I'm at the editing stage and I get this weird thing when I'm not working on my novel where I start to worry about my plot not being developed enough. But when I am working on it I always make little tweaks to the plot that improves it. Just wondered if anyone else has these sorts of irrational anxieties?
Gayle, I am also at the editing stage.
I recommend three brilliant books that every would-be writer should own. Your fears about Plotting and any other aspects of the novel will vanish after reading the books listed below.
The Art and Craft of Novel Writing - Oakley Hall
Solutions for Novelists / Secrets of a Master Editor - Sol Stein
Stein on Writing - Sol Stein.
I have yet to discover better books for would-be novelists. They can be bought second-hand for a few pounds on Amazon.
Sol Stein was a best-selling author, successful publisher, lecturer on creative writing at Columbia, Iowa, UCLA, and the University of California at Irvine.
Elia Kazan and Lionel Trilling are fulsome in their praise of Sol Stein. What better recommendations could one have?
I hope that helps.
Good luck.
Hi Gayle.
I understand what you seem to be experiencing.
The first novel is always the hardest to write.
Mine took 7 years. I had such expectations of it, thinking I wouldn't ever top it. And it was personal, so that increased the pressure on me to make it something special. Like a first love, I suppose (chuckle).
But after being dumped (so to speak), by readers, and agents, I moved on to other works.
I wish I had started earlier, but I didn't. So I spend a lot of time trying to develop my skills, and producing, and searching for things, and ideas, that make my writing easier to produce. I now have a structure I follow, which breaks my stories down into smaller sections, and I have a central theme, which hopefully bonds the sections together.
I've heard it said, it takes 5 books to produce your best work. So, don't concern yourself, too much. Try to think of it as the beginning of your journey. Not the end.
Good luck. I'm sure you will arrive at your Destination.
Regards Maurice.
yes, all the time. i often sit and wonder if i am making a mistake by adding things off the top of my head, or did i just add the element that could make me best seller of the year??? that is partly what keeps the dream alive i think. that ability to spontaneously change the events of your own creative work