Schedules & Routines

Some Tips On Outlining For A Novel: A Guest Post by Rami Ungar

Posted on May 25, 2013 by Ruth Ann Nordin

Since I posted about writing by the seat of your pants, I was thrilled when Rami Ungar said he’d do a guest post on being a plotter.  I thought he had some great ideas on how he approaches it and wanted to share it with those of you who are thinking of trying this method.   Without further ado, here’s his post!

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I only outline novels. I feel that the novel is the best format for an outline, because novels leave room for character development, thematic exploration, and to basically let your artistic impulses spread out. I create an outline before every novel so that before I start spreading out, I have some direction on where I’m spreading to, where I want my story to go and what I want to do with it. Basically, an outline organizes the novel before I begin writing it.

If you use an outline, you probably have your own method for outlining a novel. And if you don’t, it may be because of because of preferences or because you’ve never used one before. Whether or not you’ve used outlines, whatever the reason, it is perfectly fine. Perhaps you may still be able to glean some gems here that can improve your own writing.

Now without further ado, here’s how I outline a novel.

1. Have Some Idea of What You’re Writing. Some authors like to wing it when they write, but authors who use outlines generally like to have some idea of where their story is going and therefore know exactly what sort of story they’re going to write.

As an example, let’s say you’re a horror writer who wants to write a zombie novel. With that, you have an antagonist and a conflict for your story: zombies and surviving the plague they cause. And…let’s say there’s a heroine who has a strange ability (not yet specified) that allows the heroine to fight back against the zombies without worry about dying and becoming one. And for an added twist, let’s say the source of this ability and the source of the zombies are somehow linked.

Okay, right there you have the basis for a great zombie novel (and sequels, should you decide you want to do any). You’re ready for the next step:

2. Plan The First Three Scenes. I say “scenes” and not “chapters” because a single scene doesn’t always fit neatly into one chapter and vice versa (for an example, compare any Alex Cross novel to any Harry Potter book in terms of use of chapters). So, decide on what you want for first three scenes. I generally use the first three scenes to introduce my main characters and the conflict that the main characters will have to go up against in the novel.

For our zombie novel, we can use the first three scenes to introduce our heroine and any characters we feel are important enough to reveal early on in the story, along with the conflict (the zombies) and how the main character and her world reacts to the zombies.

This leads to our next step:

3. Start the Outline. Yes, now that you know what you want for your novel and what you plan for the first three scenes, start that outline by writing down, chapter by chapter (or scene by scene, if you prefer) what happens in the story. You don’t have to go into detail about what happens in each chapter or go into full detail about each character. Just give us an idea of what happens in each chapter in as few lines as possible. For example:

“Chapter One: Megan Sommers, a thirty-something librarian, is shopping in downtown Columbus when she runs into a teenage boy she feels she’s met somewhere before. The boy, Ethan Gray, feels the same way. As they try to figure out where they know each other, walking corpses spill out of the sewers and start attacking people on the street.”

Keep going in this format for as long as the novel needs to go. Explore each chapter, decide what you want to happen in that chapter and move on. If you have a firm grasp on how to tell a story, you can keep the novel going for as long as you need to until you reach an ending that satisfies you.

4. Character Bios. Some authors prefer to create the characters before they plan out the plot, but I prefer to write the character biographies after I plan the plot. I feel that I have a better grasp of my characters after I plan out the story, especially since the story and the conflict itself ends up shaping the characters. When I do a character biography, it usually looks like this:

“Megan Sommers: A 33-year-old librarian who can’t remember anything before her 14th birthday. She feels lost and unsure of her life until she meets Ethan Gray, who in the course of the novel is revealed to be her half-brother. She also discovers an ability that allows her to fight against the zombies using martial arts and chi manipulation but doesn’t remember learning how to do it. Likes jazz music and fashion design, but later develops a fondness for motorcycle-riding after fleeing the apocalypse with Ethan on motorcycles.

It’s simple, tells a lot about the character and what we can expect for her, and a little of what she’s into. I usually follow a similar format for all my characters, unless for some reason I have to go into more or less detail, such as a character needs to remain mysterious or revealing a lot about the character is important. Remember, the bios are for you to keep in mind while you are writing the novel, so keep as much information as you feel you need to. It can also help to categorize characters into groups before going into their bios,  such as characters A and B being the protagonists, while characters C-F are in the military, and characters G-L are members of the antagonists.

5. Take A Break When You’re Done. After you finish the first draft of the outline, take a break. Relax, work on a short story, spend time with your loved ones, catch up on your favorite TV show. This break should last at least two or three weeks. Why? Because:

6. Do the 2nd Draft. Just like the eventual manuscript will need at least two or three drafts, so will you’re your outline. When I wrote my novel Snake, I was dissatisfied with the first draft of the outline and made several adjustments and rewrites before and during the first draft. During the third draft I added two chapters to both the novel and to the outline just because I felt two new chapters should be there.

Once you feel you’ve done enough edits to your outline, you can move onto the final step:

7. Start the novel. You’ve outlined the novel, you’ve done the edits, and you’ve got a great grasp of your characters. Start the first draft of your novel and refer to the outline as much as you need to.

An outline can be a great organizational tool for writing your novel. If it helps you keep track of the story you’re writing and the characters you’ve created, then it’s a tool you should use as much as possible and in the way that works for best for you. And if these tips helped you in any way, then my job here is done.

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Rami Ungar is a student at Ohio State University studying History and English. He has been writing since he was ten years old, and his influences include Stephen King, Anne Rice, and James Patterson. His collection of short stories, The Quiet Game: Five Tales To Chill Your Bones, is due out this summer, and his novel, Reborn City, is expected to come out sometime this winter. In his spare time Rami enjoys reading, watching TV, and sneaking up behind people when they least expect it.

To find out more about him and his work, go to http://ramiungarthewriter.wordpress.com/.

Categories: Characters & Viewpoints, General Writing, Psychology of Writing & Publishing, Schedules & Routines, The Writer & Author | Tags: , | Leave a comment

What if You Don’t Feel Like Writing?

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Ruth Ann Nordin

I’ve noticed the longer I get away from my writing routine, the harder it is to get motivated to write.  This is especially hard when there is a major life event going on: moving, health issues, birth of a baby, death in the family (just to name a few).  If you have unsupportive family members or friends like I do, it’s even harder.  Because our work is at the computer, no one “sees” us working.  We’re not doing physical labor, so it’s harder to convince them that what we’re doing is a job and must be treated like a job in order for us to stay in the business mindset.  Just because it’s work we enjoy, it doesn’t mean it’s always easy.  There are times when it’s downright hard, and we end up feeling like we have to pull teeth to get words on paper.

So what are some steps we can take if we don’t feel like writing but have to?  

1.  Decide you’re going to do it no matter how many words you get down.

This is where it’s helpful to set aside a small chunk of time at the computer.  I recommend 15 minutes because it doesn’t seem overwhelming.  Turn off the TV, disable the Internet if you have to, unplug the phone, and remove any other distractors you need to.  I prefer music while I write, and I usually make playlists for each book or series that I work on.  Having that type of music in the background helps me.  But there are times when absolute quiet is better.

2.  Get comfortable.

Whether you’re at your writing desk, in a library, in a recliner, or somewhere else, be in a place where you can relax.

3.  Get away from people.

There are times when having people around is great.  When you’re struggling to write isn’t one of them.  If you have to lock yourself in your bedroom or bathroom, then do it.  (As a mother of four school-age children and a stay-at-home husband, I understand completely why that lock feature on the door is the best thing that has happened to writers.)

4.  Put a treat by your side.

This won’t work in a place that will let you snack on something, but it can in other places.  At the moment, I have a shrimp and crab salad on the table next to my recliner.

5.  Keep an eye on the time or set a timer.

6.  Don’t stress word count.

The key is to write something.  Sometimes writing a blog post or doing a free writing exercise can help.  Sometimes the act of writing something unrelated to your book can loosen up those stiff writing muscles.  This blog post is my warm-up writing before I dive into my current work-in-progress.  My first fifteen minutes is going into this post.  :D

7.  Put the plan in motion.

Once you’re ready, get writing in your story.   If you have to pull up two works-in-progress and go back and forth between them to fill up that 15 minutes, go ahead.  I currently have three works-in-progress up.  A week ago, I ended up writing a paragraph in one, had no idea what to put next, went to my other work-in-progress, wrote a paragraph or two in there, and had to go back to the other work-in-progress.  It can be frustrating because you’re not seeing a major progress in your works-in-progress, but every little bit helps you get closer to the goal (another finished story you can publish).

Final thoughts:

Fortunately, the words do end up getting easier as you go along.  It might get easier the same day, it might take a couple of days, or it might take a month.  In 2011, I went through an entire month where I couldn’t write more than 200 words a day.  Talk about snail pacing it!  But sooner or later, things will pick up and the words will fly from your mind and onto the computer screen.  It’s the process of getting there that sucks.

I wish stories would write themselves, but they don’t.  I wish all writing was easy, but it’s not.  Ironically, when I started writing, it was a lot easier than it is now.  It is work.  Hard work.  Sadly, people who don’t write have no idea how difficult it is.  This is why I think it’s helpful to have a couple of author friends you can trust who can share the ups and downs of this profession.  It helps a lot to know you’re not alone.

For more inspiration, I’d like to point you to Melanie Nilles’ post “How do I get my writing done?”

If anyone else has tips they’d like to share on getting past the horrible “I don’t feel like writing” feeling, please comment.  :D

 

Categories: Psychology of Writing & Publishing, Schedules & Routines, Writer's Block & Burnout

Strategy for Publishing Your Books: How Many Books You Want to Publish in a Year and How to Get There

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Ruth Ann Nordin

If you’re going to treat your writing as a business, one of the most important things you’ll do is create a plan.  The plan is a list of goals you have and the strategy you’ll use to get there.  If you don’t at least have a plan in place, it’s too easy to get sidetracked by other things (like browsing those cute Facebook pictures or watching You Tube videos).  The plan helps you stay focused so even if you start to “goof off,” you can find your way back to where you’re supposed to be.  :D

A good time to plan is before the next year begins.  So November is as good a time as any to start your strategy.

How many books, on average, can you write in one year?

1. What is your best writing method?

This is the first question you need to address.  Everyone differs in this area.  Some people write faster than others.  Some people write their first draft quickly but then go through the process of rewriting.  Others write their first draft slower but don’t do much rewriting.  Some people polish up and edit each chapter as they write it, minimizing editing efforts later down the road.  Whatever system works for you, you’re better off using it than trying to imitate someone else’s method.

2.  What is the average length of time it takes you to write one book?

After you define your method for writing a book, figure out how long it takes to write the first draft.  This is an estimate number of weeks or months.  On average, I can write a 65,000-word first draft in 2-2.5 months.  So when I plan out when I’ll be finished with a first draft, I usually estimate out 2.5 to 3 months.  I do give myself more wiggle room because real life kicks in, and if you are rushing to get a story done, you can feel overwhelmed and sacrifice quality.  Always go slower if you can make the story better.  No one will die if you don’t get a book out as soon as you hoped.

3. How long does it take to rewrite, revise, edit, and do other stuff necessary to polish up your book?

This is going to vary from person to person, and I find a team of editors and beta readers are crucial to making the system go more smoothly and efficiently.  But, you need editors and beta readers you can trust to be honest, trust to do a good job, and trust to be nice.  Never have anyone treat you like you’re stupid.  Have people who are supportive and on your side.  This should be a positive learning experience, and the best way to learn is with open and friendly communication.

Also, I find it handy to have a good grammar book on hand in case you question the advice you’re given.  There are some grammar rules where there’s more than one way of doing things.  In that case, you do the method that you prefer.  And always go over your book after it’s done.  There are things that can pop up at the last minute or not sound quite right.  I prefer to listen to the book using a text to speech feature at this point because the way a book sounds can be different from how it is when you read it.  It also helps to look over it in different formats, one time on the computer, another time on physical paper.  Just having a different format can help you spot errors you might have missed.

So figure out, on average, how long it takes from the time your first draft is finished to when your final product is complete.  For me, this can range from 1-2 months.

4.  How long will it take to do the cover, formatting, uploading to book sites, etc?

The cover can be done well in advance, and I like doing the cover using GIMP for ebooks and Book Cover Pro for paperbacks.  I usually do the ebook cover when I start writing the book then do the paperback after I publish the book.  But your preference might be different, or you might want to hire out for this.  Either way, it’s part of what you plan out when you make your strategy.  For me, this process can be anywhere from 1 day to 1 week, depending on how quickly I find the right pictures to go on my cover.  And sometimes I change a cover if I find a better picture.  So space out time for stuff like this.  I usually do it when I’m taking breaks between writing projects for the day.  But that’s my style.  I need more than one thing to do at a time.  Some people do better focusing on one project at a time.

As for formatting, I find this takes about one to two hours.  If you hire out, figure in the time it’ll take the person to do it.  And for uploading (publishing) your book, that can take a couple hours too, depending on how many places you publish with.

Based on the above, you should be able to estimate how many books you can publish in one year.

I think it’s very reasonable to publish 4+ books a year if you pace yourself and work on multiple projects.  This is based on daily average word counts and using time management strategies.  It requires discipline and eliminating anything that distracts you from writing.

1. Set aside a certain amount of time where you’ll write and figure your average daily word count.

You might not hit a certain word count goal.  If not, that’s fine.  Don’t sweat it.  On some days you will; on others you won’t.  But I think it’s crucial to get into the habit of setting aside a certain amount of time (1/2 hour or 1 hour) where you are writing.  You are training your mind to be creative.  Choose the same location if possible.  Do this for one month, mark down your word counts for each day and then average out how many words you got done each day.  That will be your baseline goal for a daily word count.  I wouldn’t stress the word count goal too much, but I like to have an estimate to shoot for.  It helps me stay focused.

On average, I think it’s possible to write 500 words in 1/2 an hour.  So 1,000 words would make 1 hour.  If you wrote only one hour a day and averaged 1,000 words each day, you could have 60,000 words done in two months.  Or if you wrote 1/2 hour each day averaging 500 words a day, you would have 30,000 words in two months.  This is a doable goal.  Again, it doesn’t mean you have to reach your goal every single day, but I think you’ll find some days will be easier than others so you’ll exceed your goals on some days which should bring you to the average goal.

2.  Will you write only one book at a time or more?

I do best working on three books at a time.  I will devote one hour to one book and two 1/2 hour segments to two books.  In other words, I’ll average 1,000 words in one book and 500 words to book 2 and another 500 to book 3.  This is average.  I don’t get stuck on actual word counts but find I end up hitting near this range.  During the editing stage, I rely heavily on my editing and beta reader team to pick up most of the work to free me up to be more efficient so I can spend less actual time editing and reading over my own work.  This narrows down my actual editing time to a month at the most.  So usually 3.5 to 4 months is what it takes from start to finish to get one book out.

Since I work on more than one book at a time, I’m usually halfway through books 2 and 3 by the time book 1 is published.  Then I take book 2 and bump that up to 1,000 words a day and add book 4 to the list.  So I’m not starting from scratch on books 2 and 3.  This helps for better efficiency and quickens the pace.

3.  Get rid of anything that distracts you from writing.

That means setting aside a certain amount of time where you will not answer the phone, surf the Internet, answer the door, watch TV, etc.  If certain music helps get you in the mood for writing, then listen to that music.  If you prefer quiet, then go for quiet.  Also, try to get a good night’s sleep or take your daily nap.   A well-rested mind is a creative mind.  Do whatever you can to get your mind geared up for writing.

4.  A little rest goes a long way.

I do take a day or even a week off as soon as I feel tired.  If you take a break at the first signs of exhaustion, you will avoid a burn out.  The key is knowing when you need to back off.  If you ignore the warning signs–lack of enthusiasm for writing, no creative spark, you’re physically tired, you’re stressed out over something, etc, you will have a harder time getting back to writing.  Also, schedule in vacations.  I have kids in school, so my big vacation time is summer.  I have blocked off three months where I’m with the kids.  People you love aren’t here forever, so be sure to spend time with them.  Even if it means getting less out, you’re better off in the long run if you take the time to engage with family and friends.  Plus, being with them will also help you avoid burn out.

Now grab a calendar for the next year and mark in your goals.

1. Using the information from above, get an idea of how long it will take you to get  the first draft and final product done.

I like to mark down an estimate on when the first draft will be done.  You don’t have to even start the book or even know what the book will be about when you’re making your goals for the next year.  I usually call it book 1, book 2, etc.  This frees me up to choose the books I want to write later while keeping me focused.

So go through each month for next year and mark down when you want to start a book and when the first draft will be completed.  Next, mark down the time you’ll start editing and when you’ll finish editing (give a couple weeks’ leeway for your editing and beta reader team).  Then set down a goal for when the book will be published.

2.  Mark in any vacations or times you know you won’t be writing.

And adjust your goals around those times.  True, the unexpected happens, but it helps if you can still pencil in those things that you know for sure is coming up (ex. reunions, weddings, vacations).

Evaluate your progress

Now that you have your strategy in place, go back and evaluate the calendar every two to three months in the next year.  Did you meet your goals?  Why or why not?  Are you able to publish more books in the year or not?

Evaluating yourself doesn’t mean you pass or fail.  It means you are figuring out your strengths and weaknesses, learning what works and at what pace.  This is helping you to get a better grasp on your writing and publishing speed, and it’ll help you create an even better strategy in the future.

And remember, you are not competing with anyone.  You set your own terms and work on your own schedule.  :D

Categories: Book Setup, Schedules & Routines, Writing as a Business

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