Starting and ending chapters, or where the hell am I supposed to cut it?

By popular request, I shall devulge on this topic. But before I do, let me preface it with an important statement. Everything I'm writing here is NOT the truth, like, I will repeat, it's not, people! I'm a very very green writer, only started writing last year full time, so the things I share here are the things that work for me. They might be completely off the wall and totally immature and very much against the grain of big important writers. There are a gazillion more writers out there better than me, more experienced than me, and such. With this in mind, everything you read (if you read it it all, that is), please take with a grain of salt. I'm sharing my little triumphs, things that worked for me. They might work for you, they might not! The ony thing I know is that I try to simplify my little successes to the point where they seem very easy, to hopefully help you, if you happen to be blocked in that particular spot (that's what I do for myself, simplify things in my head until they are so simple that I'm not scared anymore). If it's not helping, please, throw hot potatoes at me! I don't mind. Just wanted to warn you, that's all. Because I'm about to share with you how I cut up my chapters, and this might not be how it's typically done, but it works for me.

The opening of the chapter is the summary of the chapter. Whereas I have sort of adopted the guideline on the opening of the novel being the summary of the whole novel, going as far as trying my opening sentence to be the summary of the whole novel, in chapters I sort of summarize the whole chapter in the first paragraph. I try to give enough of the space and time and who does what to sketch out what's about to happen, like, setting a stage, then for the rest of the chapter I simply expand on it. For example, right now I'm writing 3rd draft of Rosehead, and the current chapter I'm working on is called The Talking Heads. Oh, wait, I also try to name my chapters in the way that will tell the reader what they're about, like mini stories. Anyway, here is a litle excerpt, where I set the stage but I don't exactly mention what will happen, only hint on it, so that the reader will want to keep reading (hopefully), because in the rest of the chapter I expand on it. So, here is the opening of The Talking Heads: 

"Thud. Lilith heard something heavy fall and something round roll. Again. And again. It took her sleepy brain several minutes to process this information, before her eyelids finally fluttered open. Moon shone into the room, coloring it silver. The sweet stink of the garden acquired an almost metallic tang. Someone breathed laboriously outside, performing what must’ve been a strenuous physical task. Lilith rolled off the bed and crouched by the window, peering from behind the curtain. What she saw froze her to the spot. She didn’t even feel Panther brush her legs and plop his head on the windowsill." 

Start your chapter as close to the end as possible. This is kind of my personal style, though I think I have heard this advice applicable to novels, starting as close to the end as possible. Also, in my screenwriting days, I remember reading about starting in the middle of the action. So, with chapters, I like to dive right into the meat of things. Again, remember, this is what works for me, and not necessarily what would work for you. But at the beginning of the chapter you want to grab your reader. You might have the luxury to slow down a little in the middle, but not much. You have to keep the reader turning the pages, and for that the reader needs to know what the hell is happening. If it's ot clear what's happening, you will lose the reader, and you can't afford that. Every page is precious, every sentence is a hook, at any moment the reader might get interrupted and not get back to your book at all. Treat your chapters like mini stories, with their own beginning, middle, and end, and the hook and the payoff. I found that naming chapters has really helped me define what each chapter is about. In SIREN SUICIDES, my first trilogy, I named chapters according to places where things happened, and it didn't work as well as it's working in ROSEHEAD, where I name chapters according to what happens in them. I stole this idea from Harry Potter.

End your chapter on a cliffhanger. This is my favorite way of ending chapters. Lead that mini story to some sort of a conclusion, then throw in a detail that just begs for a continuation of the story, and stop right there. Bam! You hooked your reader, the reader wants to know what the hell happens next. Well, sometimes I cheat and do a quieter ending of the chapter, when I know I have built enough suspense in the book overall so that I can get away with it, which typically happens closer to the middle. Somebody told me in the past that my approach is a classic one. Whatever they meant, I don't know, classic in what sense? I just like clear beginnings, middles, and ends, maybe that's why I do this, I don't know. But I can't simply cut a story without somehow wrapping it and throwing in a wrench. Here is the ending of chapter 4 of ROSEHEAD, called Through the Arbor, so you can see how I was leading up to chapter 5 (hopefully!):

“Oh, don’t mind her.” As usual, Lilith held her true opinion to herself. “Mothers and daughters historically get on each other’s nerves. She’s just worried about me. Listen, let’s talk about solving the mystery… Let’s talk about… What was it I wanted to talk about… Was it the garden’s mystery… no, it was the mystery’s garden…” She mumbled some more and soon drifted off into dreamless sleep, not knowing that she’ll be rudely awakened in a few hours by wet chopping noises, as if someone was chopping off something with an axe."

In general, the longest chapters I've had were 20 pages, about 5K words each. The shortest 7 pages, about 1.4K words each (I calculate it at about 215-250 words per page). I find that writing shorter chapters works better for me, also because I'm not writing as much fluff anymore. Will it be the same in my future books? Don't know. So far its flowing, and I let it flow as it wants to. Was this helpful to you? Yes? No? Also, what would you like me to blog about next? I got an email from a reader, asking me to blog about naming novels. When to do it, how to do it, etc. I've written a post on how to pick a title for your novel, but I haven't written on when I do it. I shall blog about that next, unless there will be any other suggestion. Happy writing!

How to start a blog

Let's get back to the basics, shall we? I didn't think I would be writing something like this, but then one of my Twitter followers, @ChelsieBee93, asked me a very simple question: "How do you start a blog?" It stumped me at first. And I thought, wow, really, how did I start it? Since I've been blogging for so long now, it didn't even cross my mind that there is a universe of people who don't have a blog and really want to get into blogging, but perhaps don't know how. This post will be, however, specifically geared towards writers who are looking to get into blogging, either because they don't have a blog yet for some reason or are only starting to write, having not given it much thought in the past. So, how do you do it? Where do you start? What do you write about? Let's get cranking on this one point at a time.

Choose a hosting platform that is simple and beautiful. My firm belief in any product's success is that if you make it easy for people to get and if it looks stunning, people will want to get it. This applies to everything, from computers (I'm obviously an Apple girl, though I would've been a Fangardandia girl, if there was such a brand and if it was making beautiful products) to clothes to food to books. Yes, books. When we pick up a book,  if we don't know the author, we judge it by its jacket. Same goes for blogs. Your blog has to be clean, free of advertisement, ideally, and it has to use READABLE BLACK FONT ON WHITE BACKGROUND!!! Sorry for screaming, but I have come across so many blogs that were typed in all caps (not kidding), in all cursive that was impossible to read, white letters on black (readable, but hurts eyes), blue on green (impossible to read if you're color blind), blog entires' text centered instead of left justified (I'm serious!), and even a blog that was written over a background of a photo which made it readable on light parts, but vanished on dark ones. Please don't do this, it's impossible to read! My preferred blog platform is Squarespace, of course, because I'm not a techie and don't know how to work WordPress, but read this article on top 5 blogging platforms and decide for yourself.

Decide what to write about. What will be the content of your blog? If you Google this question, or ask any writer anywhere, you will be bombarded with advice left and right and will soon find yourself completely confused, because there are so many contradicting suggestions, it's easy to feel like you're drowning. I remember I felt like it too, and I have found out this simple maxim by trial and error. Write what you're passionate about. That's all. The key to writing is honesty. If you're being fishy, your reader will smell it a mile away. You can keep up the facade, of course, there are many smart looking, smart talking, successful bloggers out there who will tell you that I am full of bullshit. And maybe I am. But I do read other blogs, and I know that there are only a few I come back to, for their honesty. The deal is simple. If you force yourself to write about something that the industry demands, but you're not passionate about it, you won't be happy. And what's the point in writing if it makes you miserable? None. So write about your passions. Maybe you're into frogs, or crazy flash poetry, or socks, or watching for aliens to arrive every night. Whatever it is, write a list of things that makes your heart beat fast, and write about that. For me it's mostly about writing and reading, and a bit about editing (when I have an epiphany), marketing (cause I happen to love doing it), and crazy flash fiction. I also invite other authors to guest blog sometimes, those whose work I have read and fallen in love with.

 Pick a schedule and stick to it. Now this is perhaps the most important part. Once you start blogging, you're becoming a sort of a channel for people. They expect to wake up in the morning, have a cup of coffee and read your new blog post. So if you are inconsistent, people will drop out of your reader base and go elsewhere, it's as simple as that. I suggest you to blog at least once a week. Any longer than that, and people will forget about your existence. I wouldn't suggest blogging more often than once a day, though, it might be too much. I have actually lost subscribers in the past when I have gone a bit too crazy on posting flash fiction every day on my blog. I currently blog like a clock every Wednesday and Saturday, as you can see in the little note below this post. It is a good idea to let people know this, so they know what to expect. And, once you commit to it, you can't flake out!

Spread the word to other people and comment. Now, with blogging, like with everything else, it's a two way street. Don't expect people to come to your blog, read it and comment, if you're yourself are not reading other blogs or commenting. Please, go read the work of others and comment, comment, comment! Comment as much as you can! It will make other bloggers curious, and eventually they will hop over to your blog to check it out, simply because we're built this way. We want to give back, if someone has given us something freely, it's in out nature. Well, it's up to you, make the first step, and give, give, give, without asking for anything back.  And don't forget to post on your Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, and anywhere else you are on the web, each time you publish your blog, just so people know where to find it.

To conclude this post, why blog at all? For yourself, for therapy, for building your own writerly discipline. Don't be discouraged if you get no comments and no visits on your blog at first. Treat it like professional experience first and foremost. It will be your routine, it will build your discipline for writing at least once a week, and that's worth gold. People will come in time, just keep doing it no matter what.  For those of you veteran bloggers, did I miss anything out? Please feel free to add in the comments!

Starting to write a novel is EASY

Photo by Karrah Kobus

This is actually a very timely blog post for me, as I'm starting to write ROSEHEAD, my 2nd novel, on Monday. But it was one of my Twitter followers, Olly Cromack, who asked me to blog about this. Blog about how does one start writing a novel. And I, of course, oblige. I know you're probably expecting an extensive list of things and to-dos that will prepare you for such an arduous task as writing a novel. On the contrary. There is nothing simpler than starting to write a novel. In fact, it's so easy that anyone can do it. What, you don't believe me? Well, before you will turn your back and saunter off, all hurt, let me demonstrate to you how simple it is, if only one knows where to look.

Start from the deepest pain you harbor. That's it. This is the key to you starting, the key to selecting that 1 idea out of 20 whirling about in your head, that true inspiration that you've been searching for. It's there, in the darkest corner of your psyche, hidden and covered and tucked away, lest it tries to disturb your daily equilibrium. Because to write a novel, this is precisely what you need to do to yourself. To rock your boat. To dig deep where you didn't dare looking for years, maybe even decades, to find that one thing that maybe you haven't told anyone about, not even your best friend. That is the hard part. That is why, once you find it, it's easy. Once you puncture it, it will flow, no, it will gush out, it will spill so fast that you won't be able to type fast enough, because it's pain you always wanted to talk about and couldn't. Well, presto. Now you can! Because in your novel you can exaggerate it all you want, you can speak up through your characters, you can show what it's like, and it will be all disguised as fiction, but the source of your story will be a very real emotion, so it will ring true to you reader. The question you have to ask yourself is, are you willing to go there? Because, as easy as it will be writing it all down, it's extremely painful to cut a hole in your soul. It will hurt. This is the hardest part.

Write the first thing that comes to mind. Literally, once you decided that you want to talk about your pain, once you touched those forgotten feelings, you will feel a jolt, and an image or two will pop into your head, I can guarantee you this. Quickly, grab a pen or your laptop and start typing away, describing in detail what you see. Don't worry about grammar, or story structure, or plot, or characters, nothing of the sort. Just write what you see with your inner eye. Here the key is to never stop, until you're done with 1st draft. Not even pause. Of course, it's impossible, you have to sleep and eat and go to work (if you don't write full time). I mean, don't pause for longer than a day or two. Before you start writing your novel, make sure you have a place dedicated to your writing and time set aside, something that you can maintain for months, maybe even for a year, because this is how long it will take you. I personally rely on a very rigid schedule. I don't know how you decide to do it, but you simply can't be interrupted when you're writing down your 1st draft. You can't look back or rewrite what you've written the day before. Because as soon as you slow down, doubt will settle in. The longer you wait, the worse it gets, until your drive will be lost. It's very fragile. It took me 6 weeks to bang out 1st draft of Siren Suicides. if I can do it, you can do it. 

Abandon everything you learned and go crazy. This is again one of those things that stops many beginning writers to write a novel. They want to learn how to do it, before attempting it. They study books, go to courses, dabble in short stories, to test the waters. Wrong. It's not how you learn. You learn by doing. And you learn by having fun. Meaning, you don't worry about what will come out in the end, you go crazy and write down things that make no sense but feel right. The worst thing you can do is think that your 1st draft will look like a finished book. Nope, it won't. It will look like shit, and it's okay. It should look like shit, it's the purpose of 1st drafts. So this is why you have to go crazy, because if you won't be afraid of how it will look in the end, you will be able to access those layers of your memory that you wouldn't be able to otherwise, without cutting loose. Pretend you're five and are learning how to bike. Pretend you have no idea how to do it, you take off, and for a few seconds of balance, you have this fool's bliss, unaware that soon you will fall, and cry, and your knees will be bloody. Starting on your novel is like that, like those first few seconds of complete exhilaration, without fear or doubt. It's the only way to sail through it without getting stuck in writers block. Don't worry, you will cut out the crazy parts in later drafts, but for now it's the liberty to be nuts that will keep you going.

Read your most favorite books. Many people told me in the past that they don't like reading while writing their novels, just so that they won't be influenced by another writer's style. This is a strange idea. Reading will fuel your writing. So I suggest you read books that leave you in awe. Read your absolute favorites, read your favorite authors. When you start writing your first novel, it's not the time to discover someone new, it's the time to rely on old and trusted fun. I will be doing it too, by the way. I'm starting to write ROSEHEAD on Monday, and on Monday I'm starting to reread the entire Harry Potter series. Because I loved the books when they came out, and I am dying to dive into potterland non-stop and see what it does to me. I know what. It will inspire me to keep moving forward. It will inspire you too. I bet you have a bunch of those books that made you catch your breath and exclaim, "I want to write a story like that!" Yeah, read those. You will see what I mean.

This is really all there is to it. Look for your deepest pain. Drag it out from your subconscious to your conscious. Quickly write down what you see. Don't stop writing until your entire 1st draft is done. Write the first things that come to mind, without any structure, simply because they come to you. Go crazy. Oh, and don't forget to create for yourself a writing cave, both place and time, where you can go into your inner world, where it can thrive. Don't start on your novel unless you have that established, because otherwise you will be at the risk of being interrupted and you'll will never finish. Now, why are you still reading this? Shoo! Go! Start! I know your novel is aching to get out. It told me.