That Girl Who Wrote A Book

      You've done it. You've reached the point in your story where everything changes, whether it be for better or worse. You're at the climax of your novel.      I've titled this post "The Point of No Return," which seems like a weird title when you're talking about events in a story, but that's what your climax should be. This is the most important part of your book: it's the part that changes your characters, changes the direction of your plot, speeds everything up and slows it all down at the same time. It's the moment where everything that's important comes out, everything begins to make sense, everything changes. It truly is the point of no return and there's no turning back now.      Generally, most people already have the climax planned before they even start outlining their story. Usually, it's this big moment that's stuck in your head that inspires the whole thing. Everything that happens leads up to and stems from thi...

     Everybody remembers their high school English class and having to write essays about the figurative language used in whatever book you were currently reading. I remember complaining whenever my teachers would talk about symbolism, because how do you know that's actually what the author meant? What if they didn't even mean anything by it? What if the apple is just an apple?     Today, I'd like to destroy your dreams by telling you that an apple is not just an apple.      It wasn't until I started taking writing seriously that I realized how much fun figurative language can be. It can be used symbolically, to foreshadow, and to enrich the story itself. But be careful not to overuse it. If your entire manuscript is figurative language on top of figurative language, it can become confusing and difficult to read.     My personal favorite form of figurative language to use is metaphors. Metaphors can easily be turned into a symbol that ca...

    When I say world building, most people think about the setting of each individual scene. Are they in a castle? Are they in the forest? What do those places look, feel, and smell like? But that is only the beginning.    Harry Potter. Lord of the Rings. The Hunger Games. Game of Thrones.     These are all stories where the world building is done masterfully. You have race, you have politics, you have social class, you have history embedded into all these stories. Your goal should be to do the same.  Now, I'm not saying that you're story has to have all of these themes discussed, but you should know them in the back of your head. These are the social settings that impact the way your character might think about the world, interact with others, and live their life.     Thinking about all these aspects can be daunting, so lets take a step back. Worldbuilding is one of the most important steps in writing your book, so lets break it down into fi...

     The worst part about starting a story is facing the blank, white page. Whether you're writing by hand or typing on a computer, getting those first few words on that paper is the most daunting task. If you've ever had to write an essay for a class that you didn't quite prepare for, you know exactly what I'm talking about.     My best suggestion for overcoming this burden is to just start writing. I know that sounds kind of obvious, but if you just vomit something onto the page, it makes continuing much easier. It doesn't really matter what you write, whether its something from the middle of the story, the end of the story, or if it's actually the beginning, as long as you start putting words on the paper, that blank page will quickly disappear. This is where your outline can begin to help you.     If you're truly stumped and don't know how to start, look at your outline. Write out what you want to happen in that scene as objectively as possible. Th...

     One of the most important parts in creating a story is outlining. It might not always be very fun, but trust me when I say it's extremely necessary. An outline can be a crucial part in figuring out what you want to happen next: If you aren't quite sure where you want a scene to go, just glance at your outline and move on to the next event that's supposed to happen. If you know the specific plot points of your story, it's easier to fill the gaps in between.     There are many ways to create your outline. If you're a bit of a mess, like me, you can just scratch ideas out in a notebook, and then connect the dots wherever you see fit. If you're a bit more structured with your process, you can draw up a literal timeline and mark down which events you want to happen when. Or, you can even use your timeline as a sort of writing exercise: write out the entirety of what you want to happen in your novel in the form of a short story. Basically, explain all the events ...