I went to Borders a few weeks ago and purchased for myself 3 books providing guidelines for writing a novel. I know that writing really isn’t something that can be taught…I believe it’s one of those things that you either have a knack for or you don’t. I happen to have a very large knack but very little in the way of organizational prowess. My ideas are like a gargantuan water slide through my brain, twisting and churning and flowing into a zillion different directions. My goal is to turn my free verse ramblings into a cohesive and semi-linear sort of plot that can transmitted onto a bundle of pages and bound nicely into an inspiring (and hopefully profitable) novel.
So my first instructional manual, the aptly named Complete Idiots Guide to Writing a Novel, is my reference point for process and organization. I also got one that focuses on turning real life into fiction; most of my ideas are inspired by the ridiculous life I live and the insane characters that populate it. The third isn’t so much an instruction manual as a collection of abstract writing exercises designed to help me flex my creative biceps.
My goal is to have a coherant manuscript within 6 months!
