Penning a novel is like following a Joy of Cookingrecipe. Follow certain steps in a certain order, tweak as you see fit, and there you go. Sounds easy? It’s not… but here’s Matt Cates’s recipe. Tweak it ’til your heart is happy…
1 Novel
You will need:
90,000 words:
First, break these down into 3 parts
- beginning, 30K words
- middle, 45K words
- end, 15K words
15 – 20 Characters:
- Main or Lead – must be captivating and conflicted
- Love interest – complex, problematic
- Friend – loyal, quirky
- Mentor – smart, simplistic outlook
- Nemesis - equal to or smarter than Main
- Nemesis partner in crime – sympathetic to Main
- Alternate Villain – unsuspected
- Alternate Enemy – not necessarily a “villain” or bad person, just doesn’t get along w/ Main
- Boss – tough, grouchy
- Boss Second-In-Command – a screw-up
- Friend #2 – comic relief
- Friend #3 – least popular, but w/ redeeming qualities
- Friend of Love Interest – unlikeable
- Parents – cameos; dysfunctional
- Wild Card – morally ambivalent, unusual and unpredictable
- Oddballs – strange or foreign assorted characters; add diversity and distraction
- Alternate Mentor/Friend – less direct than main Mentor but still influential
At some point, Main should come into some level of CONFLICT with MOST of these characters
Characters should also CONFLICT with each other throughout, though, of course, there should also be instances of getting along, having fun, etc…
In The Crimson Web of War, the characters are as follows:
- Main or Lead- PRESTON REDMARK
- Love interest – WENDY SCARSDALE
- Friend – JEREMY APPLE
- Mentor – CAPTAIN ‘COWBOY’ TAYLOR
- Nemesis - PETER, the cultist
- Nemesis partner in crime – Other members of the Cult of Twelve
- Alternate Villain – SHAFIQ, the translator
- Alternate Enemy – HAFIZULLAH
- Boss – LT COL GARDNER
- Boss Second-In-Command – MAJ RIVERS
- Friend #2 – FRANK SEGER
- Friend #3 – RICK ‘ONE FOOT DICK’ HEMLOCK
- Friend of Love Interest – LIZZY
- Parents – FATHER (DECEASED); MOM
- Wild Card – FAST EDDIE, Preston’s alter ego
- Oddballs – OZGUR, the journalist; QAHAR, the merchant
- Alternate Mentor/Friend – SHIVA, the bartender
A Solid Backbone:
Write the backbone of your novel by first drafting it as a script. This will allow you to focus on dialogue and it makes it easier to map out your story arc.
Good Editing Skills:
Set aside the script, then re-read it after a week or two. Re-write and prepare to novelize. As you go, use a copy of Strunk and White’s Elements of Style.
Tips:
ALWAYS keep a notebook handy. Should be tabbed by character or part, or both.
Whenever you have an idea, WRITE IT IN THE NOTEBOOK immediately, or at least on something, then transfer it to the notebook
Eavesdrop on conversations; pick up dialogue and speech flow
READ a lot! Not only a lot of books but a lot of different types of books.
READ books about writing. On Writing by Stephen King, How to Write a Damn Good Novel, by James Frey… Also check out sites like Writer’s Digest
Buy used books or go to the library!
Use editors who will be honest with you, not just friends. Try a workshop or sites like Trigger Street.
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