I completely understand!

There’s more to fiction writing than just taking up a pen and paper, or climbing into your computer chair and firing up your laptop. One of the hardest things about fiction writing can be coming up with an idea for a story. 

But don’t worry. My #5onFri post is all about five tips to effectively write a fiction without any troubles.

Set Fiction Writing Goals

First and foremost, you can’t start writing without establishing a set of goals. Often with fiction writing there’s no deadline or goal to finish, so it can still be hard to complete a project without that pressure.

So, when setting your goals, make sure that they’re doable, and that the deadlines you set for yourself are measurable. For example, when it comes to word count, make it your goal to not worry about word count until you get to the revision process (I’ll talk about editing later on in this article).

Normally, most fiction novels run a minimum of 50,000 words, or a maximum of 100,000 words. But again – don’t worry about word count in your first draft (You’ll be able to add and cut out words when editing later).

Sensibly, if you want to put in enough words into your writing per day, then feel free to set a goal of a suitable number of words to write daily. Ideally, if you set a goal to write, say, between 2,500 and words a day, then your rough draft will most likely accumulate around 75,000 words by the time you finish.

Regardless of what your goals and deadlines are, they have to push you to write.

Prep Beforehand

So, now that you have your goals in mind, now you need a plan. Instead of sitting at your computer and getting writer’s block (a blank mind, essentially), you need to have a plan in place prior to writing. Your plan can take the form of one of the following:

A mind map

An outline (for your ideas)

A simple synopsis (1-2 pages of what your story is about)

While your plan might change due to where your writing may take you, use the current plan to help you move forward with your project. That way you’re less likely to hit a roadblock. While a little prep work can help you stay focused while writing, remember to not over-plan your endeavors.

Come With The Right Tools

While word-processing programs like Microsoft Office or Open Office are great for some writing projects, most professional writers prefer using different software such as Scrivener and others specifically made for writers. However, choosing the right tools can be a chore, and it can be frustrating to adapt to a software that you’re not familiar with.

Luckily, there are many programs and tools to choose from. If you find yourself familiar with a software and or tool, then stick with it – Don’t try to learn a new software, if you’re not comfortable with it. Remember: You need a software and tool that’s productive, reliable, and efficient.

And don’t forget: Your computer chair! You’ve got to have a comfortable chair to sit in while writing.

First Write, Then Edit

This is, by far, one of the biggest mistakes that new writers will make: Editing while writing. As mentioned before, your first draft should be where you focus on the writing – Don’t worry about editing. Free-write in your rough draft. Once you have your rough draft written, THEN you can move on to the revision process.

Plus, don’t try to read what you just wrote in the rough draft; just keep moving forward. In the revision process, you can go back and read your work to see what needs to be added, and what needs to be scrapped.

Take Creative Breaks 

Creative breaks are essential. Believe it or not, writers need a break from writing every once in a while. Since you’ll be using your brain a lot, and probably sitting in one spot all day staring at a screen or piece of paper. So, why not take a break? A creative break, that is!

Let’s soothe those creative muscles with some drawing, painting, sketching, or walking to help take your mind off of your writing. You’ll see that such breaks will allow you to rejuvenate and get back to writing.

Conclusion

(Bonus tip: Never Give Up!)

Finally, it’s important to keep going. Remember that it’s possible to write and finish your story, even when it seems hard to do so. But don’t quit! Have a plan. Be persistent, and stick to your goals and deadlines. YOU GOT THIS!

Yes, great fiction writing takes hard work and dedication, in order to pull it off. Although these tips are only a handful of things to remember, there are really no set rules on writing a fictional story. We hope that you are able to write easier with these effective tips, after reading this article.

Happy writing!

Kendra Beckley is a writer and editor at Academic brits and Cheap coursework. She is also a contributing writer for Thesis writing service. As a business development manager, she helps companies enter a new market and build long-term relationships with partners.

The post #5onFri: Five Effective Tips on Fiction Writing appeared first on DIY MFA.

In this episode–titled Outlining Demystified–we’re going talk about outline techniques particularly geared for writers who hate outlines. When I first started writing, I hated outlines because I thought they were too constricting. Then I discovered these five techniques and a whole new side of writing opened up for me. Now I use outlines for planning my writing projects and  for taking inventory after writing a fast first draft.

In this episode, I’ll share with you my five favorite techniques for outlining for any type of genre, so that whatever your project’s needs, there is a tool for the job available. Listen to the episode for a rundown on how each technique works and which types of projects or scenarios work best for each tool. Scroll down to see examples of the different outline methods in action, and also for links to bonus worksheets or other goodies.

5 Techniques for Outlining

1. Mind Mapping

How: Start with your core idea in the center of the page. Draw branches outward from that main topic to a group of sub-topics. From there, break out branches for your sub-topics into further sub-topics until you have drawn a web across your page.

Why: Mind mapping forces you to look at the same concept from different perspectives.

Best For: Non-fiction or projects that are categorical in nature.

Quick tip: Color code different aspects of your mind map or use highlighter to connect interrelated threads that occur on separate branches.

2. Scene Cards

How: Use one index card for each scene in your story. Include the following four items on each scene card:

• Scene Name: “The scene where…”
• Characters: Who are the major players in this scene?
• Plot Points: What main events happen in this scene?
• Purpose: Why is the scene important? (Hint: If you can’t answer this, then reconsider whether you really need this scene.)

Why: You can see your plot points and scenes all at once and easily rearrange the order until the flow of the plot makes sense to you.

Best For: Fiction or narrative non-fiction, because of its sequential nature.

3. Story Map

How: Like a subway map, different plot thread sin your story are represented by different colored lines, with the scenes as the stops along the way. Scenes that serve more than one thread in your story are the express stops, while those that serve only one thread are the local stops.

Why: This technique allows you to tease apart the various story threads in the novel and see how each thread develops on its own and in relation to the other threads in the story.

Best For: As with scene cards, this technique works best with fiction or narrative non-fiction. Use scene cards to help you build your story map.

4. One-Page Story Sketch

How: Create a blurb or “flap copy” of your work to summarize it. Do a quick rundown of the main cast, the world, and relevant details of narration. The boil down the message into a fortune cookie type statement that represents the theme of your story (i.e. “There’s no place like home).

Why: This is a great tool if you need to summarize the important details of your manuscript for a critique group because you can give them context and necessary details quickly.

Best For: Works best with fiction and is especially good for bringing critique partners up to speed on your story.

Download a copy of the Story Sketch worksheet.

5. Mood Board

How: Collage images that represent the world, the emotion, the characters, and the theme of your project.

Why: Creating and then just looking at your mood board helps you jump into the mind space of the manuscript and get re-centered quickly if you’ve gotten off track. It serves as a good reminder of the intention, the emotion, and the feeling you are going for.

Best For: Fiction or non-fiction, sequential or categorical… basically any project!

Example: The mood board on the left is for a middle grade children’s book about kids who go on road trip adventure.

Resource Recap

There are plenty of additional resources in the DIY MFA archive. To learn more about mind-mapping, scene cards and story-sketches, check out this post with untraditional outline techniques. You can see the step-by-step process for creating The Hunger Games story map in a separate article and the story sketch technique (formerly called a “rough sketch”) has its own detailed article, too. Visit this link to see a mood board in action, and learn how I went from mood board to toy design to story concept.

Link to Episode 21

(Right-click to download.)

If you liked this episode…

Head over to iTunes, leave a review, and subscribe so you’ll be first to know when new episodes are available. Also, if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please share!

Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome.

The post Episode 21: Outlining Demystified appeared first on DIY MFA.

Let’s start with the obvious: every book is different. And, also obvious: every writer is different. Slightly less obvious: the method of writing each book will be different. Most writers find a system. Sometimes, books blow up that system. At some point, the method that worked for your last book or your best friend or your favorite writer will fail you. Or you’ll discover a new method. Or you’ll realize you’ve let the character drag you kicking and screaming into a murderous subplot you did-not-see-coming! And no one but other writers understands how this can happen.

At this point, I’m often tempted to quote the Cheshire Cat: “We’re all mad here.”

It is in times like these that an outline can be useful. It’s a bridge from your inspiration to the words on the page. A reminder of where you want the story to go. A map.

But how do you go about making this map? And how could anyone possibly advise anyone else when every book is so darn different? Well, here are four methods for creating an outline; you might find one that works for you.

Outlining Method One: Acts

Do you not like being constrained by an outline? Need to let your story flow like a river, but don’t particularly want to end up drowning in some bog you did-not-see-coming? A simple broad outline might be the best way to go. It won’t get into details. You can discover all the nuances on your own. But it will help keep in mind where the character, the story and their writer are eventually planning to go.

Stories fall into three acts: the beginning (25%), the middle (50%) and the end (25%). Each one of these acts is precipitated by a major event in which the character makes a major decision. For example, take The Lion King. If you were to write a three-act outline for this movie, it would look like this:

1. Act One — Simba in the Pridelands
2. Break into Act Two — Simba denies his birthright and runs away.
3. Act Two — Simba in exile.
4. Break into Act Three — Simba decides to go home and reclaim his birthright
5. Act Three — Simba returns to the Pridelands to confront Scar

So, we have three sets of scenes, and two decisions. That’s it. The spine of a story. And if you want to discover the details, the minor characters and the setting along the way, that’s all you really need to get going.

Outlining Method Two: Time

This is an especially useful method if you have a very structural timeline, such as a school-year, a summer, or a season. If the timeline is short enough, you can even make this type of outline on an actual calendar. It’s a fun way to make your book and characters feel real!

One of the most famous examples of this type of outline comes from the ultimate school-year story: Harry Potter. Check out J.K. Rowling’s outline for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. You’ll see in the far left column that she organized her outline by months

Outlining Method 3: Character

This is a useful way to outline both broad stories with multiple viewpoints, or stories that are not plot-driven. Rather than focusing on events, focus on each character, and outline three major points:

1. How the character begins — This is similar, in substance, to an outline of the first act. An introduction to your character. Where is he at the opening of the story? What does he want? Why? And what was his past?
2. How the character changes — This is the middle of his story. Something forces him to act, and he begins to change. What skills does he learn? What lessons? What mistakes does he make? Who does he meet?
3. How the character ends — The climax. The grand finale. The character should now be able to do something he was not able to do at the beginning. What is it? And how does he show it?

I find it useful to do just a basic outline like this for every single one of my characters. Continuing our Lion King example, consider Pumbaa.  He’s the sidekick to the sidekick that only shows up halfway through the movie. But he has an arc. At the beginning, he cowtows to Timon, letting him claim his ideas for his own. Even his name, in Swahili, means “to be foolish, silly, weak-minded, careless, negligent.” And yet Pumbaa is changed and inspired by Simba and Nala. He makes the decision to leave his carefree life and follow Simba to Pride Rock, and in the end leads a charge against the Hyenas. In fact, his arc is bookended by two charges: the first, a senseless “bowling for buzzards,” the second, a purposeful attack in defense of himself and his friends. Comedic relief? Yes. But also a character in his own right. 

Making a simple, three-point outline for your main character and the supporting ones will help shape your story. It’s an exercise you can do in an afternoon that might save you heaps of time in the long-run, and your story will be richer for it.

Outlining Method Four: Combine

No one outline method will work for everyone. But, just as there are billions of stories there are . . . well, maybe not billions, but at least hundreds of ways to combine the elements of those stories into an outline that works for you. In my next and final post, I’ll talk about a few different methods of actually writing these outlines down.

Bess Cozby writes epic stories in expansive worlds from her tiny apartment in New York City. By day, she’s an Editor at Tor Books, and Web Editor for DIY MFA. Her work is represented by Brooks Sherman of the Bent Agency. Tweet her at @besscozby, contact her at bess@diymfa.com, or visit her website at www.besscozby.com.

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