A Novel in a Year-Part 2

Here is the second set of links to Louise Doughty’s columns on A Novel in a Year. The columns are available on The Daily Telegraph website, though they are deep in the archives, and have also been gathered together and published in a book, A Novel in a Year: From First Page to Last in 52 Weeks, available through Amazon.

Week 13 – Go back in time to discover an unfamiliar character to make your own

Week 14 – The ideas stage is crucial, but soon you must start on the novel proper

Week 15 – You need not know everything about the past to conjure up another era

Week 16 – Writing gets easier once you know your allies and banish your enemies

Week 17 – Define exactly what your novel’s about, and you might surprise yourself

Week 18 – Don’t mistake your central idea for the novel itself

Week 19 – Write a CV for your characters, then your plot will follow

Week 20 – Clear your diary for the next 10 weeks and take a scattergun approach to writing

Week 21 – Imagine what your character likes to eat, and how he might break a thumb

Week 22 – Don’t listen to the critics in your head, rather concentrate on getting the words on the page

Week 23 – Use your characters’ reactions to incidents to reveal what makes them tick

Week 24 – Even deleted scenes or characters play a part

Next up, the third set of twelve weeks of Novel in a Year columns.

Pick up your copy of A Novel in a Year: From First Page to Last in 52 Weeks and visit Louise’s website to learn more about her novels.

Related posts:

1. A Novel in a Year-Part 3
2. A Novel in a Year-Part 1
3. A Novel in a Year-Part 4

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!