Two Year Novel Course: Set 1
By
Lazette Gifford
Copyright 2011 Lazette Gifford
An ACOA Publication
www.aconspiracyofauthors.com
ISBN 978-1-936507-12-2
Smashwords Edition
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Copyright © 2004, 2006, 2012 Lazette Gifford
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2YN: Set 1
The Basics, Weeks 1-5
Introduction to the Lesson Sets (2012 Edition)
I began the first Two Year Novel Course at Forward Motion (www.fmwriters.com) in January, 2004. The course covered writing a novel from the very first idea all the way through submission (or later, for Indie Authors -- all the way to publication). I filled the course with information to help people at every step, and while new writers often found it useful, even those who had written a few novels discovered things of benefit as they sifted their thinking for newer projects.
I am ending the last set of the original on-line classes in December, 2011. I had previously published two books (one for each year of the course) at Holly Lisle's store, but those are no longer available.
Since everything was closing down, I thought to give the course a break, edit the books in a year or so, and make them available again . . . later.
However, many people began asking me about the classes and the books. I knew I didn't have time to edit the entire two (or even one) year course right now so I decided to put the material out in sets, which I could edit as groups, making the work a bit less daunting and giving people the ability to take the entire course or pick up the ones they want.
There will be nine pieces in all:
Basics (this one): Weeks 1-5
Characters: Weeks 6-13
World building: Weeks 14-25
Outlines: Weeks 26-33
Writing the First Draft/1: Weeks 34-45
Writing the First Draft/2: Weeks 46-65
Editing -Second Draft: Weeks 66 -77
Editing - Final Draft: Weeks 78 - 88
Submission and Publication: Weeks 89 - 104
Whether you are looking at Indie (self) Publishing or pursuing traditional publication, the path through the artistic aspects of creating a novel are virtually identical, as is the editing (which is still an act of creativity in its own way). I have tried to indicate where there might be aspects to consider differently, but these classes are aimed at anyone writing.
There are a total of 104 classes so if you do one a week (I always started the courses the first week of January), you will have completed everything in two years. This is how I presented the 2YN course online for eight years. I hope to have all the pieces edited and up for sale by the end of year one, though, so people will not have to stick to this timeline.
Each class includes a 'lecture' plus an assignment and examples. Some lectures are short and others are quite long. Not everything will help you, and certainly not everything will help with every book you write. However, the more authors are willing to look outside their usual patterns, the more likely they are to find the spark to write something new and different.
If you have questions, you can email me at zette@lazette.net (put 2YN in the subject). However, I can tell you that most often my answer will be 'do what works for you.' Nothing in these classes are set in stone and they are meant only to point the way towards things you can consider and then change in ways that suit you and your story.
There will also be additional information about upcoming releases in my Joyously Prolific blog, using the 2YN label:
http://zette.blogspot.com/search/label/2YN
Good luck!
Introduction: Welcome to 2YN (Two-Year Novel Course)
I can't teach you to be a great writer.
I can, however, show you the one thing I'm very good at, which is moving through a story from start to finish. I can point out things which might help you in your goal to be a successful writer. But in the end, you have to do the work.
I can show you how to take hold of your imagination and let it help you write the book that is there in your head, ready to be told. I can show you some tricks to writing a good book which might have a better chance of drawing the attention of an editor or -- essential for Indie Authors -- those crucial first readers who will spread the word about your new release.
Nothing, of course, is guaranteed. You have to do the work. You have to be willing to learn and to experiment.
For the next two years, if you follow the course the way I originally planned it, you will work your way through the process of writing of a novel. Depending on the genre you work in, by the end you will have written between 80,000 and 150,000 words. If you dedicate yourself to doing the work, you will have also edited the work and either begun the process of submitting the material to send to agents or publishers, or are preparing it for publication.
This is not going to be a fast romp through the work of writing a book. The 2YN course will be easy for some of you and more difficult for others, but I hope you will all learn something helpful -- if nothing more than knowing some of the suggestions don't work for you.
This is, by the way, an important aspect to learn about your own writing. Sometimes forcing yourself to try to write to someone else's perfect method is a good way to kill even the most inspired story. Here is the most important thing we all have to remember in this class:
No two writers are alike.
So why should I teach this class? I'm not the best novelist in the world, but I do know how to start, continue and complete a novel, as well as how to move on to rewrites and editing. The act of writing is one of my strong points, and I believe I can help others refine the way they work, look at new ways to approach novel writing, and find the best pattern to help them continue writing to the end of a project.
This set of classes is as much about dedication, direction and exploration as it about writing. By joining in, you are committing to follow through from the first idea to the end of the novel.
You're about to start an adventure. Good luck, and remember to have fun.
What you need for this course
What you need for this course is a love of writing, an idea you want to explore, and the determination to see it all the way through to a finished novel.
I suggest you get a three ring binder and tab inserts to show the different sections (Basics, Characters, etc.). You can print or handwrite your assignments and keep them in the notebook. Having the notebook will be an easy way to reference the material throughout the class. You can also keep the material in files, of course, but just make certain that the pieces you create are easy to access.
Do not skip classes
I also strongly suggest you do all the classes, even if you're not sure how it might work into your current novel -- and especially if it's something you haven't tried before. Writers should always be open to experimentation!
Part 1: The Basics
The first set of classes will seem easy to most of you, but I suggest you take your time with these pieces anyway. Writers often rush through this part of the story creation process. They get an idea and leap ahead without fully examining the possibilities the story idea presents.
Far too often in these cases they abandon the manuscript before the novel is completed. This is rarely because the idea was bad. More often this occurs because the writer hasn't taken the time to expand beyond the basic first blush and a couple interesting characters, which is rarely enough to sustain a full-fledged novel.
In the first five weeks of the class, we're going to cover some very simple steps. Take them carefully and with proper deliberation. They're the first steps in a long journey.
Week 1
The Basics, Part One
Idea -- and a short note on titles
This class will start out small . . . as all novels do. The first week's class and assignment is relatively simple. We're going to look at the basic ideas from which you will build your novel.
No idea for a novel is too stupid or too simple. An idea is merely a starting point; a tiny seed from which first the roots grow to become a stripling and finally a tree. Don't worry if your idea sounds the same as dozens of others you've seen. I can guarantee you are not going to write the same books.
An idea is not stable. It's going to reshape itself to suit the growth it supports. What you write as your idea this week may mutate into something entirely different by the time you write the opening to your novel. And often, the idea will change again once the novel begins to take shape, until finally it encapsulates what you have written rather than shaping what you will write.
You need the initial idea, however, to begin tuning your mind in the right direction. For the next two years (104 total classes) you will work with this idea in one form or another. With that in mind, don't choose something because you think the idea will please someone else. Don't worry about markets at this point. All you need do is create a simple idea encompassing what you want to write.
You should be able to come up with a single line to explain your story idea.
Example 1: A man plots to kill his wife and her lover.
Example 2: In the far future, on another world, the last humans face genocide at the hands of an alien messiah.
The single line you write today is not going be a true mirror of your story because a single line can never convey more than a ghost of the full story. However, it is a starting place, and it's going to show you, by the end of two years, how far you have come from your initial first thoughts on the novel.
Don't worry if you feel you haven't quite gotten the idea right. Remember, it will change and grow as we further define the book. As you do the rest of the course, occasionally come back and check out your original idea. Rework it if it no longer reflects the story you are now working on. Write a new line, but keep the old one, too. This will allow you to notice changes in your direction and it might stop you from making changes which will take the story in directions you don't really want to go.