by Lorilyn Roberts
2012 Writing Boot Camp with Jerry
Jenkins, James Scott Bell, Dennis E. Hensley, DiAnn Mills, and many more, including
me (Lorilyn Roberts)
How many people have a book in them
they want to write? How many procrastinators will actually sit down and write
that book? I recently did a phrase look-up on AdWords and discovered that in “Global
Monthly Searches,” the term “writing a book” was searched 2,240,000 times, “How
to write a book” was searched 550,000 times.
I had promised a friend a couple of
months ago I would write an article to help her learn how to write fiction. She
is a best-selling author of nonfiction but felt like God was calling her to
write fiction.
Because I had just finished my
Masters in Creative Writing, several books swirled through my head I thought
would be helpful. With this many searches being done online for those wanting
to write a book, perhaps these suggestions will help those hoping to write fiction.
One thing I want to stress is writing
fiction takes time to learn—unless you are one of those gifted writers who knows
without being taught. If you are a prodigy, you don’t need to read this blog. If
you aren’t, I have several books I would recommend to help you get started. These
are books I read as part of my Masters in Creative Writing. I will hyperlink the
books to Amazon so you can read more or buy them.
1.
Scene& Structure, by Jack M. Bickham (only in print copy)
2.
Plot& Structure, by James Scott Bell (both print and Kindle editions)
Check out this
video by James Scott Bell: http://amzn.to/13Ys3ls
3.
How to Write Killer Fiction, by Carolyn Wheat (both print and Kindle editions)
4.
Creating Unforgettable Characters, by Linda Seger
I would also recommend if you are
serious about writing, that you find a local writer’s critique group. The
process of writing a book is daunting, and other writers will encourage and
help you along the way. One good organization of which I am a part is Word
Weavers International. You can check out their website at http://www.word-weavers.com/. There are
many chapters all over the country. If there isn’t one in your area, start one
by contacting Eva Marie Everson at http://www.EvaMarieEverson.com
Other resources to develop skills as a writer is from Jerry B. Jenkins. Check out this video by Jerry Jenkins: http://bit.ly/10B8lMN
I would also encourage you to read a
lot. Read books you wouldn’t normally read to stretch your mind and open the
window to more creativity. Reading and writing fiction will take you to places
you’ve never been and cause you to think about old ideas in new ways. By
feeding your mind with new plots and storylines outside your bailiwick now, you
will create building blocks to invent future stories.
The best thing I did was give myself
permission to read fiction. I became as a little child once again, remembering
how much I loved stories bigger than life—heroes from the past in books I once
read and put away, believing I was too old to read fiction and too busy to indulge
myself in the luxury of enjoying them.
Discovering who we are through writing
is a journey worth taking. Penning fiction will open the door to your heart and
reveal things in a way nonfiction can’t. I only listed four books above so as not
to overwhelm the beginner. After reading these books, you will find more that
will interest you. The key is to get started and keep dreaming. Believe you can
write fiction, learn a little each day, and then just do it.
Writing a Book - Part Two will
feature writing nonfiction.
To learn more about Lorilyn Roberts, visit her website at http://LorilynRoberts.com.
