Newbie - first book

[Verbena17]

Hi
Have been formulating /planning (very basically) my first ever book for the past 4 years with a huge gap because of covid and I lost the motivation.

I’m using the snowflake method of sorts so planning it all as much as possible before I actually start to write.

I have a few main characters and I do have the main plot line with multiple sub plots.

But …..I haven’t started to write (other than a possible prologue) and in my head, I have a block on fleshing out each chapter/sub plot….even though I haven’t started to write yet.

Is there a good way of building up each chapter or sub plot that I can learn?
Ive been following loads of great advice from US author Jerry Jenkins - he keeps everything very simple and straight forward.p and everything he talks about makes complete sense to me. But I just wondered for those who aren’t ‘seat of your pants’ writers, how you build up content for the plot line - I’m worried I won’t have nearly enough to say.

I’m definitely a planner and I do have good plot ideas but not sure they’ll be meaty enough. Should I be knowing how my next chapter will be starting before I finish the one before it? Should I plan a synopsis of each chapter to guide me? With certain, set things to include in each one?

This probably sounds really basic and naive but I’ve learnt such a lot and really feel for me, I need everything to be completely structured before I start to write.

Have you thought of doing like a film treatment? So a paragraph for each chapter, present tense then additional bullet points if you need them like:

Chap 4
Jerry goes to the ice house and discovers Claire hiding the body. They reconcile, and he suggests a better plan.

Chap 5...

Then you'd know if you had a plot going through the whole book. Or is that not what you meant?

Megan

I was just coming on to say that! I'm a writer and spoke to Sophie Hannah one time. She said that she wrote out one page per chapter and showed them to her sister. It was just roughly written, what would happen in that chapter and anything she wanted to include like the weather or clothes, or whatever. Just notes really. She said that was the best thing you could do to stop getting writer's block because you always knew what the next chapter was about. Doing that really does show you if you have a weak spot in your book. For example, you might have a good beginning and a good ending, but nothing in the middle!

I'm a plotter and I use the Save the Cat Writes a Novel book, it tells you at which point your plot should be and once I've mapped that out I fill in all the chapters until I have a plan with a paragraph for each chapter or scene.

Thanks everyone!
They’re really good ideas and that is the kind of thing I thought I would do to plan each chapter.
But it’s also, the fact that even before I’ve started writing, I feel like I’ve got writer’s block 😂 because I’m panicking that when it comes to properly writing, I won’t have enough story content for each chapter.

Does anybody know that before they start writing? Say for example the book I’m currently reading, has approx 27 page chapters. I’m worried I’ll get to say page 4 of chapter 1 and run out of material!
I know I’ve got a good main plot (I think) and think I’ve got a good beginning, middle and end….as well as a parallel running sub plot or two but I’m just worried I’ll get my ideas for each chapter out and written down and it’ll only be like a few pages long 😬

There's a few different techniques. IMO the most important thing is to learn what kind of writer you are, eg are you someone who likes to just sit down and write free-hand and see what comes up, are you a plotter who tightly works out every chapter before starting to write, are you more character-driven, or plot-driven, etc.

Some suggestions:

Try free writing. This is a good way to get over the fear of the blank page, especially if you're a plotter. Set an alarm for ten minutes and force yourself to write without pausing. Not writing for the book, just writing anything that pops into your head. If you google "free writing prompts" you can find all sorts of good opening sentences where you write the sentence then just keep writing from there.

There are lots of character exercises online where, for example, you write a letter or a diary extract from the POV of your protagonist on a particular theme. This can be valuable even if you're not writing first person narration as a way of discovering more about your character and finding their voice. As well as just a way to start to write without the pressure of it being good, since the finished product won't necessarily be in the actual book.

Having said that I am a plotter. When I pitched my current book to the publisher I wrote a very detailed chapter by chapter breakdown (which was a lot more than they'd asked for) and having that chapter breakdown is invaluable as a kind of road map now I'm actually writing it.

I would say definitely try not to worry about not having enough to say. A first draft is just a first draft, and first drafts of anything are basically rubbish. Give yourself permission to be rubbish and (once you've done with plotting and have started to actually write) try to finish the first draft as quickly as possible in the knowledge that it's just a first draft. As you write the book will kind of tell you what kind of book it's going to be, and - I know this sounds weird but trust me on this - the characters will tell you who they are and what they want to to. Think of the first draft as the backbone, and subsequent drafts as filling in the ribs. You can do as many drafts as you need and add and remove as many subplots as you like, so don't worry about bulking it out now. What's the spine of the book, ie the main plot or story? And what is the heart of the book, ie the emotional centre that makes the audience care about the characters? Once you have the heart and spine down, you can fill in the rest later. (Not sure if these anatomical metaphors are really working but you get my drift!"

That’s great @flurbubbly - thanks so much! I really love the free writing idea to start me off - especially the diary extract of my main character.

That’s a whole other issue - who my actual protagonist is going to be! I thought I knew but then the second main character evolved to the point where it might actually be him and I can’t decide which!!

@LouisaMayAlcott - I’ve ordered the book! Looks fab! 🙌

I'm not a writer (although I'd love to be - and I identify with so much of what you've written/are doing @Verbena17!)

But in my working life, I experienced/administered a number of different psychological tests and profiles - one of which was me to an absolute 't', which was someone who had to read all the manuals/instructions before they could even countenance starting something.

It strikes me that this might be your kind of personality?

I think you need to let go a bit. There's never going to be that one book or advisor which will tell you exactly what you need to do.

You just need to 'do'! Start. Write your opening paragraph. Or write the opening paragraph of your final chapter. But just start.

The only person stopping you is you!

@BIWI ahh thanks so much!
Yes - that’s kind of me - a Virgo perfectionist who likes to live by the rules!

However, the ‘snowflake method’ really matched up to how I had always envisioned how I would write my first book but you’re right - I can’t plan for absolutely every eventually and need to just get writing!

You and me - also a Virgo!

I had a read of the snowflake method and, while I think it makes a lot of sense, it also sounds like it could be acting as a displacement activity - in other words, it's putting off the 'dread' day when you have to start actually writing.

Honestly, do you actually want to write it or not? Because at this rate you’ll be planning it forever, and never actually start. And maybe that’s what you want? But if you do want to write it, stop planning and start writing. Acknowledge that the first draft will be utter crap. That’s fine, it’s only for you to figure out the shape of the novel. Redrafting that first version is where the real work starts. And it might surprise you. New characters sprout, or the wallflower with two lines becomes the protagonist, or it gets moved from medieval Sicily to aboard a spaceship…

Watching with interest

Hi @HermeticDawn - thanks and yes, I definitely do want to write and I’m not purposely putting it off.

The thing is I have a DS who is autistic and his needs come first for me and so while yes, I definitely am at a good place to start researching and planning and even then drafting, there are really difficult days. Where I can’t get anything done because he takes priority. So for the past three (covid) years, I’ve been thinking, planning, researching etc, ready for the time when I can give it more regular time.

For me, it’s not something that I have to rush - planning it thoroughly was what I had planned - not for a perfect first draft but to know where I was heading. So then if I did have a bad day or a day where my son took priority, I wouldn’t feel guilty about taking a day away.

Thanks so much for this suggestion!
I’m 30 pages in and already, I’ve switched my protagonist around and developed a really ‘good’ flaw for her…..neither of which would have happened were it not for the Save the Cat! book!

Character arc is everything!

I love the Save the Cat book too, though I generally apply it after I've written a first draft, and it really helps me to see what's needed, and what's not working and why that is.
I'm not a massive planner though. I like just writing with an idea of where it's going, and knowing roughly what the ending is. Then I go back and edit like heck.
Which is what I should be doing now.
So I'm going to go and do that.

I wish I wasn’t such a planner 😂

Hi everyone - a bit of an update.
Although don’t be thinking I’ve written the first draft or anything like it! 😂.

However, since my July posts I’ve been crafting more and more plot lines in my head ( I know I should have just started to write) and have been having some really fun chats with my DD (21) who has been ‘editing’ my ideas.

She is quite a well established BookTokker and so it’s lovely that I’ve been having some really great conversations about her love of books as well as brainstorming my plot ideas with her. A few nights ago, I decided that in order to actually write something I would try and write the blurb on the back of what my book might become. Obviously I realise it’s most often publishers that write the back blurb but I thought it might stop my block and give me some really narrowed down facts about what my story might become.

And it worked! I let DD read it and apart from changing one word, she loved it and said if she read the blurb in a bookshop, she would definitely be intrigued to read more. That’s really given me confidence to start writing.

Haven’t decided whether to include a Prologue but I think I could definitely write one and I feel it would enhance it.

So just building up to my Chapter 1 start - thinking of beginning with a jump forward and a big event that will then reappear about 75% through the book.

How's it going now @Verbena17 ?

Hi @windybay
It’s not going brilliantly 😂.

Since Christmas, I’ve done nothing other than plan stuff in my head!
DD is now in her last few weeks of uni and has had a lot of stress going on and personal stuff and DS who is autistic takes up a lot of my time in the day bless him. So I’m trying not to make excuses but I think once DD moves back home, I will feel less stressed and more able to get on and start writing.

I guess the good thing is, I’m doing this for pleasure and I’m quite chilled about it now. Thinking it will happen in good time when I’m mentally ready.

Oh and I’ve sent a synopsis/back blurb to a few friends and they’ve all said they would definitely be interested to read it, so that’s a positive.