Monday Microscope: On writing

Today we addressing an interesting question on novel-writing.

I have an excellent idea which I am sure can be a best selling novel. How do I start writing it down? There are so many suggestions and ideas that I am confused which is the best way to tell a story in words. – Kshitij P

Well, Kshitij’s query voices out something that almost all beginners struggle with. To answer his question in simpler terms, at times it just boils down to – To each his own!

Talking about it at length, every writer has a unique way of approaching a story. While some need to know the ending before they even start writing it down , there are some who start giving a shape to the idea, irrespective of whether it is complete in itself or not. There are a lot of authors who believe in research and by that we mean hard-core real time research. Spending years in understanding the various topics they want to write about, they sometimes even travel to those places in real and speak to local people residing there in a bid to understand their life better.

A story usually starts with a story board for most of the writers . A story board is a graphic representation  of your novel with scene wise break up, making it easier to write it down, post visualization that is. Some authors prefer using online softwares like Scrivener to create the story board.It is a word-processing program and outliner designed for authors. Scrivener provides a management system for documents, notes and metadata. On other hand, there are some who prefer the old school model of using post-it notes stuck on a soft board  or simply on the wall in front of their desk/working space.

If you are someone who needs constant motivation or feedback, you could also try Wattpad or NaNoWriMo for these promise you an audience who gives you constant feedback on your writings regularly.

The key is, to be able to find a method that works for you, suits your muse and encourages you to write daily till the story you are holding inside you is out on paper for others to read. And as it is rightly said,

Do you have any other tips which Kshitij or someone in a similar conundrum could use? We would love to hear from you! Have any questions regarding novel-writing or any other aspect of publishing? Leave your queries in the comments and we will cover it in our next Monday Microscope.

Till then, Happy Writing!

This week’s Monday Microscope was answered by our in-house team expert, Namrata. Having worked as an editor for a publishing house, where manuscript assessment was her core KPI , she is now a freelancing beta reader for Team KC.