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Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Info Post
By Peter Wilson


Learning how to write a novel begins with writing short stories. This is because they do not require as much time and space as the novels do. A typical story is between 200 to 6000 words while a novel is more than this. The more time you spend on a piece of prose, the more you deviate from the short story concept. It should not take you more than 50 hours to submit short stories for a competition.

The first thing you should write about is the premise. The premise is a line or two that kicks off what the writer wants to write about. If the premise is not lengthy and yet succeeds in informing the reader the major lesson in the writing, then the writer is likely to win in his contest. The idea in the premise should be consistent especially with the end of the prose.

Writing requires some tools for those ideas to flow. These tools include a table, chair, pens, books, dictionaries and jotters. Your sitting posture should be good to prevent early fatigue. Try to organize your ideas before sitting down but do not be too apprehensive about it since you can always edit.

Once you decide you are going to participate in a story competition, you need to carry along a jotter and a pen with you everywhere. This is to enable you put vital points down and perhaps a good opening sentence when you are inspired. With many few notes gathered within some days or weeks, you may need just a few more hours to write down something perfect.

Another step is to develop your characters. The characters should have their specific roles to play in the novel. The underlying premise of a character should be consistent so that the reader would not have any problem in following the story.

When you write a small story with several scenes, you are already plotting your own failure. The events in this kind of story should take place within a limited period. It may be about what happened in the winter season or how a girl succeeded in her final year exams.

The person who tells the story is also important. There are three people who can tell the story you have written: the first person, the second person and the third person. The first person is the narrator himself as he uses the word 'I'. This is an easier form of writing but the writer may have the challenge of explaining hidden facts about his characters. A second person narration includes the reader as a part of the characters as he reads the word 'you' while in the third person, 'he' 'she' and 'it'are the most frequent words.

First time story tellers may not find it easy to write. To overcome the anxiety, it is advisable to start anyhow. Even if you have not yet decided what the entire thing should talk about, your first sentences can spur you to do more especially when the opening lines are quite interesting.




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