AboutSusan Rand Expertise Questions about writing in general, creativity (how to make your writing totally YOU - unique as you are); how to make it stand out from the competition; how to spark your creative juices; how to make it flow; how to make your characters seem like real people; how to control emotion in the reader and much more! Please no homework questions.
Experience I have been writing and teaching writing for several decades. I have written 5 books and several short stories. Over the years I have read and studied many books on "how to write." I can correct spelling and usage mistakes, and I know punctuation.
Education/Credentials BA in the Humanities, with an emphasis on Written Communication, 1982
Expert: Susan Rand Date: 6/30/2006 Subject: Bridging the gap in my Novel
Question Dear Susan Rand,
My name is Carl Williams, im an 18yr old college student. I am trying to write a novel, i have great ideas and even excerpts i intend to use but for some reason i cant seem to connect them. I have detailed character descriptions, i have the story line and in my opinon everything i need. However, when i sit down to write i cant seem to take all the many ideas swarming through my head and send them to paper exactly as i see in my head. How do i take connect the parts of my novel or make it flow?
Answer Hello Carl:
Many people want to write and have some ideas they like, even some excerpts, but they don’t know how to get tie them together. Getting started with your novel involves bringing all this material under control.
First, you must decide on a premise for your book. The premise is something you have learned and believe in passionately, and think the world should know, or remember. It's the "point" of your book. You should be able to being state it in a single sentence, like “Love plus plenty of money makes for a good dating experience.” Sometimes, especially in books for children, it is stated baldly: Dorothy in Oz, for example, learns "There's no place like home." This is the most important part of your book - it will guide you through the whole thing - so choose carefully.
Once you have your premise, get some 3x5 cards and on each, write a few words around each of the ideas you have floating around in your head. At some point, a pattern should begin to show itself. Sort the cards around this pattern until the arrangement suits you. From that, make an outline, keeping the premise in mind at all times. Make sure there’s some kind of progression – some movement from A and B toward C. Without a premise, your book is just a collection of random phrases.
When you are finished organizing your material, you may begin to write your first draft, following the outline you have made. There are many different kinds of novels: mysteries, westerns, thrillers, adventure, etc. I could advise you better if I knew generally what your book is about. Perhaps you'd like to come back with further questions.
I hope this helps. If it does, a nice rating would be greatly appreciated. I am proud of my high score over 700 questions.
