Just a quick post to tell you about the excellent Start Writing Fiction course (A174_1) at OpenLearn, the free branch of the Open University. 

I signed up and subscribed to the course ages ago and then forgot to go back and actually do it. Until last weekend, and it’s a good thing I remembered! I’m using the course to help me plan my novel, and doing the exercises has let to a few Eureka! moments. 

I highly recommend the course.

“First, find out what your hero wants, then just follow him!” - Ray Bradbury

That sums up how I come up with novel-length stories. Creating and plotting a novel is all about my characters. I need to know who they are, where they come from, what they want, and what the worst thing is that could happen to them.

I don’t think about them as characters but as people; people I want to get to know. I “interview” them to find out as much about them as possible. I use the the questionnaire from the Gotham Writers’ Workshop excellent Writing Fiction guide - I highly recommend the book, but there is a downloadable version of the questionnaire.

The most important thing about creating characters is to keep checking that I’m interested in them and what happens to them. The way I see it, if I don’t care about my characters, why should anybody else care?

Be honest: Have you ever thought that one day, you would finally sit down and write a novel? If your answer is yes, let me tell you that one day is now. Or in four weeks tomorrow, rather, when NaNoWriMo will start .

You have four weeks to prepare. Four weeks to think about characters and plot, get into the habit of writing at least 1,667 words per day, and to find out which parts of your daily routine you are willing to sacrifice to achieve your goal.

That sounds a bit much, you say? After all you have to go to school, work or look after your family, there’s no time to squeeze in 50,000 words in 30 days. If this is how you think, then there will indeed be no time for it.

Nobody said writing a novel would fit in smoothly with your life. You might sleep less, neglect your family and friends and drink too much coffee. But if you see it through, you will suddenly find yourself on the other side of November and you won’t ever have to think again that one day you REALLY will write that novel. Instead, you’ll be able to say: “I’ve written a novel.” I think that’s worth a bit of sacrifice. Don’t you?

It’s November 1 in 16 weeks today? Oh my …

16 weeks may seem a long time, but as far as I am concerned it’s not very long at all. I mean, it’s mid-July already and the year has only just begun. I wanted to finish editing last year’s oevre before thinking about this year’s project, but I’m very far from having a presentable manuscript.

Still, not taking part in NaNoWriMo is unthinkable: I can’t imagine getting through November without having a new novel to keep my busy. I’ve done and won it 6 times, andI have no intention of quitting this habit.

I’m at least 500 words short of my goal for today, but I still think 40k can be done tomorrow.

40k this weekend?

First half is over, I’m 6625 words ahead. I’m doing better than I thought I would

Less than 20k to go - woohoo!

30k tomorrow …

My weekday progress isn’t that amazing. Considering that I am major-league busy at work, I am rather pleased with my work-day progress, though.