Pages

Pages

Looking for something specific?



Writing a Novel From Beginning to End Series:

Inspiration:

Characters

Plot
How to Develop Your Story Idea Into A List of Key Scenes - Part One and Part Two

Settings
Fantasy/Sci-Fi:
Realistic:

Writing Techniques

Editing
Professional Matters
The Publishing Process - Part One and Part Two

Worksheets, Lists, and Checklists

25 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for adding this in! You have saved me from repeatedly scrolling through the archives or trying to remember specific keywords on Google to find blog posts.

    Jade

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We thought it might be useful! We'll keep adding to it too.

      Delete
    2. Do you by chance have any guides to writing scenes and connecting scenes?

      Delete
    3. Can you be a little more specific? By writing scenes, do you mean, "What should be in a scene?" and by connecting scenes, are you talking about showing transitions in time or something else?

      Delete
  2. Thought I saw something new up there...thanks!

    Because of my curiosity and checking out the new page, I went back and read "Why I've Decided to Stop Setting Writing Goals" and "How to Cope When You're Stuck in Your First Draft." Both were immensely helpful for me today, because I'm trying to decide what to do about NaNo. I've inevitably hit the middle where I didn't plan much (okay, pretty much nothing for the next five chapters). So it's like, "Well...I know this needs to happen, but I don't know how."

    And I've also been really busy lately. So, even though I've been trying to write, I haven't been getting more than around 500-1000 words a day, and I was feeling badly about it. So the post about writing goals or lack thereof was super encouraging today. Thank you once again! I'm still not sure what to do about this--do I keep writing through or try something new for me and skip the section, then come back to it later? Do I take a break?--but these two posts were helpful. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for this list, it's really helpful!

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is amazing. Now I know exactly where I need to go when I need advice and tips. Thank you Stephanie & Jill!

    ReplyDelete
  5. THIS IS AWESOME. THANK YOU SO MUCH. :D
    I start to edit in January (new year, new things) and need to prepare a little. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  6. 'Writing the Action/Fight Scene' is broken. Please fix. Please.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fixed! Thank you :)

      http://goteenwriters.blogspot.com/2012/04/writing-actionfight-scene.html

      Delete
  7. Your link to the How to Get in the Way of Good Ideas page brings me to What is a High Concept Pitch? Did you mean to do that, because I really need the other page.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! All fixed :)

      http://goteenwriters.blogspot.com/2014/07/how-to-get-in-way-of-good-ideas.html

      Delete
  8. Hey! I'm trying to write a first page. I know what I want. I want to start with a description (spiny, black palm trees against a soft sky), and then I want my MC to go for a walk, but...for some reason, I can't get past that description. I can't make him just get up and go! I don't know why this is so hard for me, but it's discouraging. I really want my story to move along! I guess I have trouble following Anne L's advice and just writing something bad.
    Anyway, I would be so eternally grateful if one of you would make a print-out First Chapter outline. Thanks, you guys! LOVE YOU!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The thing is that first chapters are more of a gut thing than a, "Here's how every book should start," type of thing. Certainly there are some guidelines that can help (I'll link to some posts below) but if I were you, I would pull a dozen or so books off your shelf. Some you've read, some you haven't. Read the first chapters of all of them and analyze them. What was the author trying to do? What intrigued you? What makes you want to read more or what makes you not care at all?

      Reading a lot of first chapters and writing a lot of first chapters is really the only way to make progress. Hopefully some of these posts might help:

      http://goteenwriters.blogspot.com/2011/02/what-makes-good-first-chapter.html
      http://goteenwriters.blogspot.com/2014/01/two-ingredients-for-great-first-chapter.html
      http://goteenwriters.blogspot.com/2013/02/7-things-you-need-in-beginning-of-your.html
      http://goteenwriters.blogspot.com/2014/10/where-to-start-shans-thoughts.html
      http://goteenwriters.blogspot.com/2014/01/ten-ways-to-start-novel.html

      Delete
  9. I dont know if one of those subjects covers this but, How do you simplify a plot AND THEN add sub-plots to that main plot?
    ~ a lost first novelist

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know this is several months late, but this post might help if you're still around.

      http://goteenwriters.blogspot.com/2013/09/how-to-add-to-your-plot-after-youve.html

      Delete
  10. Thank you SO MUCH FOR THIS!! It is a really big help to just have to scroll down the list to find something. I am new and I have already gone through most of the list!

    ReplyDelete
  11. You literally have all the questions I could ever think of! Thank you!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. This is very helpful, thanks!

    I have a suggestion, though:
    I really like the writing prompts (even though I get to many of them very late :)) and it would be nice to have something like this but for prompts.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hey everyone! I feel really overwhelmed with all this writing stuff... I think I know what to do, but I feel like there are so many little details, so many things I have to think about!!! How do I get out of this???!!!

    Side questions:
    1. What program do you use to write? to format the chapters, and make sure that the text is the way you want it, header and footer?

    2. What posts should I start with when I write a book? There are so many, and I don't know what to look at first. I am in the process of writing the storyline, but I have already looked in depth at the characters and their backgrounds. What do I do next??

    Thanks for everything you guys!
    ~ fUtUrE fAmOuS aUtHoR.... kEILAh


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Keilah!

      It's really normal to feel overwhelmed. If you've already spent some time getting to know your characters, you're far ahead of where I was when I started writing my first novels!

      Some writers enjoy plotting everything out. If that's you, some posts that you might find helpful are:

      http://goteenwriters.blogspot.com/2016/08/how-to-write-synopsis-for-your-novel.html

      That would be for if you want a more general kind of outline. If you want to get really specific, these posts might help you:

      http://goteenwriters.blogspot.com/2016/03/wewritebooks-post-7-10-types-of.html

      http://goteenwriters.blogspot.com/2016/03/wewritebooks-post-8-choosing-plot.html

      Regarding formatting. The industry standard is Word, and that's what Jill, Shannon, and I all use. Jill made a handy video on how to format your manuscript:

      http://goteenwriters.blogspot.com/2012/10/how-to-format-fiction-manuscript.html

      I hope these links are helpful, Keilah! Remember your main goals at this stage should be to write and have fun!

      Delete
    2. Thanks Mrs. Morrill! I like getting to know my characters, because I feel that will help me write from her perspective better. I love reading books in the first person, and I want to imitate that. I am very specific, and love detail, so thanks a lot, those really helped! I've been learning that if I write too specific of a storyline, then I'm kind of restricting myself, so I think at first, I'll try a more general approach and see how it works out. I'm new at this (as you can probably tell) and I'm trying to find what works for me the best. Thanks for all you do here on Go Teen Writers! Love and blessings, Keilah

      Delete
  14. This list is so awesome! Thanks so much you guys for doing this! :D I come to the page a lot when I'm stuck with my writing, and I usually get new inspiration when I'm on here. :) Thanks again. :)

    <>Jessica<> :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Are there any posts about how to use dialogue well and tips for writing conversations that are necessary to the plot?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hello, Stephanie! I'm not a teen, I'll be 67 next month, but that doesn't change the fact that your site is filled with fabulous information! Good info for writers of all ages.
    I wanted to let you know that the link for Part Two of How to Develop Your Story Idea Into A List of Key Scenes - Part One and Part Two takes us to your Home page, and not to Part Two. Because I'm a Plantser (a hybrid Pantser/Planner) this was especially interesting for me. Took a little digging to find Part Two, but it was well worth it!As a Pantser, I "pants" my story until I find out What It's About. Then I need to figure out what I need to get from where I am and what I have to where I need to go. So the list of key scenes and the descriptions will be very helpful in doing that.
    Once again, I commend you on a really great site! I figure it doesn't matter where you find the information if the information is good, and yours is one of the best!

    ReplyDelete

Home