Keith Bullock
We all like a good story and without a lively narrative that can hold interest and attention, it's unlikely that the reader will bother with more than a few pages... But is that everything? Most people have a good story within them and many say "I should write a novel," but few do.
If you want to be one of the few that do, then firstly it's important to recognise the time, the effort and the commitment that it's going to take. If you begin now, this time next year you might be half-way there, or you might not...
There is nothing mystical about writing a novel - it is a process rather than an activity. The process is multi-faceted, you will be bringing to it large chunks of your personal experience, your imaginative and interpretative skills, your emotional sensitivity and your skills as a wordsmith and a proof reader. You will be shaping, judging harshly, re-shaping and re-writing your words until you can sit back half contentedly, pass them on for critical appraisal and be ready to begin all over again, if necessary.
I once tried my hand at oil-painting and I was struck by the parallels and similarities that it shares with novel writing. One begins with a blank sheet or canvas - as content develops, constant change and revision is necessary. The insertion of a new subject or character has an effect upon the body of the work as a whole, in new, unexpected and subtle ways - often prompting further revision and change across the board. As content consolidates and takes on the semblance of a finished work, new questions arise: is my artistic integrity intact - does the work reflect honestly and transparently the best that I can do to merge form and content into an organic whole that expresses my creative intention?
I used the comparison with oil painting because I wanted to emphasise the earlier point made about "process" - if you see your novel-writing as a live, independent process, that makes its own demands upon your artistic integrity, you may not achieve greatness, but you will enjoy the purely personal pride and self-respect of the honest artist.
If you want to be one of the few that do, then firstly it's important to recognise the time, the effort and the commitment that it's going to take. If you begin now, this time next year you might be half-way there, or you might not...
There is nothing mystical about writing a novel - it is a process rather than an activity. The process is multi-faceted, you will be bringing to it large chunks of your personal experience, your imaginative and interpretative skills, your emotional sensitivity and your skills as a wordsmith and a proof reader. You will be shaping, judging harshly, re-shaping and re-writing your words until you can sit back half contentedly, pass them on for critical appraisal and be ready to begin all over again, if necessary.
I once tried my hand at oil-painting and I was struck by the parallels and similarities that it shares with novel writing. One begins with a blank sheet or canvas - as content develops, constant change and revision is necessary. The insertion of a new subject or character has an effect upon the body of the work as a whole, in new, unexpected and subtle ways - often prompting further revision and change across the board. As content consolidates and takes on the semblance of a finished work, new questions arise: is my artistic integrity intact - does the work reflect honestly and transparently the best that I can do to merge form and content into an organic whole that expresses my creative intention?
I used the comparison with oil painting because I wanted to emphasise the earlier point made about "process" - if you see your novel-writing as a live, independent process, that makes its own demands upon your artistic integrity, you may not achieve greatness, but you will enjoy the purely personal pride and self-respect of the honest artist.
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