This year at my library we did a weekly program series to encourage kids to participate in and complete the NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program! In this presentation I showed for our first week of November, we discussed the importance of having a central conflict and characters with varying intentions and motivations.
2. The #1 most important part of a novel is: A PROBLEM
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10. Time for a Speed
Write!!
Finish writing about your
major characters’ problems
and motivations, and don’t
stop moving your pencil
until I say stop!
11. Time for a Speed
Write!!
Finish writing about your
major characters’ problems
and motivations, and don’t
stop moving your pencil
until I say stop!
12. Time for a Speed
Write!!
Finish writing about your
major characters’ problems
and motivations, and don’t
stop moving your pencil
until I say stop!
13. Stop!
On to our next
discussion: Writing the
perfect first sentence!
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15. Funny, scary, sad, realistic, magical… But let’s go DEEPER.
Keep in mind that your first line is not necessarily defined by
the genre of your book. Your adventure book might have a sad
first line, or your horror book might have a funny opening.
That’s why it’s important to think about WHY good openings
work. HOW DO THEY HOOK YOU, AND PULL YOU IN??
It’s not about writing the right “kind” of opening. It’s about
writing an opening that will get the reader’s attention.
16. So, feel free to skip the next couple pages of the workbook, and
instead look here at some examples from real books with first
lines that each have a special way of getting the reader’s
attention:
17. There is also an element of irony or the
unexpected, in both of these sad openings!
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21. So what kind of opening do YOU want to write?
Another tip to keep in mind is that your main character has to
CHANGE in some way by the end of your book. Your opening can
set the stage for that change by showing who he or she is at the
start. (The “trusted friend” opening is a great way to do this.)
Change provoked by conflict
and cemented by action
Point A (beginning) Point B (the end)
22. Need a helping hand? Try finishing one of these
sentences (pgs. 88-89 of the workbook):
There was a sound coming from the basement, and it
sounded like…
Rain always makes me think of the time that…
The thing everyone should know about elves is…
I didn’t go to school today. Instead…
23. Time for a Speed Write!!
Here are those sentence starters again:
24. Time for a Speed Write!!
Here are those sentence starters again:
28. How long will your novel be?
Most children’s novels (written by adults) are between 40,000
and 69,000 words long. And they usually take years to write.
But you’re kids, so… I recommend aiming for 10,000 words,
especially since we’re starting one day late! Whatever your
word count goal, make it something you know you could
achieve if you try hard enough.
29. How many words will you
need to write per day?
If you choose the 10,000 word goal:
10,000__ = about 345 words per day
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30. How much is 345 words?
It’s just over half a page in
12 pt. font.
31. Too hard? How about 250 words?
If you write 250 words a day
for 29 days, your total
output will be 7,250 words.
That’s pretty good for your
first novel!!
32. If you’re ready to take the plunge, log in to
your account on ywp.nanowrimo.org and
click “Yes, I accept!”
