birth to themselves; others make you work. You'll need to develop your characters' individual 'voices' — and an often overlooked point it the need to find names for the characters. Any name that comes to mind might not do the job. So, what's in a character name? We're about to take a close-up, personal look: here's Character Creation 101, a five-part series of article posts dealing with the whole field!

• Create unforgettable characters
• Create a character: the hero
• Create a character: the villain
• What's in a character's name?
• Creating characters: know your archetypes from your stereotypes

Then again, perhaps by now you have the plot nailed down, and most of the characters are already alive in your mind. What you need at this point is specific help with the 'writing style' ... or with the fine points of the grammar and punctuation. Or perhaps even with manuscript formatting. These are the 'nuts and bolts' of writing. The building bricks. Delve into our WRITE! segment to hunt down what you need.

Or,

You just need straight answers to specific questions. There's a popular saying just now, that 'information is power.' This has never been more true than today, when the Internet, the advent of ebooks, print on demand publishing, and social networking between many millions of people, make it very possible to author, publish and build a career in freelance writing. Information, then:

• When and how do I get paid for freelance writing?
• Do I need to write short stories before I 'move up' to novel writing?
• Is there a blueprint (or cookbook method) for how to write a novel?
• Do I need to use a computer to write?
• Must I start with freelance writing?
• Do I have to type?
• Do spelling and grammar have to be perfect?
• What are 'elements of style' in fiction writing?
• The novel is finished -- how does editing work?
• How do I proofread my novel?
• Do I have to write several drafts?
• Can I edit my own writing?
• Okay, where do I start to do copy editing?
• Can I get help with editing, should I pay for an editing service?
• What kind of fees to editors charge?
• How much editing is enough — and how much is too much?
• How do I know when I'm ready to submit my novel?
• How do I format a manuscript for submission?
• What do publishers want, or need, from freelance writing?
• Do I need an agent?
• How do I find a reputable literary agency?
• Are ebooks different, at the writing and editing stages?

All excellent questions! Take your cue from the answers, and explore this site. Notice how the content is divided into sections: write — edit — publish — promote, and so on. This blog is always expending, so do bookmark it and visit again.

You can jump in at any point and zero-in on exactly what you need to know. When you're inspired to write, the last thing you need is forty pages to read, to find a snipped of information that puts you on the right track. Let's get you writing again, because momentum is very important. In freelance writing, no boss is there to pressure you. Motivation is only going to come from inside YOU. When you're on a roll, your material seems to 'write itself.'

When hitches slow you down, you have to work back up to that momentum. The faster you can overcome hitches, the more momentum you'll maintain. In fact, this is a key part of the puzzle of how to write a novel — getting 'up to speed' and staying there! The solution is specific information, when and where you need it.

As you explore, you'll also notice that each section section it broken up into bite-sized chunks, which makes it easy to find a specific solution for a specific problem. And like all blogs, this one is searchable: if in doubt, search on it ... or check out the "labels" list, to your left...

Turn page to WRITE! Down to Basics...