These are written notes from a Youtube Course on Writing Novels.
All rights go to Lee McGeorge for this wonderful course, a step by step guide to planning, writing and publishing your novel.
First write metadata + estimate total duration it will take name, total words, total time eg. Ghost story, 25,000 words, 3 months
one month plan one month write first draft one month revise the text make a small plan you can actually follow.
brainstorm ideas about what you going to write (can be removed later if not needed) victorian man, 2030, hacker, carpenter, a father of 2, gambler, politian,…………. not mainly finish the novel with those ideas.
Mysteries, Doubts in the novel. that you will narrate through out the novel. The killer is unknown and blamed the hacker he was jelous because one day the girl he was dating once said hi to that man in the bar. write multiple mysteries that will be through out the novella.:w
keep brainstorming, still no wonder where all this is going.
We need a scene list can have upto ~35 scenes for the entire novel.
short treatment 2 to 3 stories in a page or 2 per scene.
ideas -> story -> make real plan in the scene list
figure out what the story actually about
- what is the topic and
- the message - what you want ppl to think about after finish reading
eg. topic - search for the truth message - sometimes its better not to know the truth.
Story models
brainstormed ideas turned to a coherent narrative try a story shape to connect the ideas. The structure is a guide, not a cage.
eight point arc (try to pass the entire storyline through this 8 points if possible)
1 stasis - how they live,
2 trigger - something happens to drive the drama forward ,
3 quest - since something happend now we have to go and fix it or do something right.
4 discovery - find and learn about things, we might need to do something about it, to overcome it
5 critical choice / crisis
6 climax - big explosins, car chases, gunfights, HIGH anderaline
7 reversal - reverse stasis if necessary from the beginning
8 conclusion - way to say good bye to the characters
built on top of critical choice, trigger and discovery
Character basics
- Hero - Robert - 35
- Wife - Rebecca - 31
- Crazy Sister - Clara - 30
- Heroine - Julia -27
- Engineer - Father - William John Isambard - 52
- Boy on Fire - Henry William Isambard - 6
characterization vs true character (show dont tell) some characters might have similar or different traits, goals, ethics and world views. give each character a want, a point of view, and something that gets in the way.
Character arcs
what motivates and what drives people to do certain things how a person changes gradually, not all of them in the story but can be some or multiple. By how effective it is with the story line. what changes in them by the end? Let the change grow out of the choices they make.
World building
Lesson 5 – World Building build only the details the story needs; make the setting shape what people can do.
Building the narrative
Lesson 6 – Building the Narrative connect scenes with cause and effect: something happens, then someone responds.
Minor arcs
Lesson 7 – Minor Arcs side characters can change too. Let their smaller stories support the main one.
Finishing the story
Lesson 8 – Finishing the Story know what the story is about, and give the ending a sense of goodbye.
Treatment
Lesson 9 – Treatment write the story out in short form before trying to make every scene shine.
Lesson 10 – Treatment Part II rework the treatment until the important turns and choices make sense.
every section above you need to go through iteratively, refining, hammering and brainstorm again and again. If you are not satisfied with any remove and start over. Details matters,
Lesson 11 – Scene List list scenes in order; jot down what changes and why each scene belongs.
First draft
Lesson 12 – First Draft start the draft. Keep going instead of polishing the first page forever.
Lesson 13 – First Draft II keep adding pages; leave a note where you get stuck and move on.
Lesson 14 – First Draft III get to the end. You can fix a whole rough story after it exists.
Show, don’t tell
Lesson 15 – Show, Don’t Tell show feelings through what a character does, says, notices, or avoids.
Revising the first draft
Lesson 16 – Reading the First Draft read it all the way through; mark the confusing or slow bits before revising.
Lesson 17 – Cutting cut repeated ideas and scenes that don’t change anything important.
Cover design
Lesson 18 – Cover Design make the cover hint at the genre and mood; keep the title easy to read.
Focus and finish
Lesson 19 – Focus and Finish choose a small writing routine and stick with it until the book is done.
Publishing
Lesson 20 – Publishing look at the publishing paths and prepare the book for the readers you want.