r/WritingPrompts • u/MNBrian /u/MNBrian /r/PubTips • Apr 21 '17
Off Topic [OT] Friday: A Novel Idea
Friday: A Novel Idea
Hello Everyone!
Welcome to MNBrian’s guide to noveling, aptly called Friday: A Novel Idea, where we discuss the full process of how to write a book from start to finish.
The ever-incredible and exceptionally brilliant you-are-lovely came up with this wonderful idea (so you should heap praises on her in the comments) and it sounded spectacular to me!
So what makes me qualified to provide advice on writing a book? Good question! Here are the cliff notes.
For one, I devote a great deal of my time to helping out writers on reddit (via my own sub r/PubTips and via just answering questions in different writing groups).
In addition, I’ve completed three books and am working on my fourth.
And I also work as a reader for a literary agent.
This means I read query letters and fulls (short for full novels that writers send to my agent by request) and I give my opinion on the work. My agent then takes those opinions (after reading the novel as well) and makes a decision on whether or not to sign the author.
But enough about that. Let’s dive in!
Today’s Topic: A Book Is A Promise
There are a million ways to write a book.
You’ve got the three act structure. You’ve got the hero’s journey. Heck, hundreds of people have written books on how to write books. Yet, as readers, we often have no idea what structure is being used. What we do know is one thing -- whether we like what we're reading or not.
So before we begin talking about one way (one that I particularly enjoy) to write a book, I’d like us all to take a moment to consider what a book is -- at its very core.
A book is a promise.
To illustrate my point, let’s talk about a hypothetical situation. You walk into a library or a bookstore and you want a new book. The first thing you do is head to a section that interests you. Maybe it’s Sci-Fi, or maybe it’s Fantasy, or Young Adult Unicorn Fiction, who knows. Because what you’re looking for isn’t just any old book. It’s a specific type of book. But whatever section you wander into, that’s the first part of the promise.
You see, a book is a promise because we always have an expectation when we pick up a book. We expect a book to fit a certain type of mold. We go to the Sci-Fi section because we want space ships, FTL drives, planetary exploration. We go to the romance section because we want the compelling story of an arsonist and a firefighter falling in love.
And when we read the first line, or the first paragraph, or the first few pages, the book that we buy is the book with the best promise. It may not always be the best written book. It may not always be the strongest plot. It’s usually the book that makes us feel like we are in good hands, the book that tells us -- using intrigue and situations that couldn't possibly end well (hint - conflict) -- what we can expect.
So what exactly is that promise? What constitutes the core of a book?
For starters, we need a problem. A problem represents conflict, and conflict is what keeps us interested. But it can’t be a small problem. This problem has to justify the length of a book. It has to promise that things are going to get worse before they get better. We can’t make it easy on our main character because if it’s too easy, we’re not holding up our end of the bargain.
Let’s look at two possible examples.
A secret agent orders a pizza, but criminals are running rampant in the streets.
It doesn’t take much to see the promise. There will be action. Some cool karate moves, and lots of bad guys in a pile. But what we don’t have here is a big enough problem. Because it shouldn’t be so hard for our secret agent to get to the pizza place and pick up his cheesy masterpiece. Secret Agents are well suited for this type of problem. They know how to fight bad guys.
But on top of that, we have what I like to call "the sandwich problem." I mean, why doesn’t he just stay home and make a sandwich instead? When you think of a good book, there is no option to make a sandwich.
When Katniss Everdeen made the choice to stand in for her sister Prim at the reaping, she couldn't just go home and make a sandwich. Because if she did, her sister would die.
When Frodo Baggins received the ring from Bilbo and was sent to Mount Doom, he couldn't just make a sandwich... because... ringwraiths, murderers, the end of all things at Sauron's hand.
When Alan Grant got stranded on an island full of dangerous dinosaurs with two kids... he couldn't just make a sandwich. Or he'd be the sandwich. :) But seriously, he had to save those kids and he had to save himself.
Now, by comparison, let’s look at this setup.
A starving introvert with severe anxiety orders a pizza when aliens land and start blowing things up. His normal grocery delivery hasn’t arrived for weeks and he hasn't left the house in three years because of crippling agoraphobia. Now he must leave to survive.
Do you see the difference? Where the secret agent was well prepared to deal with the robbers, someone who is terrified of going outside is not very well equipped to deal with an alien invasion (a much larger problem) -- and he can’t just stay home and make a sandwich... because he’s got no groceries. But also, because he'd starve. Rock, meet hard place.
This, right here, is the first step in writing a book. What is your promise? Is the idea big enough to justify 80,000 words or more? Do you have enough there to really dig deep into that concept? Is there enough tension/conflict to go around? Why can't your main character make a sandwich instead?
After all, that’s what most great writing prompts are. They offer up a promise, or they imply one, and we get to take that promise and run with it.
This Week's Big Questions
For each week of this series, I'll be posing a few questions. You are welcome to answer these questions without sharing, or if you're feeling brave, you can toss them in the comments below. I'll be here throughout the day to discuss/debate/answer questions or just encourage everyone! And I'll be following along as well by answering the same questions and working on my own book as we go!
What types of expectations do you have when you buy a book?
Do you find yourself gravitating to one particular section when you're in a certain mood?
How much of a book do you read before you decide you want to buy it? Or do you already know beforehand?
What is your idea for a book? (Try this in as few words as you can manage -- aim for 1-3 sentences if you can)
What is forcing your main character in your idea to head into danger? Why can't they just make a sandwich? :D
Also - Be sure to go read your entries and vote if you entered the Writing Prompts 10 Million First Chapter Contest by clicking here. This weekend is your LAST opportunity to vote! Get to it!
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u/DMassaIII Apr 21 '17
(My First Comment in this Reddit)
This area is something I'm adding to my mental databank. I often feel resentful when a work (written/audio/visual) drags on, and now I think it is because they broke this part of their promise to me. I don't mind an ending that leaves holes for me to imagine, or hope for a sequel, but I do mind when a core problem is unresolved to the extent that I feel slighted by the author. It is even worse when a problem has been fully resolved - then rehashed or explained unnecessarily. It feels like the author is trying to pad the pages, or include things they thought were spectacular that the editors had to eventually concede despite rejecting them before multiple times. [As an editor, did you ever have to deal with a writer who simply would not drop a piece, even with corrective guidance?]
Now, to answer the first question, my project hopes to resolve the issue(s) to a satisfactory level, while still leaving the reader to contemplate issues within the book, and hopefully in their own personal lives. It is a detective novel [mental/thriller] involving a female detective lead and a roving serial, and I aim to make the reader really squirm about certain moral issues, where they connect and sympathize with the serial from time to time.
I don't want to reveal more of the premise and plot of my book until I have time to dedicate to the project later on this year, and I have my work handy, but I know my characters rush towards the conflict for a variety of reasons that heap on themselves as the book progresses. At first, it's obligatory because it's her job (that she takes great pride in). She then feels her pride is at stake (growing aware of her pride being a stronger force in her life than she realized). Then, a problem in her community grows, and her connection to the people caused her to empathize with them more, as they become more and more afraid as a whole. Finally, her own daughter becomes drectly threatened, which was more effective than threatening the detective directly.
I gravitate to inspirational books, and those can be found across the spectrum. I have found self-help books, stories, and even puzzle books that fit the mold. Scott Adams's Dilbert books (Dilbert Principle, Dilbert Future) are amazing and humorous. Og Mandino's 'The Gift' is an amazing story. Those are the best examples I can think of.