How I wrote my novel

The writing Journey!

Here is a quick YouTube link too 

http://youtu.be/LmOSLOeXQr8

This is the little purple box I keep all my writing pages, drafts and ideas in! A very good investment. I recommend it to all!

Your main message and plot
The first thing you need  to determine as a writer, is to figure out the main message or messages you want to convey to the reader. What is the voice in your head telling you? What are important issues you want to address? What do you want the reader to think about after they have written your novel?
Remember books are always about people there is not even a single job in the world that doesn't involve people.
Dot them down:
- Friendship
- Bullies
- Suicide
-Circumstances that can't be controlled
-Love
-Horses
-Fantasy world to escape to
-Extinct fauna and flora and animals
-Supernatural powers

This was my very first note book I started writing in! A very good tip I have learnt when I am stuck is to alternate between physically writing and typing it works like a bomb! If you are stuck on the computer print out that page go sit somewhere different and write you will be amazed!

Lets Explore it...

Here is a YouTube link if you prefer.

http://youtu.be/cnFRQTRdz5Y

Characters

Now that you have tackled some issues or just general interests you have the next thing to do is to find a way to make a story out of it. The only way to do this is with characters. Because Fire and Dust was my first novel and I am a female, I decided to write from a female's perspective, however in my second novel my main character is a male.  The most important thing with a character is to make them as real as possible, they should have flaws, emotions, and an individual way of ''seeing'' things.

A great tip I have learnt with character development is to use pictures, in magazines or better straight from you imagination. If you can imagine it you can describe it! Make a collage of landscapes, people or anything that interest you.

Make a Collage,one for your novel and one for your characters.
It is very exciting and when you have a visual image it makes writing much more exciting!
You will get so many ideas that you can use for your novel. You get to add little notes next to the pictures which is your own ''take'' from the images.

Here is another YouTube link: http://youtu.be/9qVolaF1dOM

Write your book blurb.
Remember this will change once you have finished the novel. Mine changed a fair bit, but it kept me on point! If you don't have a skeleton you cannot flesh it out!
You need to write the book blurbs similar to one you would like to read! ~
Usually is it a 1/4 of a page long!

To become an expert at this do the following....

Go into a bookstore and just read book blurbs  take note of the ones you like and the ones you don't like! I would pick novels in a similar genre but it's not a must! Do this for every step when you are busy writing or have finished your first chapter go into the bookstore again but this time only read first chapters!

Mix and Match
The third thing is to mix the two. Write a five sentenced paragraph about your story, include events that could trigger the top list. All story's even in our life have up' and down's. If a story just has a straight line, you won't be able to develop your characters. It was hard for me to include bad/sad things but you have to!

Don't worry!
Don't write for others write for yourself, if you enjoy the process then others will too! If you enjoy it you will never give up and you will achieve success!