How to Plot and Structure Your Novel
“The writer’s job is to get the main character up a tree, and then once they are up there, throw rocks at them.” Vladimir Nabokov
“The writer’s job is to get the main character up a tree, and then once they are up there, throw rocks at them.” Vladimir Nabokov
Of course, there’s more to plot than getting your character up a tree, but it’s not a bad place to start.
When I made my first attempt at writing a novel about 25 years ago, the most difficult craft issue I faced was plot. I had been reading and writing literary short fiction in graduate school, and one thing we rarely discussed was plot. …
Walking in Paris After Lockdown, Trains Again, Scientology Shelter, Viktor & His Beautiful Lies, & Notes on Endings & Forgetting
During our final week in Paris at the end of October, I ventured out for one last walk to Batignolles. Although traffic had returned to the boulevards, the city still felt somewhat deserted. I had stirrings of affection for Paris I’d never felt quite so intensely before the pandemic. We’d all been in this together for such a long time. Now, when I saw the clerk at the Franprix or the gendarmes along Jardin des Champs Elysees, our “bonjours” held more warmth, our nods more familiarity.
On that quiet autumn Tuesday I set out from our apartment in the 8th arrondissement under a gray sky, walking along Rue Rembrandt to Parc Monceau. Parc Monceau had been my oasis in the center of the urban storm, green and vibrant in a city of browns and grays. On countless days, I had escaped our apartment and the book I didn’t quite feel like writing to walk through the park and order a crepe from the snack stand beside the carousel. …
Finish a solid draft by September
Learn your craft, grow as a writer, and finally get your novel on the page.
Novel in 9 starts now. In this class, you will write 2,000–2,500 words per week. You will make steady progress and complete a solid draft of your novel or memoir by September. Practical, inspiring lessons and assignments will help you build your novel or memoir scene by scene, character by character, chapter by chapter.
When you join Novel in 9, you’ll be part of a tight knit group of writers who support each other every step of the way. And I’ll be there every week to guide you, support you, and answer your questions. …
Finish a solid draft by September
Learn your craft, grow as a writer, and finally get your novel on the page.
Novel in 9 starts now. In this class, you will write 2,000–2,500 words per week. You will make steady progress and complete a solid draft of your novel or memoir by September. Practical, inspiring lessons and assignments will help you build your novel or memoir scene by scene, character by character, chapter by chapter.
When you join Novel in 9, you’ll be part of a tight knit group of writers who support each other every step of the way. And I’ll be there every week to guide you, support you, and answer your questions. …
How to make time for writing
“Time is a created thing. To say ‘I don’t have time,’ is like saying, ‘I don’t want to.”
― Lao Tzu
When I surveyed writers last year, 39% said the biggest thing stopping them from writing was finding the time.
Your days are packed, your schedule is busy, people want and need things from you. That is true today, it was true yesterday, and it will be true tomorrow.
Your circumstances may change, becoming “easier” or “more difficult,” but it is unlikely that vast amounts of unused time will suddenly open up.
There are 1,140 minutes in a day. The trick is to decide which 10 or 20 or even 60 of those minutes you’re going to devote to writing. …
Flash fiction by Phoebe Brueckner
Mel went down to the docks alone and hired a fishing boat, took it out all by herself. She brought with her a plentiful supply of fresh water, not knowing how long she’d be out. Given her track record, she figured it might be a while. She sat on the boat with the fishing pole in hand, staying hydrated, watching the sun dance on the sea’s glassy calm. It was so quiet out there on the water, peace and awe flooding in around her. …
How to take the first step
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
― Lao Tzu
Maybe you think it’s too difficult to begin writing. The truth is, starting to write is no more difficult than taking one step. When you were a baby, before you learned to walk, that single step seemed so daunting. And yet, somehow, you did it. Somehow you got up on your wobbly legs and took your first step.
Doing so took a lot of faith. In your developing brain, you assessed the risks — you might fall — and you took the step anyway. In the years since, you have walked thousands of miles. …
No one really noticed the newcomer. Mrs. Haggerty arrived during the doxology. She covered her cough with her palm, wishing her bunions would quiet down. She extended a friendly handshake to Mrs. Lane in the foyer, before accompanying the newcomer down the aisle. She bent over to rub her right foot before entering the pew.
Mr. Brown leaned into the last phrase. “Praise Father, Son and Heavenly Ghost.” He breathed in, replenishing his spent air, issuing a hello as he pushed himself a bit closer to the youngest Galanos daughter to make way for Mrs. Haggerty and the newcomer. The youngest Galanos nudged her mom, opening her mouth at the same time as Mr. Brown exhaled. But Mrs. …
Embracing the long form fiction learning curve
Many writers test the waters of fiction with the short story form before moving on to writing a novel. MFA programs usually immerse writers in the craft of short fiction, so that candidates emerge from the program with a completed short story collection and many hours of short fiction workshops under their belts, but no idea how to write a novel.
As with most of the writers in my MFA program, I wrote short stories all though my MFA years. When I got out of graduate school, I wanted to write a novel but I had no idea how to start. …
A Practical Guide to Keeping Your Novel Files in Order
Although there is plenty of great software out there to help you streamline the process of writing a novel, don’t overlook one piece of software you’ve probably been using for years: Word. Word remains an excellent tool, especially if you like to keep all of your writing in a single document and just pick up where you left off with your story each day. If you want to stick to the basics, here are some tips on how to organize your novel in Word.
The master folder for a novel
I keep this on my desktop. It is labeled with the novel’s title, and anything I write for the novel goes into this folder. Once I begin revising, I make a new document for each major revision, labeled by date. …
About
