Step by step template
Simple guidelines for creative writing.
Creative writing involves steps for a newcomer to the fiction world. Each type of creative writing has principles and structure in order to succeed and be published.
Firstly one must choose the length of the book. Based on the word count one can write:
[1.]
Then, comes the outline of the project. If you already have an idea in mind, an outline of the plot, possible events, when they take place, and where. It is important to describe the main events in a draft to create a basis for the rest of the story. Once that is done, character development is next, consider what your character like/dislikes, name, age, and importance in your plot. Drafting up a profile for main and secondary characters is also important. Beginning a novel with a blonde main character turned brunette is simply not possible. Create an anti-hero, create your character motivation, and your character arcs: your story needs to be almost complete before you even start writing, then it won't be full of plot holes and inconsistencies that will confuse the reader.
After the character profiling, world creation, and picking a point of view comes next. Your world could be magical or realistic, dystopian or futuristic depending on the genre you want to pursue and the story you want to tell. References for worlds can be found in abundance from well-known books and movies. Then a writer must choose their narrator by picking a point of view. The point of view has four separate categories, first person, second person, third limited (a character's point of view in connection with the protagonist), and third person omniscient which means an outsider that knows everything about the story - past, present, and future - and is speaking from a position of knowledge.
After that comes the choice of the type of writing which includes four categories: expository, descriptive, persuasive, and narrative. For more information about the differences between the types of writing Rhode Island University.
Drafting is key to fiction writing. A novel cannot be written in one go. Edits need to be made in order to correct spelling mistakes and possible flaws in the writing.
Writer's block is often a problem when one starts writing a lengthy novel. There are ways to overcome it but continuing to write is not one of them at that point. It is important, sometimes, to let go of the project and focus on other tasks for a while. Whether that is reading a book, drawing, or taking a walk the mind will relax with simpler things than trying to focus or create a story from scratch. Other good tools for avoiding writer's block are plot or story generators, which are online services providing you with ideas based on your characters and ideas. The engine generates ideas based on the information you provide them with.
[2.]
Your Librarian is a great source of information as are the Library books displaying in the Tools tab.
[1] Vance, R.E. (2022) How to write a novel in 11 must-do steps, Self Publishing School. Available at: https://self-publishingschool.com/how-to-write-a-novel/ (Accessed: February 9, 2023).
[2] McLachlan, T. (2021) 12 ideas for teaching creative writing, Hope Blog. Available at: https://blog.hope-education.co.uk/ideas-for-teaching-creative-writing/ (Accessed: February 9, 2023).