How to Write a Novella
Brainstorm., Plan your novella., Revise your plans with the help of your peers, parents, and / or teachers., Create a conflict., Begin writing with the above outline in mind (for example, introduction to include setting and characters, conflict...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Brainstorm.
Use mind maps, graphic organizers, Venn diagrams, journals, and/or any other method that helps you develop and organize your ideas.
Think about all genres (e.g., horror) of stories you might enjoy writing.
At this stage, don't throw out an idea for any reason, just jot it down somewhere to play with (or not) later.
You could think about plot lines, characters, a setting, or even a title.
If you prefer, write about something else entirely, just to avoid staring at a blank page / screen, but don't forget about your main project.
On the other hand, you never know — that "experiment" could very will find its way into this or another story of yours. , If a traditional outline is not the way your mind works, try a tree structure, free notes, pictures, index cards, or even a wiki to collect, arrange, and rearrange your writing.
For ideas and templates for organizers see http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/. , Once you have some basic ideas, review the ideas and connect them to the plan.
You can always adjust the plan throughout the process.
Put them in order, rearrange them, think of more, and take out or set aside scenes or ideas that don't seem to belong. , Virtually all fiction, in order to have some structure, is based on a conflict of some sort — two worlds collide.
Time-honored structures include these:
Fantasy versus Reality Man/Woman/Creature versus Life Man/Woman/Creature versus Man Man/Woman/Creature versus Nature Man/Woman/Creature versus Him/Herself Man/Woman/Creature versus Society Man/Woman/Creature versus God Country versus Country Race versus Race Person versus Illness Fish out of water (perhaps a variant on man/woman-versus-nature).
Coming of age (a variant of man/woman versus him/herself).
Boy meets Girl Girl meets Boy Nature versus Nature Magic versus Person Person versus Magic Religion versus Politics Child versus Adult Adult versus Child Opinion versus Opinion Religion versus Science Science versus Religion Teacher versus Student Student versus Teacher , Remember, you need not start writing at the beginning of your story, and you need not start the novella at the beginning of the story.
In fact, giving the reader a glimpse of what lies ahead (known as foreshadowing) is a great way to create suspense and momentum right away. , Write to be creative, write anything at all to get started and warmed up.
Play with your theme or genre by including something in the background such as music, videos, video games, sound effects and photographs, to get a feel for it.
Try to turn off all the filters, both in your software and in your mind, for the first draft, and quit being afraid of "messing up".
One way to do that is to write as much as you can, as fast as you can.
If it comes out badly, you can always revise and edit it later, or shelve it entirely and try again.
Get the ideas down first. , Since a novella is a shorter work, you might not explore every detail along the way, nor write a grand and sweeping epic following your characters' entire lifetimes.
Use the shorter length as an advantage to focus your story and make it more powerful, more intense.
At the same time, don't gloss over too many specifics.
Include enough detail to make it believable, specific, and concrete. , You may want to start the process the minute you are done writing.
On the other hand, you may want to give the work some time to cool, so that you can look at it with fresh eyes.
Either way, give the editing process the time it deserves, even if it's not as much fun as the initial writing process was.
When you're ready, have somebody else take a look at it and comment on it for a detached and fresh perspective. , This could consist of anything from handing a copy to your mom to self-publishing on the web or an on-demand (vanity) press (see external links), to submitting the work to book or magazine publishers.
Even if you think small, having an audience in mind for your novella will make your story better. -
Step 2: Plan your novella.
-
Step 3: Revise your plans with the help of your peers
-
Step 4: parents
-
Step 5: and / or teachers.
-
Step 6: Create a conflict.
-
Step 7: Begin writing with the above outline in mind (for example
-
Step 8: introduction to include setting and characters
-
Step 9: conflict establishment
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Step 10: crisis leading to rising action and climax).
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Step 11: Try freewriting
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Step 12: whether by typing or writing in longhand.
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Step 13: Find the right pace for your story.
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Step 14: Revise the story with suggestions from readers.
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Step 15: Publish the story.
Detailed Guide
Use mind maps, graphic organizers, Venn diagrams, journals, and/or any other method that helps you develop and organize your ideas.
Think about all genres (e.g., horror) of stories you might enjoy writing.
At this stage, don't throw out an idea for any reason, just jot it down somewhere to play with (or not) later.
You could think about plot lines, characters, a setting, or even a title.
If you prefer, write about something else entirely, just to avoid staring at a blank page / screen, but don't forget about your main project.
On the other hand, you never know — that "experiment" could very will find its way into this or another story of yours. , If a traditional outline is not the way your mind works, try a tree structure, free notes, pictures, index cards, or even a wiki to collect, arrange, and rearrange your writing.
For ideas and templates for organizers see http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/. , Once you have some basic ideas, review the ideas and connect them to the plan.
You can always adjust the plan throughout the process.
Put them in order, rearrange them, think of more, and take out or set aside scenes or ideas that don't seem to belong. , Virtually all fiction, in order to have some structure, is based on a conflict of some sort — two worlds collide.
Time-honored structures include these:
Fantasy versus Reality Man/Woman/Creature versus Life Man/Woman/Creature versus Man Man/Woman/Creature versus Nature Man/Woman/Creature versus Him/Herself Man/Woman/Creature versus Society Man/Woman/Creature versus God Country versus Country Race versus Race Person versus Illness Fish out of water (perhaps a variant on man/woman-versus-nature).
Coming of age (a variant of man/woman versus him/herself).
Boy meets Girl Girl meets Boy Nature versus Nature Magic versus Person Person versus Magic Religion versus Politics Child versus Adult Adult versus Child Opinion versus Opinion Religion versus Science Science versus Religion Teacher versus Student Student versus Teacher , Remember, you need not start writing at the beginning of your story, and you need not start the novella at the beginning of the story.
In fact, giving the reader a glimpse of what lies ahead (known as foreshadowing) is a great way to create suspense and momentum right away. , Write to be creative, write anything at all to get started and warmed up.
Play with your theme or genre by including something in the background such as music, videos, video games, sound effects and photographs, to get a feel for it.
Try to turn off all the filters, both in your software and in your mind, for the first draft, and quit being afraid of "messing up".
One way to do that is to write as much as you can, as fast as you can.
If it comes out badly, you can always revise and edit it later, or shelve it entirely and try again.
Get the ideas down first. , Since a novella is a shorter work, you might not explore every detail along the way, nor write a grand and sweeping epic following your characters' entire lifetimes.
Use the shorter length as an advantage to focus your story and make it more powerful, more intense.
At the same time, don't gloss over too many specifics.
Include enough detail to make it believable, specific, and concrete. , You may want to start the process the minute you are done writing.
On the other hand, you may want to give the work some time to cool, so that you can look at it with fresh eyes.
Either way, give the editing process the time it deserves, even if it's not as much fun as the initial writing process was.
When you're ready, have somebody else take a look at it and comment on it for a detached and fresh perspective. , This could consist of anything from handing a copy to your mom to self-publishing on the web or an on-demand (vanity) press (see external links), to submitting the work to book or magazine publishers.
Even if you think small, having an audience in mind for your novella will make your story better.
About the Author
Jacqueline Rivera
Brings years of experience writing about practical skills and related subjects.
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