writemore

Does the idea of writing a complete book length manuscript seem like a daunting task?  Do you have a great idea for a book but wonder if you have the staying power to get the job done?

Well for those of you deciding to take the plunge, here are some resources that might help you prepare to start that book length manuscript.

Obviously, having an idea for a book is a must.  Hopefully you have a basic plot scratched out and your main characters picked and named. 

This year, I decided to try a genre I’ve never worked in before:  Chicklit.  I think I have a story that could be appealing to YA readers or adults and I thought I might try participating in Nanowrimo to give me the kick in the pants I need to see where I can take this one.

So now that you’ve picked your genre, plot and characters, let’s see what else can help you realize the goal of creating this new manuscript.

http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/art/snowflake.php
The Snowflake Method

http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Novel
A WikiHow article

http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/novelwriting/Writing_a_Novel.htm
Lots of links etc. from About.com

http://www.spacejock.com.au/WriteANovel.html
author Simon Haynes shares info. on many aspects of novel writing

http://justinelarbalestier.com/blog/2006/09/06/how-to-write-a-novel/
Advice from published author Justine Larbalestier

http://www.secretgeek.net/NonWriter.asp
A humorous article on how not to write a novel

http://www.deepgenre.com/wordpress/admin/craft/how-to-write-a-novel-part-1
Check out this wordpress blog on novel writing

Also check out http://www.amazon.com and type “how to write a novel” into the search box for thousands of books related to this subject.

There’s also a great online novel writing challenge that you may want to consider for next year.  It runs for the entire month of November and it’s called NaNoWriMo.  Basically, the challenge is that you have to write 50,000 words during the month of November.  One thing about this particular contest of sorts, it makes you realize that you can write several pages every day if you have your idea well thought out and if you dedicate no less than an hour or two per day to do nothing but write.  Check them out at:

http://www.nanowrimo.org/