One of the first decisions any aspiring novelist will have to make concerns the type of novel he’d like to write. At first glance, this may seem straightforward, but any published author will admit that this is not necessarily so. The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines a novel in the following terms: ‘a fictitious prose story of book length.’ Furthermore, enter any bookshop and it will become obvious that there are, literally, hundreds of different types of novels with different styles, genres and settings. Every one of them is aimed at a specific kind of audience. The following explanations and specific examples should help a person decide the type of novel to write.

Types of Novels

In simple terms, most novels can be broken down into two broad types:

a) A plot-based novel

In such novels, the writer tends to make sure that the events within the story appear in a sensible order. The characters in the story, though well-thought out, aren’t necessarily the focus of the tale. The emphasis in on the pace of the story and it is the twists and turns of the plot that matter. There’s always a ‘race against the clock’ element in a plot-based novel and each scene is dramatic and full of tension.

b) A character-based novel

In such novels, the characters, who tend to few in number, take centre stage. The writer would analyse how they behave physically, mentally and emotionally in any given circumstance and the emphasis will be on creating detailed, sympathetic and multi-layered personalities. Often, the stories follow the course of relationships that are formed, nurtured and how they are often destroyed.

Following from this, many types of novels published will fall in between these two categories. For example, there are serious memoirs, heart-warming stories, spy stories, historical romps, and scary stories. Indeed, the statement made by Miguel Syjuco (author of Illustrado), when asked about how much reality was reflected in his novels, further illustrates this point: “I like the old writer’s cliché that applies to my book – everything in this book is true, and some of it might even be factual.”

Popular Genres for Novels

Here are six popular genres (and examples of novels in each genre) you’ll find in most bookshops:

• Literary Fiction – Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie and The Gathering by Anne Enright.
• Science Fiction – 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke.
• Fantasy – The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis.
• Romance – Mills & Boons series of novels.
• Children’s Novels – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling.
• Crime (take note that this category can be subdivided into courtroom dramas, private investigator stories and others) – Agatha Christie’s series of detective novels and The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown.
• Historical Romance – The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory.

What Type of Novel Should an Aspiring Novelist Write?

Well, for a start, it is useful to know which type of novel best suits a writer’s style of writing. Do not feel under pressure to produce a particular style of book just because it sounds like the most commercially viable one. An aspiring author must, at all times, keep in mind that it is his novel.

When an author attempts to write a novel in a well-established genre, the advantage is that publishers will easily be able to visualise how the book should be marketed and will, therefore, be more likely to invest in the novel. Another way to look at this issue is, perhaps, to ask the question, “What kind of book do I like to read?” It might be that an author prefers reading a gentle tale of love and betrayal rather than a nail-biting thriller or chilling horror tale. Most authors have said that what they enjoy reading is also the kind of novel they enjoy writing. And, when the passion for writing the story is obvious, chances are that plenty of other people will enjoy reading the story too.

Next, a writer should consider his own experiences, background and specialist knowledge or training; all of them help point him in the right direction. While a writer may think little of his own experiences, remember that he’ll have subconsciously absorbed a vast amount of useful background information and techniques over the years.

For example, say a writer lives in Australia’s north eastern coast and has a scuba-diving licence. He is also a practising lawyer. A legal drama may be just the thing to help him use his legal knowledge and craft a story about the illegal trade of corals from Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

The ideas made above are but a guide to help any author decide the kind of novel he’d like to write. In the end, while he should obey the conventions within the publishing industry, he could also aim to write the type of novel that will provide something new, unusual and exciting for his readers to enjoy.

Sources

Garlitos, Randy. The ‘Ilustrado’ in Miguel Syjuco. 19 September 2008. (Accessed 23 January 2011)

Miguel Syjuco, Miguel. Illustrado. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, April 2010

Rushdie, Salman. Midnight’s Children. Random House Trade Paperbacks (April 4, 2006)

Enright, Anne. The Gathering. Grove Press (November 28, 2007)

Clarke, Arthur C. 2001: A Space Odyssey . Roc (September 12, 2000)

Lewis, C. S. The Chronicles of Narnia. HarperFestival; Reprint edition (October 26, 2010)

Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Arthur A. Levine Books; Reprint edition (July 7, 2009)

Brown, Dan. The Da Vinci Code. Anchor; Mass Paperback Edition (March 31, 2009)

Gregory, Phillipa. The Other Boleyn Girl. Touchstone; First Edition (November 2, 2004)

By Aneeta Sundararaj

This article was first published on Suite.101: http://suite101.com/article/types-of-novels-a337069

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5 tips on how to relate things in the most interesting manner

“How are you?” asks a friend at a party.

“I am well. But you know, last week, my mother gave me this lecture about how I should find a man and settle down. Then at work my boss was terrible; I tell you he really gave me a hard time over a project that was not completed. And the best part is that I was not in charge of this project …” and so you go on.

Notice how the person who asked you a question is slowly making his way away from you? He’s probably regretting ever asking you the question in the first place.

Well, the skill of answering a question and retaining the interest of your audience is just that – a skill. It can be cultivated and practised over and over again and in time you will know just the right thing to say to the right person.

Here are 5 tips to help you develop this skill.

Tip #1 – Find an interest
Find something that you are passionate about and read anything and everything that you can get your hands on about this topic … then remember it.

Do an experiment with yourself – assume that you read an article yesterday. Now can you tell me, who wrote it? When was the article written? What material did you gather this information from? How was it written?

Can you remember anything really about the article you read … just yesterday?
So more important than just blindly reading everything, you must begin to appreciate the finer details about this skill.

Tip # 2 – Get Inspired.
You’ll be more likely to be able to narrate a tale with confidence when you are acquiring knowledge about something that inspires you.

Acquire knowledge about the things you absolutely love. You do not need to spend loads and loads of money. For example, if you like bird watching, then learn all you know about it and when you begin to narrate a tale about this passion of yours, your enthusiasm will shine through. Even the most uninterested person will be inspired by your words.

Tip # 3 – Relax and take a deep breath
This is serious stuff. If you are going to launch into explaining something you absolutely love to an audience, you need to be relaxed yourself. If you hurry through you explanation, your audience will certainly feel it and you will not be able to sustain their interest.

Tip # 4 – Make sure you consume the right things and be hygienic
When you are about to begin relating a tale of some sort, nothing can be off putting to your audience than bad breath.

Also, it is a known fact that sugar and caffeine may give you a brief moment of energy, but they also cause a person anxiety and tension. Most certainly, alcohol is a depressant.

Tip # 5 – Get intimate with your audience
This means that when you are speaking to someone do not look at the ceiling, or the chair, or food display. Establish the contact with your audience and ensure that the attention you are giving is whole hearted. Guaranteed, you will receive the same level of attention in return.

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5 Places to Find Writing Ideas

If you’ve ever struggled in coming up with creative ideas, welcome to the club. For most writers, discovering new writing projects involves conscious pursuit of their thought trails. But where do start on our quest for inspiration? Here are a few places you can find new ideas for writing:

1. The world around you.
Just like a photographer, you must start looking at life through your own personal lens. You will get a tremendous amount of writing material if you start filtering your own experiences. Soon you will start noticing ideas everywhere around you. Very often the muse will come at strange times and from unusual sources, so be prepared. The world is full of surprises that can materialize in your next book or article.

2. Writers’ associations and networks.
If you are a professional writer, you probably belong to an association or writer’s group. Generating new ideas will feel much easier after meeting other members or attending writing workshops and conferences. You can also generate new ideas from subscribing to newsletters and discussion groups for writers.

3. Community
Although writing is an activity that you undertake by yourself, balancing your solitary experiences with group ones will give you a lot of new topics for you to write about. All you need to do is get involved in community’s life — perhaps by volunteering to care about the elders or counsel youngsters. Conversations usually have a lot of stories embedded in them, so one of the stories you hear may turn out to be that spark you need to get inspired.

4. Personal interests
Your own history as a person is certainly something worth writing about. Take a more personal approach and see what stories are embedded in your past experiences. For instance, if your life-long hobby has been looking at the stars, you can turn your passion into a book about watching the stars in a particular area. Or if you have had to adapt recipes daily because of a food allergy, you can focus on this topic and write about how you eat.

5. Family
People have weird things happening to them every day, you just need to pay attention to them. The adolescents in your family may get you thinking about anything from young love to social injustice once they start telling you about their experiences. You can also resort to pulling out the photographs at any time. Good times or sad times — your writing ideas may simply pop out of some forgotten pictures of you as a child.

Certainly, you have more ideas than you imagine, but you need to learn to first notice them and then let them grow. Carrying a small notebook or pad with you will help you keep track of your ideas and before you know it, you will virtually be swamped with new creative projects.

About Shery: Shery is the creator of WriteSparks!™- a software that generates over 10 *million* Story Sparkers for Writers. Download WriteSparks!™ Lite for free at http://writesparks.com

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5 Questions to Ask About Every Article Idea

I know a good idea when I see one. So should you. Dump those time-tested ideas you’re sending off to editors every other day, and find ideas that will get you the assignment each time, every time.

How do you know whether your brilliant idea will strike a chord and get you the assignment or land your neatly crafted query in the slush pile? Use the following checklist to find out whether you have a winner or another stale idea that the editor’s been rejecting since she set foot in her editorial office.

Here are some of the questions an editor will ask of each article idea:

What’s New?
If you’re writing for a pregnancy magazine, chances are the editor has already covered topics such as exercises and diet regulation. What are you going to say that stands apart? Can you provide a unique spin to these topics? If yes, you’ve just made sale.

Think different. Instead of talking about diet issues, list twenty food items that are to be avoided throughout pregnancy. Be innovative. Come up with topics you’ve never seen featured before.

Will the Reader Connect?
You may have the most innovative, brilliant and mind-blowing idea. Yet, it may lead to a rejection if you’re targeting the wrong market. Send an idea about getting over broken live-in relationships to a magazine in India, and don’t expect anything but a rejection. But send it over to a singles magazine in England, and you might have landed yourself an assignment. The first thing the editor wants to know when she lays eyes on your query is whether her readers will value your subject matter. If her readers won’t take to it, she won’t either.

Will it Keep me Captivated?
Picture this: I come home from a long day at work. While I relax on my couch, I could flick channels on the remote or pick up the magazine and leaf through the articles. My eyes rest on your piece. Is your piece intriguing and interesting enough to make me stay with you, or would I prefer to watch what’s on TV?

It’s every editor’s fear. That her loyal reader will ditch reading the magazine for something more interesting. And with the number of entertainment avenues available today, that won’t be a problem. In order to keep the editor (and the reader) keen on your idea, you’ve got to suggest something that will keep them wanting more. Does your idea have that virtue?

Is there a Surprise Element?
The more unexpected, the better. Readers love surprises. That’s why, editors do too. Surprise doesn’t always have to mean an anti-climax or a situation of complete irony. Surprises can be subtle, yet effective. Add a little known statistic or a funny anecdote in your article. Go out of your way to find an amazing fact or figure. Don’t go out of context though. There’s nothing worse than getting sidetracked from the theme of the article.

What’s in it For me?
What does the reader take home with her once she’s closed the magazine and gone her own way? Has she learnt a lesson? Will she take with her an experience? Will she be a better mother, daughter, wife or friend because of it? In every article that you write, this question should have the utmost importance. What can you give to your reader?

Making an impact is very important. The article idea that won’t sell is the one in which I’ll read through the article, but in the end, simply won’t care. You’ve got to give your reader that extra something. Something she can think about on her way to work. Something she’ll remember as she rests her head on the pillow and falls asleep.

Regardless of the kind of writer you are, your ideas are what make you a success. A good editor can fix the holes in your writing, but cannot flesh out your idea. That is something only you can do.

Editors love writers who consistently come up with fresh and innovative ideas. Being swamped with a dozen queries every day, most of them containing the same old ideas, they’re always on the lookout for writers who can provide a unique twist.

Keep a steady stream of ideas coming, run them through this checklist, and send them off. Before you know it, you’ll have more assignments than you can handle.

Mridu Khullar is a full-time freelance writer from New Delhi, India and has written for almost 70 publications, recently including Chicken Soup for the Soul, Writer’s Digest, Women’s Health & Fitness, Girls’ Life, Wedding Dresses and ePregnancy. Visit her at http://www.MriduKhullar.com

About Shery: Shery is the creator of WriteSparks!™- a software that generates over 10 *million* Story Sparkers for Writers. Download WriteSparks!™ Lite for free at http://writesparks.com

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5 Reasons Why Every Writer Needs A Newsletter

There are a number of reasons that every writer should have their own newsletter.

1. Creative Outlet — Every writer I know writes because they must, because they simply have something to say. However the trick is for many writers finding the right outlet, the right expression, for that message. Starting your own newsletter or ezine can give you that creative outlet and satisfy your inner writer.

2. Shut Down The Editor — The three most satisfying moments for me as a writer were the first time I saw my name in print as a writer, the first time I cashed a check for my writing, and the last time I had to listen to an editor. I learned a lot from the various editors I worked with as a professional writer over the years — and some of it was even beneficial to me as a writer and person. However there were many times when editors did nothing but push me in a direction I didn’t want to go and force changes on me that I didn’t want to make to my writing. Sometimes they even made those changes without telling me. My byline or name would be on the printed word, but someone else had tampered with my writing. Now I don’t have to listen to an editor unless I choose or request insight from someone I respect.

3. Your Own Fan Club — In the past those who have appreciated my writing have been limited to a specific geographic area, genre, or field; however publishing my own ezine which is delivered around the world to people from a very diverse experience and background means a broader fan club than I could ever achieve in any other medium.

4. Becoming A Guru — As you publish and share your writing and your audience grows something amazing happens. You become someone of note within your niche and you become someone that others listen to and turn to. You become a guru.

5. 100% Profit and Pride — In the past I have written for several award-winning, successful publications, but very rarely did my paycheck reflect the honors and profit I brought into the company. A few years ago my writing earned one publication I wrote for a very prestigious award. During the slide presentation leading up to the award ceremony I watched column after column with my byline sliding by on the screen and then I watched someone else walk up to accept the award. Now when my publications are honored and recognized I knowexactly where the credit goes and similarly when they are profitable I know exactly where the profit goes.

Now that I have convinced you that you need to publish your own ezine or newsletter, I want to go over a few questions that budding editorsand publishers always ask.

What exactly is an electronic newsletter or ezine?

Just like their paper counterparts like newspapers, newsletters, and magazines, ezines deliver written messages usually relating to a common theme or topic. The main difference is that an ezine transcends paper and ink and most likely only ever exists on a computer screen.

Some ezines are delivered only via email while others are delivered only on the web. Most are delivered in some combination of the two. Most of my ezines are delivered via email but also available immediately via web page (or rather blog page) and RSS feed.

You can choose as your own editor and publisher what method is most suited to you and your audience.

How do you publish a newsletter or ezine?

It is much easier to start publication of your own ezine than it is to start up a print publication. You simply need to decide on a topic, name your publication and start writing. It is easy to find an audience through the various ezine and newsletter directories around the internet as well as going directly to the source, for example discussion boards for people interested in your topic.

You will need to determine a delivery method, which means most likely setting up your own web site; creating an archive for your issues once they are created, which could mean setting up a blog; and tracking your readers, which likely means setting up a mailing or autoresponder service. However you can use free tools to do any of these things.

Deanna Mascle shares more writing advice in her blogs Your Route To Internet Writing Success and Word Craft

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5 Ways to Enhance Your Creativity

1. Surprise Your Mind. List laughable, ridiculous, outrageous and bizarre ideas. Don't limit yourself to ideas that other people consider "sane," "reasonable" or "logical." The best and most creative ideas stem from silly ones. When you're in a creative mode, you're suspending judgment on ideas you generate. You simply list them all down and never worry whether they make sense or not. Allow yourself the freedom to think outside the box.
2. Aim for Quantity. Generate loads of ideas for you to go through later. It's normal that your first few ideas won't really be fresh. The gems will come out later so it's important to keep going. With a large list of ideas, you'll have more to choose from, adapt or combine. Creativity is not coming up with something new from nothing; creativity is the ability to create something novel from ideas/things that already exist by combining, improving or refining them.
3. Be Playful. A relaxed and playful attitude fosters creativity. Those creative juices flow best when you're not restrained by your logical, left brain. Toy with ideas and forget about being too careful. Be a child again and play.
4. Believe that Everything has a Solution. An optimistic outlook always leads to solutions, no matter how impossible a problem or task may be. Often when a solution can't be found, all that's needed is for the problem to be redefined. Or when you think you're stumped, surprise your mind with silly solutions then work backwards, leading to the original problem. Cultivate an attitude of continuing search for solutions.
5. Let Go of Your Fear of Failure. Don't expect to do something perfectly for the first time. Thomas Edison tried about 1800 things for the perfect filament for the incandescent lamp. Fear of failure is one of the major factors that can hinder your creativity. Instead of looking at failed attempts negatively, look at your failures as learning opportunities. Failing isn't fun, but neither is doing nothing.

Shery is the creator of WriteSparks! - a software that generates over 10 *million* Story Sparkers for Writers. Download WriteSparks! Lite for fr*e - http://writesparks.com

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5 Words to Creating Unstoppable Confidence

One thing drives me each and every day to keep growing, learning, and striving for my dreams.

It is this single idea, five simple words, that has dramatically improved my life, giving me the positive motivation and confidence necessary to achieve my goals and really enjoy each moment I am alive.

Today, I am going to share this idea with you. Once you recognize the power of this idea, I am convinced that you will possess an endless pool of positive motivation, energy, and total excitement about the future. It will inspire you to reach your own goals and dreams, creating the life you have always wanted.

The idea has surrounded you every since you were born. Right now, at this very moment, there are hundreds of examples of this concept in your home or office. You can’t go a day without seeing it in action, trying its best to get your attention. Isn’t it always the things that are right under our noses that offer the most truth and wisdom?

What About Your Dreams?

As you read the words on your screen, I know there are goals and dreams filling your head. We all want more in our lives. More freedom, more wealth, more happiness and more health. It’s a universal need within all human beings to grow and advance. But very few actually do anything about it.

Be it fear, a lack of desire, or self-limiting beliefs, there is some reason why you haven’t taken action towards your goal. But it has to happen sometime. Something must grip you with enough strength to make you say, ‘Today is the day I start making more of my life!’

I now want to give you the five words that will equip you with an amazing boost to your motivation and confidence. No matter what your goal may be, and no matter how old or young you are…

Someone else has done it.

I get so excited about these five words because they offer undeniable proof of your potential for success. They take away the doubt and fear that holds so many people back, and instills a confidence that cannot be stopped.

Why Don’t People Take Action?
The fear of failure and rejection are powerful forces. These fears spell certain doom for thousands of goals every year. Think about it. How many people do you know that are giving up on their goals because they are afraid to fail? The numbers are staggering.

These five words can save you from this trap. The fact that someone else before you has accomplished the goal you are now striving for puts all of the control in your court. It is possible. You have proof. Now it’s your turn to make it happen. You have the confidence to move ahead without fear.

Confidence is key for motivation, happiness, and the overall quality of your life. A personal experience will help to drive the concept home.

Several years ago I was in the airport waiting for my return flight back home. I had just visited some family in New York, and was reading the newspaper when I heard two men talking a few seats over.

These men seemed to be in a heated discussion over some important topic, and I couldn’t help but take notice of their conversation.

‘Why in the world do you think you can do it? Why are you so sure that you can succeed?” the older of the two asked with contempt. ‘What makes you so special?’

‘I know I can start this business. If someone else has done it, why can’t I? Besides, it’s not one person who has done it, thousands have succeeded. I’m willing to do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, to make it happen.’

The older man just shook his head and went back to flipping a coin. The younger man smiled brightly and returned to his book. I noticed the title just before he sat it on his lap – Starting a Home-Based Business. It was already plain to see these two men were headed down very different paths. One towards his dream, and the other to the same old job working for the same old boss.

Conviction; Confidence
This younger man was really inspiring. I wish I could recapture the moment for you adequately with words because I know it would move you. You could see it in his eyes. He knew he would not fail in the end because he was certain of his success. If someone else did it, with the same two eyes, ears, and hands, he could do it as well.

I had no doubt in my mind that this young man would succeed. I could see that he would never give up. He would find a way. Knowing that someone else out there made it happen was all he needed. The rest would come with time.

It was a wonderful life-lesson happening right in front of me. It had quite an impact. I thought about what the young man had said, and it really hit home. From that day I had a new energy and enthusiasm about my goals. This young man reminded me that capturing my dreams was possible.

But there’s more to the story…

Knowing someone has succeeded is only half of the magic. The other half is strategy. Anyone who has succeeded at achieving a goal or dream followed a specific strategy to make it happen. It was not luck, it was doing the right things, in the right order.

It’s just like a recipe. You have to put the ingredients together in a specific order, and in specific amounts, to get the desired result. Your dreams are no different. And our society is such that nearly every strategy for success is detailed in thousands of books, magazines, speakers, newsletters, Web sites, newspapers, movies, and hundreds of other methods. You are surrounded by the secrets to achieving your goal.

Think of a goal that is important to you. Now ask yourself, ‘Has someone already done it?’ If so, don’t reinvent the wheel! Find out exactly what they did and use their strategy to help you succeed in half the time and without the struggle or frustration.

The Best Time to Begin
Today could be the first day you take a positive step towards a better future. It could also be the day that you take another step forward, already having begun the journey. Whatever your situation may be, once you learn the strategy to success you cannot fail.

By Jason M. Gracia – Motivation123
Get your Free Motivation Kit filled with dozens of quick and easy motivation tips and techniques at the Motivation123 Web site. Visit www.Motivation123.com now!

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When someone reads a novel, he is often looking for a way to temporarily escape from reality and hopes to be ‘transported’ to an unusual or glamorous location. Therefore, if you can set your story against a thrilling, unfamiliar or exotic backdrop, you will certainly excite the reader’s imagination and enhance the quality of your story. The following is an explanation of how to find a suitable setting for your story and examples thereof.

Finding a Suitable Setting

Your aim should be to create a setting that reflects the mood of your story. For instance, if the theme of your story is about a group of people trapped in small and frustrated lives, make sure that the world you create for them is one that is confined and restricted. It should be a world where rules and conventions keep them hemmed in. If your setting is more bizarre and unusual, readers are more likely to accept spooky and surreal events happening there.

A Fresh Perspective

Even if you choose a fairly normal setting, readers expect you to show unusual aspects of such a routine world. For example, if you set your story in the suburbs, it does not have to be dull. Instead, show us what really goes on behind respectable suburban lives. Readers love to read about the scandals, crime and illicit romances in such apparently ‘boring’ places.

A word of caution: although you need to describe your setting, do not overwhelm your readers with a travelogue. Instead, feed the details of your setting into the text appropriately.

Examples of Suitable Settings

The following are 4 examples of settings for novels.

1. Menacing

Menacing settings are usually reserved for thrillers, horror stories or crime dramas. The setting should be edgy and hostile; it can be anything from a desolate desert, icy terrain, towering mountain ranges and crashing seas to city boardrooms and prison walls. The idea is to place your protagonist in a situation that is unfamiliar to him and unsuited to his nature. This increases the conflict in the plot and makes the reader wonder if the protagonist will succeed in his quest.

2. Glamour

If the truth be known, everyone fantasises about the world of the rich and famous. If your protagonist moves in wealthy circles, or aspires to do so, set your story in a palace or mansion where he can rub shoulders with people who lead a jet-set life. You don’t need to confine your setting to a 60-bedroom Palladian mansion in Hampshire, England. Indeed, nothing can be more exotic and glamorous than having your story set in a palace in Rajasthan, India or ancient Angkor, Cambodia.

3. Power

When you choose to have a setting that is powerful, the idea is to create one that is dynamic and where important decisions are made. For instance, company boardrooms, secret government departments, courtrooms, exclusive clubs and casinos are all places where people of influence wield power and things can become dangerous in an instant.

4. Science Fiction

Of all settings, this is the most exciting one because you can create the most bizarre setting and people will believe you. The only limit is your imagination. What you must aim for is this: through the words you use to narrate your stories, your reader must feel himself transported to a strange and exotic land full of unusual and intriguing customs and traditions. Your audience must feel that they are there – down every dusty road, every sun-kissed beach and so on.

Ultimately, you should always keep in mind that however exotic or exciting your setting is, it is, primarily, the backdrop of your story. Such detailed care and attention you show to creating an exciting setting for your novel will be recognised and appreciated by publishers when the time comes to submit your manuscript to them.

***

Sources

• Rozelle , Ron. Description and Setting: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Believable World of People, Places and Events (Write Great Fiction) Writer’s Digest Books (24 Jun 2005)
• WritersandArtists.co.uk. Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook. A&C Black (June 30, 2010)
• Editors of Writer’s Digest Books. The Complete Handbook Of Novel Writing: Everything You Need to Know About Creating & Selling Your Work. Writer’s Digest Books; 2 edition (August 22, 2010).

By Aneeta Sundararaj

This article was first published on Suite.101: http://suite101.com/article/how-to-create-suitable-settings-for-your-novel-a383016

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When thinking about how to create the right atmosphere in your novel, your  aim should be to stimulate the reader’s emotions. With the correct atmosphere,  your reader may be filled with dread, wonder or awe; he could be outraged or  feel serene. Use the suggestions made below to help you create the right  atmosphere so as to manipulate your reader’s feelings and moods.

Choosing Your Ambience

Right from the very start of your novel, you must know what kind of  atmosphere you are trying to create. Is it a world that is cold and harsh or one  that is heart-warming and soft? The former presupposes that your story is set in  a place that is unforgiving and life is difficult. The latter suggests a place  where love and happiness are easy to attain. The convention in the publishing  industry is that the more serious the tale, the darker and more sombre the  atmosphere.

Use of Language to Create Atmosphere

The following are 3 ways in which you can use language to emphasise the  atmosphere in your novel.

1. Creating atmospheric images.

Many times, the mood is set by how you describe a particular scene. Your aim  should be to paint strong mental images with the use of adjectives and adverbs  to give texture to what you’re saying.

Let’s look at part of a sentence from the opening scene of Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts: ‘… that looked down upon a busy street, …’ The noun  ‘street’ is neutral and tells us very little. However, the moment you add the  word ‘busy’ in front of ‘street’, the mental image created is different. The  street probably has lots of traffic, people milling about and street vendors.  Can you see how using one adjective has radically changed the image and  atmosphere of the scene?

2. Mood makers.

One of the best ways to lighten or darken a scene is to use the weather.  Analyse published novels and you’ll see that it always rains when a car breaks  down; there’s always a storm (or an approaching storm) when the protagonist is  about to enter a haunted house. A couple will usually kiss under a clear and  moon-lit sky.

3. The five senses.

One of the best ways to create an atmosphere in any scene is to use the five  senses of touch, sight, taste, sound and hearing. Make every scene a feast for  the five senses – tell your readers how the food tasted, how cold a gun felt to  the touch or how enticing the smell of the female villain’s perfume was.

John Ling, author of Fourteen Bullets, says as follows: ‘What most  people don’t realize is that stories are not movies. … Therefore, if you rely on  sight, your stories will end up being very flat. A solution is to use what  novelist John Barth called triangulation. Triangulation suggests that you should  cut down on sight, and focus on other senses such as smell, hearing and touch.  You will get a well-rounded story this way…’

When you put in the effort and create atmospheric scenes in your novel,  you’re effectively allowing the reader to make an emotional investment in the  events playing out. When the tale is over, you can rest assured that your  readers will appreciate your work. Indeed, fill every scene you write with  atmosphere and no publisher will be able to resist publishing your novel.

***

Sources

• Roberts, Gregory David. Shantaram St. Martin’s Griffin; Reprint  edition (Nov 2005)
• WritersandArtists.co.uk. Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook. A&C  Black (June 30, 2010)
• Editors of Writer’s Digest Books. The Complete Handbook Of Novel  Writing: Everything You Need to Know About Creating & Selling Your Work.  Writer’s Digest Books; 2 edition (August 22, 2010).
• Ling, John. Fourteen Bullets Silver Lake Publishing (15 Jan  2005)
• Sundararaj, Aneeta. Diamond  Writing: An Interview with John Ling (2 August 2006).

By Aneeta Sundararaj

This article was first published on Suite.101: http://suite101.com/article/how-to-create-the-right-atmosphere-in-your-novel-a383013

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