Good Evening! I wanted to get y'all opinion about writing my novel. I started my first paragraph of my novel based on few drawings and then on fictional airline I had on Microsoft Flight Simulator. The fictional company/ airline in novel is based on the old Adventure Club in Disney and also it has some ideas in the Jungle Cruise. The novel is set in the modern times but most of the characters fly Pistol Engine Planes and the bar patrons are shady/ quirky characters. Is there anything I do to make this novel attractive or hook the writer in?I'm newbie writer.
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Questions about novel
- Thread starter TikiPirate
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Sounds like you have all the basics you need to start writing. A lot of a novel is in the telling, and a lot of the work is in revision after you've got a draft to work with. One thing you'll learn is that openers are hard, they rarely hook readers perfectly the first time, and they're often the last thing written and polished in a book. It's not uncommon to throw the first couple chapters away entirely.
A good guide: start the story as late as possible and end it as early as possible.
AW is filled with writers at all stages of experience, including many veteran professionals. There are a lot of resources here that will answer a lot of the questions that come up--some of the answers are more satisfactory than others.
The "Learn Writing With Uncle Jim" thread is a great place for a new writer to start.
One piece of advice that has stuck with me and I find useful is to think in terms of a character with a goal--and the more easily visualized the goal is, the stronger it works.
If you pick up some of your favorite books, you might find that many of them start with a character with a goal. The one I'm reading right now opens with a man whose plane has crashed in a blizzard, and he needs to survive the night. He can't use the plane for cover, because it just careened off the cliff. So, it's a character with a goal, and we know what 'success' looks like for this goal.
If that advice resonates with you, you might look through a few novels and then start playing with your own characters, and asking what each one of them is working toward.
If you pick up some of your favorite books, you might find that many of them start with a character with a goal. The one I'm reading right now opens with a man whose plane has crashed in a blizzard, and he needs to survive the night. He can't use the plane for cover, because it just careened off the cliff. So, it's a character with a goal, and we know what 'success' looks like for this goal.
If that advice resonates with you, you might look through a few novels and then start playing with your own characters, and asking what each one of them is working toward.
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As stated, come in late and get out early. Start with a bang if you can rather than a boring scene setting.
"It was a dark, stormy night." Nope. Of course it was dark at night. Even when the Moon is out it's still friggin dark.
"The blinding flash turned night into day and the entire house shook a moment later. When my vision returned I realized the old oak tree had been cleaved in two." Better.
In your case maybe describe the smoke and smell of fuel as the plane's engine roars to life, or the layout of the bar as a fight breaks out.
"It was a dark, stormy night." Nope. Of course it was dark at night. Even when the Moon is out it's still friggin dark.
"The blinding flash turned night into day and the entire house shook a moment later. When my vision returned I realized the old oak tree had been cleaved in two." Better.
In your case maybe describe the smoke and smell of fuel as the plane's engine roars to life, or the layout of the bar as a fight breaks out.
you won't like this, but the honest truth re: is there anything I do to make this hook the writer?":write it. Write it well.I've read ridiculous shit, from a famous author just happening to crash his car and get found by his craziest fan, to gypsy curses, to maybe-possessed cormorants, to literally whatever else you like, and if the writing was shit, I quit. If it was good...if characters were engaging and the words worked....I kept going.A "readable" story has way more to do with learning how to write well than with time period, etc. Inaccuracies may pull your writer out of the story, depending how well you deal with them, but shitty writing will promise they never dive in in the first place. a lot of that sounds distinctly "bullshit platitude" and I don't hang out here much; you've got some research to do. But there's a ton of info here. My point, I feel pretty solidly, stands....you're gonna have to flesh it out a bit for yourself though.
Ask yourself this question: Do I have a story to tell? Not just a cool premise or an idea for a fun setting and quirky characters. A story. What is that story? Whose story is it? Why does it need to be told?
It's very easy to get caught up in the superficial stuff. I love Disney, so I totally get where your inspiration is coming from. I know about the Adventure Club and Jungle Cruise, and I smiled when I read that in your post. But that's not enough. Who's your protagonist? What is his/her goal?What is standing in the way of reaching that goal? What happens if that goal isn't met? The answers to these questions will reveal the actual story you're going to tell in your novel. That's the cake you're baking. The stuff you shared in your post is just the frosting.
Most importantly...read, read, read, read! And then read some more. More than anything, this will help you internalize good writing and what works or doesn't work and why.
Good Luck!