My first novel featured sword fighting, raging fires, and a bloodthirsty cult.
And it sucked.
I started Inferno in middle school. Between devouring Percy Jackson books and obsessing over Big Time Rush, I was brewing what I thought was the next big epic-fantasy-romance novel. (Can you tell I didn't pick a specific genre?) I wrote daily. So much so that the book peaked at 49,000 words. And then...I stopped--but that's another tale.
Today's tale includes some lessons.
HI! My Name Is...What?
Caster. The lead heroine of my novel. No, she wasn't a spell binding mage or rogue witch. In the countless number of drafts, she never once summoned a lightning bolt or requested an eye of Newt. (Plus, if she was involved in magic, calling her “Caster” would be...too on the nose).
Solution: Find an interesting but believable name. Right, easier said than done. But name generators have you covered. Need a name for your dwarf, barkeep, or knight? Try Fantasy Name Generator. That's just one of many generators out there. Be careful not to lose yourself in the name game, though. A contemporary novel wouldn't normally feature a character named Okrix Vaktuks. Gloom Ash is more a caricature than a villain.
You're Hot and You're Cold
My characters switched personalities nearly every chapter. (That's not to say characters should stay flat throughout a novel. They SHOULD change someway from beginning to end. I'll make a post about this later). Truthfully: I didn't know my characters. My solution now?
Sketch Out Your Characters
Having a decent idea of a character's thoughts, actions, goals, and purpose is a major life saver when it comes to writing any story. Some authors work well with blank templates--figuring out a character as they go. For other authors, this leads to a jumbled Exquisite Corpse-like character.
Long story short, outline your character. You can do this free style or take to the Internet to find a template that suits you. This template from Reedsy is a perfect place to start.
Waiting on the World to Change
World building is the hardest part for me when it comes to crafting a story. I'm either too vague or too specific--caught up in the details or choking on them. And it showed in my novel.
Map it Out
Though my darling sister illustrated numerous maps over the years for my story, I never stuck to one. The map on paper didn't match the one in my mind. I over described a single street, while Caster's hometown remained a blip in the forest. Considering Caster is supposed to have emotional turmoil about leaving said town, this vagueness radiated apathy.
Frustratingly, I didn't map out the distance between her town and the most important place of all--The Ransackers’ camp. Characters trotted on horseback for pages--or arrived there in minutes depending on the scene. This left an inconsistent thread in my story that started to spread. That thread could have been snipped if I would have sat down and outlined my characters' world.
Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls
Multiple times, my plot found itself suffocating in pointless scenes. Berry-picking. Basket weaving. These episodes stifled me; I kept yearning to write the next interesting piece. That's not to say every scene has to involve an action packed horse chase through the woods or a sacrificial campfire by moonlight (yes, two scenes from my novel).
Plan for Purpose
But every scene must serve a purpose. Without a purpose, the scene is flat, uninteresting, and pointless. Here are just a few examples scenes can be used for:
Solve a problem
Introduce a new one
Ignite a character's ambition (or lack thereof)
Transition to another space or time
Outline of a scene without purpose: Caster makes her way into the forest to pick berries for her family. She returns home an hour later.
Outline of a scene with purpose: Caster makes her way into the forest to gather medicinal berries for her ill mother. She has to finish before the sun sets--she knows the forest is dangerous at night. The forest is disorienting at dusk and she becomes lost. She stumbles upon a Ransacker's camp. Terrified, she flees home.
Don't send your characters on quests to the mailbox or haunted castle before you've determined their actions are worthwhile.
Let me know if any of these tips work for you--hopefully, you'll learn from my blunders and create a book without Inferno's glaring flaws.