Do the Timelines In Your Novel Make Sense?

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By Kathleen Jones, The Quirky Novelist. Please sign up for free updates at ‪http://eepurl.com/ceSobT 

The timelines in my first novel didn’t work. The written analysis from my freelance editor pointed out dozens of timelines that weren’t realistic; for example, my main character travelled large distances in an absurdly short period of time, the setting (especially the weather) didn’t fit the time of year, and on and on.

We writers are usually so intent on getting the story down on paper that it’s easy to overlook these small details. But even though these problems may seem minor in the scheme of things, they will, if unaddressed, chip away at the quality of your novel.

Check Your Timelines Before You Submit Your Manuscript

It’s a good idea to check the timelines in your manuscript before you submit it to an editor, agent, and/or publisher. The following method works for me:

  1. Write an outline of your manuscript.
  2. Break the outline down into chapters.
  3. In the margin, write down the dates for each chapter (e.g., March to April 2017).
  4. Write your first draft, following the descriptions and dates in your outline.
  5. After you finish writing your first draft, write a second chapter by chapter outline of your manuscript, and include the timelines. Quite often, this outline will differ from the outline you created before you started writing your first draft. Ask yourself the following questions: Does the action fit into the timelines in this chapter? Are the physical details appropriate for the time period? (For example, would you expect to see flowers at this time of year?)
  6. If the timelines (and details) in your first draft don’t work, note the changes that you need to make in the margin of your second outline.
  7. After you’ve written your second, third, and fourth drafts, check your timelines again.

Once you’re happy with your timelines and polished your manuscript, it’s time to submit it.

Visit Kathleen Jones, The Quirky Novelist, online at https://kathleenjones.org/ or on Twitter at https://twitter.com/joneslepidas and sign up for free updates at ‪http://eepurl.com/ceSobT  Kathleen’s first novel, Love Is the Punch Line, a midlife romance set in the world of stand-up comedy, is available NOW, in trade paperback and ebook from Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/Love-Punch-Line-Kathleen-Jones-ebook/dp/B07BYNX7BM/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1525812415&sr=1-1&keywords=love+is+the+punch+line) and Indigo Books and Music (https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/love-is-the-punch-line/9781945181337-item.html?ikwid=love+is+the+punch+line&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0) Visit the Love Is the Punch Line Media Room at https://kathleenjones.org/media-room/

 

Have No Time to Write?

By Kathleen Jones, The Quirky Novelist. Please sign up for free updates at‪http://eepurl.com/ceSobT 

If you’re like most people, your life is busy, filled with work, home chores, and family responsibilities. But you also need some time to work on your novel. What can you do?

Set Small Writing Goals

If your writing time is limited, try setting small writing goals. Some ideas:

  • Decide how quickly you want to write or rewrite a single chapter (for example, one chapter per week).
  • Then decide how many days per week you can write. Three or four days per week might be realistic for some people.
  • Next, decide how much time you have to write on those days (e.g., one or two hours).
  • Set realistic goals for each writing session. For example, you might try writing just one or two scenes or three to six pages during a single session.

The Results Add Up!

These goals might seem ridiculously small, but the results really add up! If, for example, you write one chapter per week, you’ll end up with four chapters per month. That means, if your novel has twenty-eight chapters, you can finish one draft of your manuscript in seven months.

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Exactly two hours on the round clock
Exactly two hours on the large round clock

Visit Kathleen Jones, The Quirky Novelist, online at https://kathleenjones.org/ or on Twitter at https://twitter.com/joneslepidas and sign up for free updates at ‪http://eepurl.com/ceSobT  Kathleen’s first novel, Love Is the Punch Line, a midlife romance set in the world of stand-up comedy, is available NOW, in trade paperback and ebook from Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/Love-Punch-Line-Kathleen-Jones-ebook/dp/B07BYNX7BM/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1525812415&sr=1-1&keywords=love+is+the+punch+line) and Indigo Books and Music (https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/love-is-the-punch-line/9781945181337-item.html?ikwid=love+is+the+punch+line&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0) Visit the Love Is the Punch Line Media Room at https://kathleenjones.org/media-room/

Writing the Dark Novel

By Kathleen Jones, The Quirky Novelist. Please sign up for free updates at ‪http://eepurl.com/ceSobT 

My first novel, recently published, was a joy to write. A lighthearted romance set in the world of stand-up comedy, it was a sweet and funny story built around two loveable characters. My second novel, which I am currently writing, is far different: it’s angry, cynical, and deeply sad. In other words, it’s a “dark” novel.

Why would anyone choose to write such a gloomy book? Lots of reasons . . . .

First, a dark novel gives a writer the golden opportunity to deal with real-life experiences, the sorts of everyday events that most people experience but rarely talk about. Trouble paying off a mortgage, disrespectful and abusive treatment from a boss, unruly children, parents who don’t understand your personal struggles . . . all of the hardships of modern life can become the foundation of a dark novel. Dark novels also offer intellectual challenges for writers, as their plots and characters tend to be more complex and harder to describe.

More importantly—at least from my point of view—the process of writing a dark novel forces a writer to confront the truth. By confronting certain hard realities I’ve had to face and by writing about them, I’ve been able to come to terms with my past and to help myself heal. Doing this takes courage, but the experience has been more deeply satisfying than I could have ever imagined.

It’s not easy to write a dark novel. Far too often, the dredging up of painful emotions leaves me depleted and depressed, and all I want to do is to abandon the novel once and for all. But I just can’t; the book is too powerful to run away from, and it’s crying out to be written. The journey hasn’t been easy so far, but it’s definitely worth taking.

Visit Kathleen Jones, The Quirky Novelist, online at https://kathleenjones.org/ or on Twitter at https://twitter.com/joneslepidas and sign up for free updates at ‪http://eepurl.com/ceSobT  Kathleen’s first novel, Love Is the Punch Line, a midlife romance set in the world of stand-up comedy, is available NOW, in trade paperback and ebook from Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/Love-Punch-Line-Kathleen-Jones-ebook/dp/B07BYNX7BM/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1525812415&sr=1-1&keywords=love+is+the+punch+line) and Indigo Books and Music (https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/love-is-the-punch-line/9781945181337-item.html?ikwid=love+is+the+punch+line&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0) 

Visit the Love Is the Punch Line Media Room at https://kathleenjones.org/media-room/

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You’ve Finished Your Novel. Now What?

 

By Kathleen Jones, The Quirky Novelist. Please sign up for free updates at ‪http://eepurl.com/ceSobT 

You’ve finally finished writing the third or fourth or seventh draft of your novel. You’re ready to show it to another pair of eyes—beta readers or a freelance editor—but you’re exhausted. You need to take a break first. But should you?

Of course you should! Novel writing is a demanding task that requires hours of intense focus and discipline. So set your manuscript aside for at least one month and don’t pass it on to anyone else right away.

But don’t let that one- or two- or four-month break go to waste! Use that time to plan the future of your novel. How? By creating the following files in Word:

  • a schedule for your novel that lists all necessary tasks, along with their proposed timelines;
  • a marketing plan for your book;
  • a list of potential agents; include links to their webpages, contact information, and submission requirements;
  • a list of publishers in your genre who accept unagented manuscripts; include links to their webpages, contact information, and submission requirements;
  • a list of reviewers (both publications that review books and online book bloggers) who might be interested in your book; include links to their webpages and contact information; and
  • promotional materials for your book, such as a tagline, a brief synopsis, and a long synopsis.

Why should you bother doing these tasks now? After all, you’re trying to relax!

Two reasons:

  • It will be easier to keep your book’s momentum going after you’ve worked through all of the comments from your beta readers and/or freelance editor and made changes to your manuscript because you’ll know what you have to do next. And you won’t have to spend weeks and weeks compiling all of these lists from scratch; you’ll only need to spend a few days checking the information online for updates.
  • It will also be easier to keep track of all of the tasks you’ll need to do and when you’ll need to do them.

In other words, organizing yourself during a slow period when you’re taking a break from writing will make the process of getting your novel out into the world a lot smoother, less stressful, and less overwhelming. And it will free up your time for a task you truly love: Writing your next novel!

Visit Kathleen Jones, The Quirky Novelist, online at https://kathleenjones.org/ or on Twitter at https://twitter.com/joneslepidas and sign up for free updates at ‪http://eepurl.com/ceSobT  Kathleen’s first novel, Love Is the Punch Line, a midlife romance set in the world of stand-up comedy, is available NOW, in trade paperback and ebook from Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/Love-Punch-Line-Kathleen-Jones-ebook/dp/B07BYNX7BM/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1525812415&sr=1-1&keywords=love+is+the+punch+line) and Indigo Books and Music (https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/love-is-the-punch-line/9781945181337-item.html?ikwid=love+is+the+punch+line&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0) Visit the Love Is the Punch Line Media Room at https://kathleenjones.org/media-room/