Novel Writing on Edge - Development Maxims and Master Class Narrative From Algonkian

Because we get asked about the query process quite often.  Here is our take on the smartest way to go about it. As a bonus, you learn a lot of insider knowledge about the business (like who is in "the club" and who is not--see below) along the way. You might also come to the realization that your ms is not yet ready. Such illumination is always a positive thing.

NWOE Press Release: Announcing a Pre-Conference Craft and Development Guide     There are no great writers, only great rewriters.          - Algonkian Conferences Motto    The New York Write to Pitch 2022 will soon possess its own Kindle book focusing on the large and comprehensive amount of novel development and editorial matter available here at Novel Writing on Edge and at Algonkian Author Connect . The e-book, now available for pre-order on Amazon , will generally follow the layout of assignments and preparation as presented to writers, a stage at a time, prior to their attendance at the conference,and while adding additional essays and narrative models. Samples as follows: Relentless Application I : The High Concept Premise, Dramatic Act Structure and Plotting Nuance, Six Act Two-Goal Novel, Diagnostic Pitching, and more. Relentless Application II : Ten Critical First Steps, Epiphany Light, Seven Novel Sins, Logs and Cores as Development Tool, the Three Most Primary Core Element

What should be brewing in the mind of the aborning author right from the start? Let's Talk About Passion A few basic questions first. Why are you writing a novel? For reasons of ambition, ego? Well, why not? Most of us, in one way or another, tend the ego. We want recognition, validation, a chance to prove our ability to others and thereby rise above (careful... verging on narcissism). We may need to prove something to ourselves, or more simply, gain a degree of independence from an unsatisfactory mode of existence, the existential nausea of daily grind. We might require purpose, a desire to fill our lives with a mission, and what better way to achieve than by writing a novel? Then, of course, there is the pure need to create, the godlike urge shared by true artists... or perhaps your particular desire to write the novel results from some or all the above working in synergy.  Regardless, please consider your answers,  even before  the first steps  towards actua

NWOE Press Release: Announcing the New Algonkian "Write to Pitch" Conference     There are no great writers, only great rewriters.         - Algonkian Conferences Motto   The New York Write to Pitch 2022 was officially launched on June 1, 2022. It is a hybrid event combining the core elements of the New York Pitch Conference with new development and editorial content that addresses the many nuances of premise, plot, and prose narrative. As it notes on Publisher's Marketplace, " Development of the novel therefore becomes an issue of paramount concern. Why? Because you can't pitch a marketable novel unless and until you've written one."  According to the event organizers, a lot of newbie writers attend the typical writer event with poor pitches that cannot help but reflect poorly written novels. And who or what is to blame? The explanation lies in the fact that so many sources exist that provide juvenile, incorrect, or blatantly false advice (writer g

Once more, the classics speak to us. What is one of the primary reasons novels get rejected? The narrative is too passive. It  ultimately falls flat, quiet and dull. Details are insufficient, metaphors lacking, lack of energy obvious, circumstances predictable (see also Narrative Enhancement via Nabokov ). So what to do? At WE we believe in learning from great authors whose shoulders we stand on. Therefore, we've developed a means of addressing this issue. We wish you to seek inspiration from the prose extractions below and utilize them for purposes of defeating passivity via emulation. In other words, you will intentionally choose and compose fictional subject matter for your novel that entertains, frightens, or enthralls the reader. And how? By creating a circumstance, place, thing, or event that is unique and curious  by virtue of its very nature . Let's engage in a few writing "prompts." You must prod the imagination and peel the onion. By the way, in the contex

So now you're writing the novel, or rewriting it, or preparing to?   There is so much to consider your head has exploded and now you're groping for the parts. Nevertheless, we strongly recommend in this phase somewhere between false confidence and mortifying epiphany that you wisely execute your novel a scene at a time. No better organizing principle than this. Forget chapters, for the moment. Know that each scene serves a purpose, often more than one, e.g., pushing the plot forward while introducing a major secondary character. Each scene also evolves with its own beginning, middle, and end (see the steamy example below). Btw, if you've not yet done so, great idea to absorb the Six Act Two-Goal Novel before continuing. Also, please review the First Ten Steps , as well as our crucial articles on setting , antagonists , and delivering exposition . Why? Because the points below will make way more sense if viewed in the proper context. KEY CONCEPTS : story premi

When considering your novel, whether taking place in a contemporary urban world or on a distant magical planet in Andromeda, you must first sketch the best overall setting and sub-settings for your story.  Wasn't it F. Scott Fitzgerald who said something like, "Setting is 60% of what makes your novel stand out"? A great setting maximizes opportunities for interesting characters, circumstances, and complications. Therefore, with a dash of unleashed imagination and a dose of sufficient research, nothing provides a stronger novel foundation than a great setting. Fact.  One of the best selling contemporary novels in recent memory, THE HUNGER GAMES , is driven by the circumstances of the setting, and the characters are a product of that unique environment as well as the plot. But even if you're not writing SFF, the choice of setting is just as important, perhaps even more so. If you must place your upmarket story in a sleepy little town in Maine winter, then choose a set

A WATERSHED EVENT FOR SERIOUS WRITERS Whatever the stage of your project or writing life, know that all writers, if they desire to become commercially published, must see and enter the Epiphany Light. First of all, what is the "Epiphany Light"?  The EL is a state of mind crucial to any aspiring author desirous of commercial or serious literary publication, and one which clearly divides the 99% from the 1% of those who've learned the hard way how challenging it is to have their expertise and projects taken seriously by professionals in the publishing business. But are the percentages so drastic as depicted here? Yes, and probably even more so.  Consider the very small number of first time authors who emerge with publishing contracts from major houses, imprints, or even well-regarded traditional presses, and then compare these few hundred to the hundreds of thousands of writers in America struggling valiantly yet vainly to accomplish the same feat.  Viewe