Summer Writing Series Part 1: Novel Beginnings

I’ve been reading a lot of books about writing and I wondered – After 25 years of writing, do I have anything to say about writing? My favourite writing books are On Writing by Stephen King, Bird by Bird by Anne Lammott, Save The Cat by Jessica Brody, and The Right to Write by Julie Cameron. What could I add to their great advice? 

Here is part one of several posts about my novel writing process.

Questions

For me, ideas for novels have grown out of questions. Questions I can’t answer any other way. What would King David’s story look like in Modern Times? (After His Heart) 

What happened to Elizabeth and Darcy after Pride and Prejudice? (Expectations)

How did my grandmother manage teaching for a year with no salary? (Emmy in Harding)

These questions have to be big enough and interesting enough to sustain me for several years. This thought can be overwhelming, so I often tell myself to just write a short story (Expectations should have been a 20-page continuation for my sister’s 29^th birthday.) 

I have several books started that fizzled out. The questions I asked in these books weren’t big enough. Or another question took over and I stopped writing those books. I still mean to return to Prairie Book Club one day!

In my next blog, I'll talk more about the First Draft. Subscribe now so you don't miss an article in my Summer Writing Series