The lead-up to writing a novel…
I could speak all day about this subject. My advice for anyone just starting would be to ignore all the noise, lock yourself in a room, and unleash hell.
Undoubtedly, the first few stories will be subpar. And the ones after that. And the ones after that. But eventually, once you have released sufficient bile, you will find your own voice. Beautiful things will then follow.
We are a product of our influences. While there's nothing wrong with that, you must find your own unique style, one you are comfortable with. Readers will quickly pick up on the fakers, so authors must deliver every word with sincerity and emotion. It has to be you on the page, raw and unfiltered. It has to be true.
Sharpen the toolkit by writing short stories. I wrote 100 before attempting longer fiction. I've made a few mistakes in this writing business, but this was one of my better decisions. I then wrote 15 novellas before attempting my first novel. It didn't seem like such a mountain to climb after notching up all those credits.
Against the consensus, I'm a pantser. I always have been and always will be, even with novels. Once I have the thread, I just run with it and see where it takes me. This keeps the journey enjoyable for me and, moreover, fun. Perhaps even more importantly, it ensures my writing is fresh and unpredictable. If I don't know where the story is heading, you can be sure the reader won't. I've used that quote a lot. Someone once suggested that being a pantser wouldn't work in novel writing, but I vehemently dispute that. In fact, I disregard most advice, which I guess goes against the point of this post. Sorry. Not sorry.
But take intense planning, for example. For me, writing long chapter notes and ticking boxes would introduce a linearity that would ruin my playtime. There are many paths to weave and places to explore that one might miss otherwise. And if I knew what was happening, chapter to chapter, what fun would that be?
Allowing for character growth is also crucial. Only through bringing them to life on the page will you get to know and fully understand them: how they will behave under certain conditions, their motivations, insecurities, and desires. Such behaviour might ultimately differ from what you first envisaged, so adapting on the go is critical. My top tip would be to put characters together that you might initially be nervous about. I used to shy away from this, but you can learn so much from such explosive dialogue and emotions. It helps round off the characters; for me, it's just as much about their journey as it is about the plot.
I usually write 2,000 words daily (on my writing days anyway). This isn't considered a lot, but I edit my work as I go, enabling a degree of control and accountability and ensuring I don't go too far off the rails. It also means less of a headache at the end; attempting to make sense of a 60-80,000-word document after not revisiting it would feel akin to writing the book all over again.
That said, the writing part is fairly straightforward. Marketing is the killer, and I have no secret recipe for that.
Mark Towse
Genre: Horror, Thriller, Crime, Fantasy, Romance, Comedy
Publisher: Eerie River Publishing
Date of Publication: 23rd March 2024
ISBN: 1998112268
ASIN: B0CR6PNZLQ
Number of pages: 234
Word Count: 68,650
Cover Artist: Tom Brown
Tagline: The town needed a hero… it got Reformo.
Book Description:
A town on its knees, dread's bony fingers wrapping around its throat and squeezing, death rattles soon to follow.
Drugs, filth, and a lack of human decency are starving it of hope.
Introducing Simon Dooley, our trauma-driven wannabe superhero, the relentless voice of his dead mother pleading with him to "end the chaos." Dressed in a leotard and armed only with a dozen dog poop bags, Simon's plight will find him falling in love and going head to head with the seediest characters walking the streets.
The town needed a hero... it got Reformo.
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Book Trailer: https://shorturl.at/fiSY1
Mark Towse is an English horror writer living in Australia. He would sell his soul to the devil or anyone buying if it meant he could write full-time. Alas, he left it very late to begin this journey, penning his first story since primary school at the ripe old age of forty-five. Since then, he's been published in over two hundred journals and anthologies, had his work made into full theatrical productions for shows such as The No Sleep Podcast and Tales to Terrify, and has penned fourteen novellas, including Nana, Gone to the Dogs, 3:33, and Crows. Chasing The Dragon is his debut novel.
Thank you for hosting me today!
ReplyDeleteI'm an open book. Please fire any questions about the writing life or my debut novel, Chasing The Dragon. Writing this was the most cathartic and therapeutic experience of my life. It's me on those pages, and I hope we can share the journey.