How do you write your novels?

My first novel didn't begin as a novel. It was a vignette I had written for a friend. Then after attending a writing conference, I expanded to a short story, but more characters kept popping up, and eventually I turned it into a novel. I structured it using the three-act and Aristotle's incline methods. The story was easy to write that way. It just worked for that one. With the one I'm working on now, it began the same way, as a series of vignettes borne out of writing exercises and freewrites. When I decided it was a novel, I couldn't structure it the same way. I've written it out of sequence, writing whatever begs to be written at the moment. I do have a loose outline where I jot notes for plot points and conflicts. Now I'm at the point of connecting it in story order. Unlike the first novel which was written in sequential order, this one is not and is told in multiple points of view.

Good question. Let's see... I refuse to outline, because I never seem to follow it anyway. I jot down notes when I get an idea of a possible subplot or something I might like to try, and I do pretty in depth character sketches, but I just can't seem to stick to outlining. For me, I have the basic idea, and I have written the last chapter before I wrote the first one before, because I knew how I wanted it to end, but had to kind of work my way back to the beginning. Anyway, I don't write linearly, necessarily, and I can't do outlines - but I guess I more let the characters take over and run with the story, and I just provide them some guidance. I did have one character in a novel once though who was starting to get on my nerves - so I killed him off. Good look with your writing!

Yes, I agree with the others. Writing the ending first and going backwards makes a lot of sense. I am in a writing group and we write from prompts every week. Sometimes I like what I've written so much that I want to expand on it, make it into a short story. However, like the one I am working on now, I don't know where to take the story. Don't know how to end it. I'm stuck. I wrote one novel that started with a couple of writing prompts. Then every time I did a writing prompt I kept my story in mind and the next thing you know I had a bunch of scenes for my story and all I had to do was sew them together. It was not easy though because I put some scenes in the wrong place and had to find a more suitable place for them. I had to keep track of my scenes (or prompts) on a piece of paper and then insert them where I thought they would fit. When I did my edit, re-read my story, I could tell whether they worked or not. Some prompts I decided not to use at all. There are so many ways to write a story. Another one I wrote I took from a story I wrote as a teen. Then I drew up an outline and worked from there. It is important to be consistent so I had to write down everything from hair and eye colour to the vehicle each character was driving. I think my biggest problem right now (except for the novel I just finished) is thinking up a great story, writing it, but not knowing how to end it. Where is the story going? It takes lots of thought and perhaps writing the end first would be a good thing. Good luck.

I really like the idea of starting with the end and writing backward. I've never heard of that technique. I don't think it is all that important to write the novel in sequence, as long as all the parts end up where they should at the end of the day. Sometimes there will be a section that you love, but just doesn't fit where it should. Still, you keep it around and usually the better place will show up later. I haven't written a complete novel yet, just some short stories, but I think it works much the same way, just more condensed.

What I do is to get a general idea. It is not from reading other novels, it is from my imagination and my weird dreams. I then think of a beginning and an end. I also think of what the main character is and do research on what his job is like, if I have not had any experience in that field. I then start writing the pre draft -you know the kind when you put it on for critiques, they say "you don't need that stuff, start it later." That pre draft gives a history so a character can say, "You've gotten over her, haven't you?" You then write the first draft, then go back write the second draft, and continue until you get right, all the time, deleting that stuff that stands out or what is not necessary to your story. Oh and never never never pst it on MyLot because that means you no longer have first rights and there are a whole lot of people here and not a few as it would be if you posted it on Yahoo egroups on a private critique group. You do need an outline, but not one cast in stone, a general one.

I've never been able to write from an outline. When I have an idea I start writing, it often ends up in the middle of the story. Lots of times I'm not sure where the story is going, I try to develope the charactors and then just see where it leads me. I tend to write in chapters, then decide the order to put it in. I know I make extra work by doing it this way, but when I have an idea of what I want to happen I need to write it down.

My novel is in the pipeline, as soon as I get the water of Inspiration I will let you know till the bye-bye!!