Writing in short bursts and making each piece catch and hold the reader’s attention are journalistic skills that also work for novel-writing; but we need some extra ones too.
Cathy Gunn, Felix Unbound
Most journalists reckon there’s at least one novel in them waiting to get out. I did, but it was a slow burn because the day job (and life) was so deadline-driven that its demands took precedence.
So shoehorn writing your novel into as many spare moments as possible, to complete that vital first draft. Deadline junkies should set a realistic target for this task - or you’ll never finish. Extend that if necessary but don’t just ignore it.
Revising and tightening-up that whole first draft next, is the fun part. Expect to do this more than once. Avoid frequent tweaking earlier on, though - it just slows your first drafting and risks storyline detours that get stripped out again later.
First, though, what’s your story’s genre? Identify it, read examples. Commercial publishers love a clear genre. My novel’s genre-busting, but I still chose core themes from which to spin something new.
Don’t fear fiction’s wide horizons. Inventing all or most of your novel’s details may seem challenging but your journalistic research skills can pin some things down - though your writing style might need tweaking. Accurate background and detail filtered seamlessly into your fiction, will load and anchor your novel authentically, but lobbing in a fact-finding chunk will jar.
Some writers start with a rough outline for the story. Others plunge in for a couple of chapters and then consider what happens next. Making diagrams of the relationships between the characters, sketch-maps of locations - in real or imaginary worlds - or colour-coding notes, helps you to keep your narrative on track, avoiding howlers. If you know how things all connect behind the scenes, the story you unfold works better.
Don’t fear the 60,000-100,000 words a novel needs. Journalists write briefer items but constantly, so your annual output’s already massive: nothing scary there. Keeping each chapter feature-length at first, was a mind-game that worked for me.
Nevertheless, a novel is a different kind of story-telling, and it’s wise to learn the extra ropes en route. A ‘how to write a novel’ course, with practical sessions in writing dialogue, character, plot, and genre, with other writers, may also deliver publishing advice and useful links.
If you clinch a deal based on your first three chapters, great – but you still have to write the rest!
Consider using specialist, writers’ software to write and edit chapters, and save drafts. If not, email yourself a copy of each new chapter or revision, so it’s still accessible if something horrible happens to your usual device.
While friends provide useful ‘first reader’ feedback, journalists are used to being edited - so are tough enough to face an industry expert. There are good assessment services that can advise whether your ‘final’ draft would still benefit from judicious cuts or subtle changes, before you punt the book out to agents or publishers – NB, always of the relevant genre - or with a fair wind, onto the indie route.
Title: Felix Unbound
Author: Cathy Gunn
Genre: Magical Realism, Fantasy, Adult Fiction
Publisher: New Generation Publishing
Availability: Paperback, eBook
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