Developing Your Manuscript - Part 2
- Carmen Hendrix
- Nov 22, 2017
- 3 min read
Welcome back to the second part of the "Developing Your Manuscript" series. I hope you find this information helpful. Feel free to ask questions below.
Step 3: Pick a character.
Who is your main character? What do you want your book to accomplish? Who do you want to accomplish the most important action in your plot? Where is the story taking place? What city, state, or parish (if you are writing about Louisiana?) Why does this character have characteristics and perform actions that are important to the story? Once you have decided on your character, create a supporting cast of characters for him/her/it and prepare for the next step.
Step 4: Create an outline and give yourself a "soft deadline."
Creating an outline is not cut and dry. In fact, it is really a loose set of guidelines that give your story a beginning, middle, and end. Once you figure out what you want to accomplish within your manuscript, you are ready to start writing your story. Keep in mind this may change as you progress. That's ok.
Ex: Let's say I want to write a book about a young girl and boy who fall in love. The young man has a secret about his past that he has yet to reveal to her but feels that keeping it from her means he doesn't really love her. In the end, they decide to part ways, both broken-hearted.
End: They part ways, broken-hearted
Middle: He harbors on his secret but is embarrassed to tell her so he keeps it to himself, now feeling that he really doesn't love her at all.
Beginning: Two young people meet and fall in love.
Now that I how I want my story to develop, I can fill in the lines.
*Notice that I wrote my outline in a backwards fashion. It's perfectly ok for you to use any format you choose. This is what works for me. I like to think of it as a meal. The "end" is the dessert, the "middle" is the meal, and the "beginning" is an appetizer. You want to tantalize your readers by sagging them within the first few lines. As the story progresses, your readers are ready for a satisfying meal. Finally, they end the book on a good, sweet note. They are pleased with what they read, maybe even pairing it with a glass of wine. Keep this in mind as you prepare.
Step 5: Start from the ending and don't worry about the format.
I like to start by writing my last sentence or paragraph. From there, I can develop my story because I know how I want my main character(s) to end. That means, everything I write up to that point, coincide with my final thought.
Your first draft is not going to be perfect. Don't waste good writing time muling over document formatting, etc. Focus on the story at hand. Write down little nuances and details you want for your character and incorporate that in the story. I tell everyone I know to just write. I will never change my thought process on that. So now that you are armed with a pen or an electronic device, get busy!
I hope this has been helpful! Remember, over the next few weeks, I will post more information that will put you on the right track and help you develop your manuscript. Keep in mind that November is National Novel Writing Month (affectionately known as NaNoWriMo.) It's worth it to get more information on what that means. We have seven more steps to go! Check back Wednesday for Part 3 of the Manuscript Development series!
carmLkisses to you,
Carmen Hendrix
Carmen L. Hendrix is author of the short-story collection "When Honeysuckles Fall" and the novel "Eight Moments." To read some of her short stories, and for booking information, head over to her blog at CarmenHendrix.com.
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