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Please welcome Lena Coakley, she’s here today for a How I Write feature as part of her blog tour for Worlds of Ink and Shadow. Check out Lena’s post below, and be sure to enter the giveaway!
About Lena Coakley
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Lena Coakley was born in Milford, Connecticut and grew up on Long Island. In High School, Creative Writing was the only course she ever failed (nothing was ever good enough to hand in!), but, undeterred, she went on to study writing at Sarah Lawrence College. She lives in Toronto, Canada. Witchlanders is her debut novel.
How I Write: Starting a New Novel
By Lena Coakley
Tackling a new novel is a difficult proposition. I know because I’m doing it right now. Since my first novel took ten years and my second novel took four, I’m pretty picky about choosing my next idea—some might even say, gun-shy.
In his book, The Anatomy of Story, screen-writing guru John Truby gives his readers the following advice: “Write the book that will change your life.” I try to remember this every time I start a new project. I try to remember that a great, “high concept” premise might be gold when it comes to selling a book, but it’s not enough when it comes to deciding what themes and characters I will be spending my next few years with.
Right now, I am playing around with a few different ideas for novels, any one of which might suddenly come to the forefront as the seed for my next big work. But before I start writing that work in earnest, there are a few questions I need to ask myself:
1) Do I love the main character? (Or, can I imagine loving this main character once I write more.)
I started out as a very cerebral writer. I would begin a new story when I found an idea that appealed to me. Since then I’ve come to believe that a novel’s main character is more important than its idea. My readers and I will be going on a journey with this person. I need to be absolutely sure it’s someone we want to take that journey with.
2) Does this character have a place to go emotionally?
Is there something my character needs to learn or some way my character needs to change? In other words, can I see a character arc? No matter how exciting a plot I create, if the events have no lasting emotional impact on my main character—if my character stays fundamentally the same—my novel will fall flat.
3) Does this character want something?
In From Where You Dream, the book on writing by Robert Olen Butler, he asks, “What does your character yearn for?” He claims that he never starts writing a book until he has answered this question. What my character wants will become the driving force of my plot.
4) What is in the way?
Having a main character who wants something is all very well, but if it’s easy to get, my novel will be twelve pages long. And pretty boring. Something must prevent my character from reaching their desire (at least until the end of the book). I’m talking, of course, about an antagonist. An antagonist doesn’t have to be a person, but whatever it is, it must be a worthy opponent for my main character.
5) Have I found the world?
This might be unique to me, but I’ve come to realize that one of my writing strengths is worldbuilding, so I don’t like to start a novel until I can see the world. Does it give me an opportunity for inventiveness? Does it give me room to play with the themes that are important to me? I don’t have to know my world completely, but before I start I do like to have some ideas about it. After all, this world has shaped—and will continue to shape—my main character, so it’s almost like a character in its own right.
Unlike many authors who need to outline their entire plot before beginning, I am something of a “panster” when it comes to writing a first draft. However, this doesn’t mean I start in cold, knowing nothing. Prewriting, making notes, brainstorming, and—especially—answering these five questions are crucial steps to take before I begin.
Worlds of Ink and Shadow by Lena Coakley
Publication Date: January 5, 2016
Publisher: HarperCollins Canada / Amulet
Charlotte, Branwell, Emily, and Anne. The Brontë siblings have always been inseparable. After all, nothing can bond four siblings quite like life in an isolated parsonage out on the moors. Their vivid imaginations lend them escape from their strict upbringing, actually transporting them into their created worlds: the glittering Verdopolis and the romantic and melancholy Gondal. But at what price? As Branwell begins to slip into madness and the sisters feel their real lives slipping away, they must weigh the cost of their powerful imaginations, even as their characters—the brooding Rogue and dashing Duke of Zamorna—refuse to let them go.
Gorgeously written and based on the Brontës’ juvenilia, Worlds of Ink & Shadow brings to life one of history’s most celebrated literary families.
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Thank you for visiting, Lena! Readers, follow the tour for more chances to win, and be sure to enter the giveaway! You can find more How I Write features by clicking the image at the bottom of this post.
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More “How I Write” Q&As!
Neat to find out which questions Lena finds most helpful to answer before beginning work on a new book! I think the question of what your character wants is a particularly critical one, because character motivation is so essential to both writing the character AND the storyline. Also, I can imagine that you had better love your character, because if you get sick of them partway into it, it’s probably not going to end well, lol. (And it would be tough to see how the reader could love your character if you don’t!)
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This book sounds amazing. I’ve never given thought to how an author approaches how to start writing a new novel. Thanks for including that. It was very interesting.