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WHAT A NOVEL IDEA….
What are we talking about?
VOCAB?…I KNOW WHAT IT MEANS!
• n.
1. A fictional prose narrative of considerable length, typically having a plot that is unfolded by the actions, speech, and thoughts of the characters.
2. The literary genre represented by novels.
• [Ultimately from Italian novella, from Old Italian, piece of news, chit-chat, tale, from Vulgar Latin *novella, from neuter pl. of Latin novellus, diminutive of novus, new.]
• nov·el2 (nŏv'əl) adj.Strikingly new, unusual, or different. See synonyms at new.
• [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin novellus, diminutive of novus.]
•
Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/novel#ixzz1cEWCYS2i
OKAY WELL, NOT NEW OR DIFFERENT STUFF. BUT THE FICTIONAL GOOD BOOK I CAN’T PUT DOWN AND GO TO SLEEP….THE ONES I CAN’T WAIT TO GET BACK INTO. ( “FINISHING A GOOD BOOK IS LIKE LEAVING A GOOD FRIEND. - WILLIAM FEATHER )
• Classics you had to read, and found some interest after all. Or more contemporary fiction that hits and holds you better than any movie.
HOW DO I START….? OR SHOULD I EVEN START A
NOVEL? •
MANY PEOPLE GROW UP LOVING TO CREATE A
STORY.• A story in a song, short story, poem, or play.• Dreams of having others enjoy your work…how many have
thought it.• I wanted to sing songs I wrote, but it would have helped if I
could carry more than the guitar case.• Poetry helped gained praise in college class and even break
the ice to meet my future wife.• My love of fiction carried me to other people’s lives and away
from my own as a child growing up.• I personally love to tell stories, and if I gain an audience, then
so much the better. If the story has my passion in it, and some are interested in it, then I have to try and tell it. At holidays, stories among my brothers and I are told and it gets interesting when we try to outdo each other.
GENERAL TIPS I THOUGHT ABOUT…
• Read other authors that you respect. (What are they doing right?) (The genre you see self writing, is it similar? Compare authors.)
• What is the story I have to tell? Will it be interesting to more than just my mom? (Who still has poems and cards I wrote for her twenty five years ago) What is the main plot, and can there be sub plots? What about a theme or feeling I want the reader to walk away with?
• Bear the basics of story telling in mind. Create background, create strong characters the reader can learn to care about, build small conflicts in each chapter-(push/pull b/w dialogue and exposition), and build to major conflict, and resolve that conflict. Mr. Jenkins and I had good conversation about this.
• Listen to the experts-(especially in your interest)• Listen to other writers, but keep your self esteem alive enough that
you can still write tomorrow. (I worked with a writer’s club at a local library who tore my first chapters apart bit by bit. I picked my feelings off my car seat when I drove home, and tried to use all I could with constructive criticism. People twenty years my junior could be easily hurtful with my well thought out story and smile while doing it. It is good to stay humble.)
MY FICTIONAL STORY…
• Where did the thoughts for my story come from? I wanted to tell about excitement in kitchens and restaurants that people don’t always see. Listen or read pgs 3-8 in the prologue. The goal was to give a snapshot of a day in the kitchen.
• The intent to show life in the kitchen widened to a broader vision of telling about the population of people who work in restaurants.
• The plan of the story…started with a kitchen seed and then worked to who do I wanted to focus on personally. I decided for the first novel to focus on Hispanic immigrants, who are a large demographic in food service. I chose two male characters, and created a journey for them from Guatemala to America. This takes up the first third of the novel.
TWO SMALL CONFLICTS BUILD THE BEGINNING OF
THE STORY..• Why an accident
and then another accident..What’s with the bus? 39-40 and pp.67-70
• What’s with the flood? Based on a real earthquake? Pp135-138
• Throughout the book I continued to try and create small conflicts that make some tension. But it all builds to main conflict I initially have thought out ahead of time when I considered the plot for the story. All the while thinking in the back of my mind how best to get to the main conflict, and then resolve it in the most interesting way.
BUILDING CHARACTERS..
• One author I read creates interviews for each of her characters. As if they are getting a job, she talks all about them. Strengths, weaknesses, physical traits, and quirky things about them that stand out.
• Building ebb and flow b/w exposition that explains the point of view with interesting dialogue.
• Dialogue needs to be clear-a major problem I had was in helping reader to understand who is talking
• Small details in background about the story, characters, and what they care about help create tension. Creating emotion for the characters makes the reader more engaged in the story.
WHOSE TALKING TO ME, THE READER?
• Finding your voice…it can make or break the flow of the story. Actually called Point of View. Different types:
• First person, second person, third person, third person limited, third person distant, third person close, and omniscient are all examples on text suggested for me. This author suggests third person is easiest for beginning authors. They caution head hopping issues
WRITING ISN’T WORK WHEN I LOVE IT!
• “Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.”
• Greg Anderson quotes (American best-selling Author and founder of the American Wellness Project., b.1964)
• But sometimes it is hard. You don’t feel like writing, and you get frustrated at many small issues. Things like lack of time, lack of ideas, and criticism from others brings more lack of motivation to write.
• What you need is…Discipline!!! Write on and on…and if you run out of thoughts or block. Write something down. People get heady with their story, but every story can be edited, rewritten again, and written again to fit the goals of the author. When you write, it ought to be something you care about and have passion for.
• Research the places, peoples, and things. Try to make as much as you can authentic as possible. I visited Guatemala on a short term mission trip, researched the area, used maps, and spoke to people that knew the area. I researched names with meanings, and tried to fit some names to the part of the story they were in. Traits of the characters, such as small things they did, how they walked, or spoke revealed some interested point about each character.
WHY A NOVEL?
• I love to read a great story that captures me.• My hope is to tell a good story that captures the reader, and
makes them think about things. Oh, and maybe a series…with the same kitchen and different main characters. But keeping the same sub characters in the restaurant.
• Themes for me…• Big pictures—1) Immigrant issue-right or wrong…Hispanic
population has great work ethic and are willing work. 2) How and why people establish long lasting friendships. 3) The Gospel of Jesus reaches all peoples
• Smaller pictures-1) Parent/children issues 2) Making choices under conflict with various motives and emotions 3) Love-3 types 4) How the restaurant works-passion for food, pace, people, and mechanics of business. 5) Highlight a local missionary
PUBLISHING PROCESS…
1. Self publish? Utilize a publisher?
2. How do you get publisher? Do you go right to the source? Publishers won’t just publish any author any more. There is a fee for unknown authors.
3. How about an agent?
4. Pros/Cons—(networking, experience, knowledge) (royalty fees/up front fees/)
5. 3 months with 60 letters of inquiry
WORKING WITH AN AGENT?1. What is main point of the story?
2. Now change beginning to pull in reader to meet your main point. How did I do that?
3. (3-4 months)
4. Now find a publisher.-(2-3 months)
5. The publisher starts final editing process
6. The publisher finds book cover ideas
7. Find endorsees for novel.
BOOK IS FINALLY IN PRINT
• 200 copies sent to my home in October
• What to do with them?
• Available in Kindle in November
• Video is available to post on Utube
• Begin marketing of the novel.
• The publisher finally gets available on Amazon and able to order at bookstores.
WEBSITE IS NOW UP AND RUNNING
WWW.CHEFSTORYTELLER.COM
HOW ABOUT THE BOOK TRAILER-
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iBZR6_pzVU
• Google –Crossing the Line book trailer, Wayne Stolt
ANY QUESTIONS???• But I’m not telling the main
conflict and the ending. Hopefully it will be in print within a year or two, and you can get a copy. Authors I liked when I was younger, and read now.
