One way to find plot ideas is to look for precursors of them, for wisps of ideas.  These are items that you find interesting in some way.  If you find them interesting, a reader may as well.  You are looking for items that intrigue or interest you, that provoke you, that upset you or that […]

Once you have a significant list of wisps, you need to work on turning them into story ideas.  This is still not a full plot.  It is, instead, perhaps a one-sentence description of what the story is about. Basically, a story needs a captivating but flawed protagonist who is thrust into having an obj…

At this stage, where you have a story idea but not a fully formed plot, you need to consider characters.  One challenge with a novel is interweaving plot, characters, subplots and themes.  Adjustments to one frequently requires adjustments to the others.  One must be fluid and allow changes at every…

There are two basic approaches to writing a novel.  One is the outline approach.  (Full disclosure:  I am an outliner.)  The other is the “pantser” approach, short for writing by the seat of your pants.   In other words, you have a starting situation and some ideas regarding the characters, you star…

I deliberately have delayed discussing themes.   This is for a reason:  You do not want to let theme drive your story or your novel will be sanctimonious.  It works better to let themes arise from your story.  In other words, permit the themes to emerge naturally from the plot and main characters, r…

By convention, a story is not a novel unless it has at least one subplot.  Without a subplot, a story is generally considered a novella, a short novel with a single narrative if you will.  Subplots are secondary stories to the main plot line.  To be successful, they must influence or contribute to t…

By convention, a story is not a novel unless it has at least one subplot.  Without a subplot, a story is generally considered a novella, a short novel with a single narrative if you will.  Subplots are secondary stories to the main plot line.  To be successful, they must influence or contribute to t…