Novel Writing Pt. 3: The Expansion Pack

Hi team!

Michelle here (aka "Chelle Elle"). We’re back with our last action-packed, tag-team, novel-writing blog!

If you’ve jumped in mid-stream, my friend and writing mentor, Kevin Howarth and I have combined forces, rather than let the sneaky feelings of competition between writers get in the way, to bring you this gaming-themed series on novel writing.

If you’ve missed out on parts one and two, check out the previous installments: Part One & Part Two.

As we near the end of this journey, we reflect on the solid structure we’ve built upon. Character creation, world rules, history, geography… and don’t forget about the heart of the hero behind the story and where the writing journey begins. It seems like we’ve covered a lot of ground, so what could possibly be left?

Our last installment is a variety of bonus material; our expansion pack. Hey, if “The Sims™” can do it, why can’t we?

Let’s keep playing!

Organization

I have a timeline that I’ve created over many years that spans from the beginning of time to 3000 A.D. It’s about 100,000 words alone. I use it for reference. It’s for my benefit, to help me.

Plus, I keep long documents just full of stuff about my world: character sketches, history, partial scenes, or anything about my world that helps me flesh it out. I like to have source material, and it’s there if I need it.This material is just for me and will likely never see the light of day.

I’ve got so much information behind-the-scenes. I have Excel spreadsheets full of personality profiles (MBTI, specifically), character motives, chapter overviews, food mentioned in the novel… I know that I need to understand what’s going on in a bigger picture to write as if they are second nature. For me, I almost need a complete immersion in the culture, characters, and setting of my novel to write about it well.

Here’s how I typically go about organizing my writing process and information:

For “ideating” or when I feel inspired by a new idea, I either whiteboard it out (so I can erase and perfect it before recording it permanently) or write it in my favorite, purple Moleskine notebook. In either method, the ideas go to the notebook. 😊 My notebook is a lot like brain dumping my thoughts on paper. They may not be my final ideas, but they help me brainstorm later.
If something sticks, I put it in a massive Excel doc with loads of specific tabs for character motives, locations I use in my novel, etc. Hello continuity assistance!
I write the actual plot in Microsoft Word; handwriting everything is very tedious and I don’t like doing things twice. Efficiency and organization help my imaginative, distracted mind.
I take notes in the Word Doc margins, even as I write, and date everything so I know what my most current thoughts are on plot, character development, etc. I do this each time I read over my novel. I also rarely delete anything. Most times, I will just cross it out in the Word Doc and leave it in there in case I bring the content back later. Why waste good writing if you can help it?
Finally, I try to always email myself the writing or Excel Doc updates I do in a sitting. Even if I don’t email it each time, I back it up to hard drive in a specific, labelled folder.

Keeping Things Interesting

The characters’ actions tell you something. For example, if a character gets bullied as a child, they retreat in a fight instead of fighting back. It tells you something. As the author, I know what happened… and you as the reader will find out slowly. And you may never know the full story. Hemingway used to say his stories were just the tip of the iceberg. The story might seem very short, but there’s an incredible amount of depth you don’t see.
Try writing as an unreliable narrator. It challenges the reader to figure out what’s right, real, and accurate. For me, that’s where things get fun. Storytelling can be an art, not just a business document relating information.
We’re used to linear plots. Chop it up. Try something different. It’s interesting. For example, the show “This Is Us” does an excellent job with non-linear storytelling.
I like people to feel there’s a history, that the readers know I know the history, but that you don’t have to slog through every last detail about the world. For example, Tolkien wrote immense amounts of backstory but did not let it clutter his stories.

Teach your readers something new; culture, race, religion, situation, etc.
Even if it’s not the focus, have an underlying theme of “mystery solving” throughout your novel.
If you want to excite a reader or move certain parts of your novel along, focus on action verbs.
Floccinaucinihilipilification? Antidisestablishmentarianism? Change up your words and keep the vocabulary interesting, but maybe opt for words that don’t stop your sentence flow.

Any Final Thoughts and Helpful Tips for Novel Writing?

Critique groups are important. Plus, a friend of mine recently said, “You’re closer than you think to getting published, but you’re not as good as you think, either.” In other words, there’s always something to learn.

Just do it. The world around you could be screaming that it’s a waste of time, a stupid idea, uncool, meaningless… And for whatever reason, you could be saying the same things to yourself. You could be the only one you know who wants to write, likes to write… is writing. But, there’s a reason you want to write that novel. Get away from the opinions of naysayers and out of your own way and just do it.

Ah, we’ve made it. What a journey.

Player, thanks for sticking around to the very end. We hope you’ve leveled up, conquered the boss that is oftentimes yourself and your doubts, and begun your novel.

If you’d like to get to know Kevin or I better, please reach out!

You can read more of my content via my blog, or even my Twitter, @ArtofChelleElle. Email me at ArtofChelleElle@gmail.com for inquiries and more.

Find Kevin on Twitter @KevinHowarth and let him know you read his guide!

And of course, share your learnings with us, too. No one wants to be a n00b forever. 😊

Until later,

Chelle Elle

“Chelle Elle” has been drawing since she was really small. No restaurant napkin was ever safe when crayons were involved! Now, she writes and illustrates characters and other fun ideas to help her dreams and the dreams of others come to life! And yes, she takes on freelance projects and requests and would love to hear from you.

Email her today to learn more about how she can bring your ideas to life at:

ArtofChelleElle@gmail.com!

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