How to write a novel: where to start, come up with a title, plot

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

A novel is not just a collection of 33 letters and a handful of punctuation marks. It has a purpose - to make the reader plunge into the world created by the author, to feel things, places and worlds that he did not know about. Ignite the reader's desire to know what happens next, make him turn the page and find that reading the novel not only brought pleasure, but made him change a little and opened up something new for him.

Most popular genres of literature

How to start writing? Before sitting down to write a novel, the author must determine: for whom does he want to write? Who will be its readers? What interests them and what is the most read today? Numerous polls have shown that the most read genres today are romance, science fiction, detective stories and classics.

Love novels

As a rule, they are mostly read by women who see in life only laundry, cleaning, work, the kitchen and an eternally busy husband. They need romance, beauty. They need beautiful hero names, strong characters, memorable places. They won't read about the plumber's love for the cook.

But ifthe author dares to talk about it, then he needs to think about how to captivate his readers - to think over a touching plot. Understand how to write love scenes in a novel in such a way that the most unattractive character at first sight “plays”, stands out. Throughout the story, note how the feelings of the characters changed them, what difficulties they had to go through to prove or show their love.

Fantastic

Fantastic genre is mostly preferred by teenagers or computer geniuses. In terms of genre diversity, there is room for expansion here. It can be an adventure story with incredible embellishments: impersonations and unusual stunts, unusual locations and technical bells and whistles.

The fantastic genre is good because here you can come up with a title that will intrigue the reader, create a fascinating plot based on a folk tale with its monsters, wizards and brave knights, or cyber fiction with its electronic innovations.

Fantasy is a fairly popular genre because there is an unlimited "field of activity" for the author. And how to write a fantasy novel, in what way, depends only on his imagination. The main set of a science fiction writer is the main character, the object of his love, powerful patrons or associates. And of course, the opposing side: the main villain is insidious and invincible.

Detectives

Novels of this genre have always been read, read and will be read. Why are they popular? Primarily,the reader wants to have fun, to escape from reality. He likes to solve the crime, like a puzzle. The beginning of the novel is a jigsaw puzzle. And the author plays: hides the evidence, brings suspicion to a completely innocent character, who behaves as if he is the criminal.

And the reader often goes the wrong way, his guesses are wrong. As a rule, the hero of the detective - the detective - surpasses the reader in ingenuity and elegantly solves the crime. To write a detective, one puzzle, of course, is not enough. How to learn to write detective novels? Firstly, it is interesting for the reader to follow the train of thought of the heroes, to pursue the criminal together with the detective and to substantiate conjectures and suspicions.

The punishment of the villain is also an important detail, the reader feels pleasure at the sight of the criminal who got what he deserved. Often the reader identifies with the main character, gets used to his role and increases his own importance. A well-written detective makes him confident in the reality of what is happening. And he keeps falling back into the role of detective over and over again, reading novel after novel.

Classic

Great creations are impossible not to know. Classical literature is relevant at all times. Of course, there is no need to create a new War and Peace. How to write a novel that will captivate more than a dozen readers? Fill it with deep meaning, raise global topical issues based on eternal values. Such a work will not leave anyone indifferent, it will be interestingat all times and will be beneficial.

The formula for an exciting piece

In fact, there are quite a few things that haven't been written yet. It is important to come up with something original, unusual. In a word, mine. There is no general scheme for writing a novel. Yes, and never was. Therefore, there is no universal formula for how to write novels that are in demand. But you don't need to reinvent the wheel either. It is enough for a beginner pen master to use the general structure: plot and composition.

In a good work, everything is logically connected: one action (event) follows from another, and everything that has nothing to do with it is removed. The main principle is consistent, logically constructed actions of the characters. This is the plot of the piece. Then you need to decide on the elements of the plot. What should you carefully consider before writing a novel?

• Exposition - characters, their relationship, time and place of action.
• Omen - hints, any signs or clues that reveal the further development of the plot.
• The tie is an important element of any work. This is an event that develops, provokes conflict.
• Conflict is the basis of any work. What can form the basis of the conflict? A person (character) against a person or against himself. Hero against society or nature. Human versus supernatural or technology.
• Building action is essential to how to write a novel that keeps the reader in constant suspense. It is necessary to create a chain of events that originate fromconflict. Gradually, the action builds up and reaches a peak.
• Crisis is the culmination point. The crisis begins immediately before the climax or simultaneously with it. This is exactly the moment when the opposing sides collide, that is, they meet face to face.
• The climax is the most significant moment in a novel. The most interesting, as the hero grits his teeth and goes to the end or breaks down and loses.
• Descending actions are events or actions of heroes that lead to a denouement.
• Decoupling - conflict resolution. The hero wins or achieves the goal, is left with nothing or dies.

How to write a novel

The rules for creating a plot highlight one element - crisis. As stated above, this is the climax of the novel. It is this moment that distinguishes the work, makes it exciting. What is characteristic of him? First, the crisis reflects the genre of the work.

Secondly, he must literally turn the life of the hero, disrupt the natural course of his life, change it for the worse. This point requires the author's special attention, since the entire book, the entire planned volume of the work, must go to overcome the consequences of the crisis. Otherwise, short novels are obtained that do not fully reveal the idea of \u200b\u200bthe work.

Thirdly, the crisis must capture the author himself. Only in this case the book will captivate and the reader will not fall asleep in the middle of the novel. After the author has decided on the crisis, you need to decide what the hero is ready to do for him.overcoming what he will go to achieve his goal. He must be sure that this is the only possible way out of the situation. This will be the main goal of the hero.

Four components of the crisis

When inventing a plot, leading a character to a crisis, in no case should you rush. It's kind of the foundation of the piece. And the author has to build on it. A poorly thought out plan will collapse, and a masterfully crafted, clever plot will only give energy and strength, which help to create full-fledged masterpieces, and not half-finished, short novels.

Possession and deliverance

The object of possession (disposal) can be a person, an idea, a feeling, information. In trying to resolve a crisis, a character must do so. For example, a girl wants to get married, but her relatives in every possible way prevent this. And she is trying to get rid of their oppression. Or a father looking for a kidnapped child. The desire to find his child is so strong that no obstacles will stop him.

Tragic consequences

The hero failed to achieve his goal, the consequences are terrible - they completely destroy his life. It is not so important how to start writing, and most importantly - to make it clear to the reader that much is at stake here. Let them feel, experience with the characters all the tragedy of the current situation, fear. In a word, to drag the reader, to endow the characters with feelings inherent in every person. Create a situation that just needs to be resolved. The girl, unable to overcome the oppression of the family, will remain unhappy. Father, unable to savechild, lose him.

High motives

This is what always attracts the reader. If the author of the work endows his hero with at least one worthy motivation to achieve the goal, readers will empathize with him, admire and the hero's motivations will find a response in their hearts. What lofty motives are worthy of readers' attention? It can be a sense of duty, love, dignity, honor. Comradeship, justice, patriotism often resonate with readers. Repentance and self-respect are worthy, noble motives.

It is important to highlight strengths. For example, an investigator, solving a crime, is guided by a sense of duty. A father who saves a child is guided by love. Softer ones - generosity or kindness - will not make the proper impression on the reader. The negative aspects should be noted - envy, anger, hatred, pride, greed, lust.

Antiheroes are usually endowed with such traits. Young writers often miss this point: it's hard to create a strong character with negative motives. Perhaps the only negative impulse that can attract the attention of the reader is revenge. When the hero was left with no choice and the only way to get justice is revenge.

Overcoming obstacles

And the last thing a hero must do to achieve his goal is to overcome obstacles. The author needs to create insurmountable obstacles. The goal seems to be unattainable. Reconsider the created crisis, how deep and insurmountable it is. If necessary, the crisis can be aggravated: worsensituation, make it larger, swap some elements or the scene.

Conflict resolved

Why is storytelling important? Because during the existence of literature a certain scheme of influence on the reader has been developed. If the novel does not fit into it, it will be sluggish and illogical. In voluminous works with several storylines, all of the above elements are repeated repeatedly and obey these plot construction rules.

In addition, building a chain of events, the transition from the plot to the conflict must be believable. How to write a novel that meets these requirements? The character must have good reasons to do one way or another. The denouement, the end of the conflict is the result of the actions of the hero of the work. Every scene needs logic and common sense. The reader will feel cheated if the character is just lucky. He will respect the characters only if they deserve it - they did something worthy.

Departure from the rules

The author wants to deviate from the generally accepted rules, but does not know how? Writing thrash novels is pretty trendy these days. In such a work, the author deviates from the rules. He is not bound by literary forms. It's just a stream of consciousness, relaxation, pieces of thoughts. But nevertheless, there should be an interesting storyline. There should be elements that catch the reader: humor, mood, demonism, rampant madness, etc. Something that shakes the reader.

Writea work with a fascinating plot, unusual places and actions uncharacteristic for the modern world is possible if you plunge into history. Exactly. The history of any country, city, famous battle or biography of a famous person is interesting at all times. How to write a historical novel? It is possible to create a masterpiece worthy of attention, bearing a historical value, only after thoroughly studying the facts and evidence. Readers are attentive to details.

Wishing to recreate history, it is necessary to study the period of time in which the author wants to place his characters. Pay attention to clothes, houses, furnishings, utensils, habits, moral values of that period. Literally plunge into that time. Build a storyline, weave intriguing characters, endow them with high goals.

Name

How to come up with a book title - ingenious, memorable? Read a book and think about its idea. Think of titles that fit the main message or the main emotions that your novel evokes. Write down your favorite phrases from the book. Maybe they will become the title of the work. Consider naming a novel after the main character. This is a fairly common practice. Mysterious names intrigue the reader who is looking for something unusual. At the same time, the title should give enough information about the subject of the book, but not too much to keep the reader interested. Be original. Come up with a name that will stand out from the crowd.

The most important thing is not to be afraid if it turns out that there is already a novel with the same name. Readers don't caremore. First of all, books become famous, whose authors were able to come up with a good title, put together ideas, thoughts, facts and create an exciting, logically built plot.