How to write a novel

If you look at my last post you will see that I'm outlining a report on how to write a novel. I've come up with one more chapter that needs to be in this.

Editing your novel once this is done.

All of this is coming from my experience in writing three books, and many, many short stories.

In the meantime, here is some great writing software to get you going. Click Here

New writing book/report

I've decided on writing a report, of about twenty pages or so I think, on how to write a novel. It seems like there is a lot of interest in this area and I know that people are always on the look out for quality information.
So I've got some ideas for this report which includes:
How to start a novel
Outline or don't outline
The discipline of writing and completing a novel
Should characters or plot come first when writing a novel
Word counts
How to develop characters
How to develop the plot
How to get through the middle of a novel
How to finish the novel

That's all I've got so far. Please let me know what you think and if you have any other ideas that you would like to see represented in the report. From the looks of it, it's going to be more then twenty pages already! I'm thinking of selling this for about $5. What does everyone think?

Is a writing group worth it?

I've been in a writing group for about nine months now. Sometimes I walk away from our weekly meeting and think that it was very produtice and that all of us writers got some good use out of our time, while at other times I wonder if it was worth the weekly investment of my time.

So below are a few items I've noted that I've picked up along the way- it's a sort of pro's and con's list.

1. If you're working on a new project it sometimes gets frustrating to be looking forward to the next scene and having people tell you what they liked and disliked about the last scene. I've found this hard to grapple with as I tend to want to barrel through the first draft of my books and not look back until I get to the editing phase.
2. I've found that having a writing group on a weekly basis is almost too much as I'm constantly worry about getting my writing just so, for the next meeting. I think I focus more on how well my prose is coming out for the purposes of the writing group, instead of just telling the story and getting it on paper.
3. I do really enjoy getting to spend some time every week with fellow writers. At home, I'm the only one who writes and my wife and kids don't understand the angst that I sometimes go through. Being able to share my writing experiences and find out how others go about their creative process makes the weekly meetings worth it for me so far.

So those are a few of the things that I've taken away from my weekly writers meeting. I can't say it is always productive for my writing, but I can say that I almos always leave with a refreshed feeling for my craft.

Also, if you are new to writing or would like more of a program that caters strictly to writers and helps with the creative process click here. It's great software that is intuitive and helps get writing done.

It's been awhile

It's been awhile since I've posted and that's mainly due to the fact that I've moved and had to restructure my computer, as the last one puked on me.

I will be back soon with more information and insights into my creative writing and my writer's group.

In the meantime, check out this blogs-I really like them, well some of them I think I just need.

www.amazingsalestechniques.blogspot.com
www.thehealthyblogger.blogspot.com
www.the-home-worker-today.blogspot.com

I think you will like them.