How to Write a Novel: Language versus story and tools versus art
“I don’t think I’m a writer. I think I’m a storyteller… The words aren’t always perfect.”
—Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight saga, with over 160 million copies sold
You can write a commercially successful novel without writing beautiful literary sentences.
You can win an award with beautiful literary sentences and only sell a few thousand copies.
While many writers say they want both outcomes, you are unlikely to achieve critical acclaim and commercial success with the same novel. Only you can decide what is most important, and you can, of course, change that goal with each book you write.
Tools versus art
You need to learn how to use the tools of the writing craft — how to structure a story, how to write sentences that communicate your meaning, how to use grammar and punctuation to achieve the effect you intend.
But the art of the writing craft is another aspect entirely.
There are some books you read for the sheer beauty of language rather than the story. There are novels you read and wonder how the author created such literary beauty with the same letters we all have at our disposal.
Learn the tools so you can write this story, then you can spend the rest of your life perfecting your art if you want to.
What is a ‘good’ book? What is ‘quality’?
A ‘good’ book is whatever that means to the reader.
A ‘quality’ book is whatever that means to the reader.
Don’t judge other authors for what they choose to write.
Don’t judge readers for what they want to read.
Focus on what you want to achieve with your novel and learn the craft you need to satisfy your readers.
Questions:
• Would you rather sell millions of books to millions of happy readers who love your stories? Or would you rather win a literary prize and (most likely) sell fewer copies?
• What do you think is a ‘good’ book? What do you think is a ‘quality’ book? Examine your bookshelves for what you buy and read, rather than an intellectual response.
Resources:
• “Stephenie Meyer: A New J. K. Rowling?” Time Magazine, 24 April 2008 — content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,1734838,00.html
