Welcome to A Novel Approach. I hope that what I write within this newsletter inspires you while it helps you write better. In keeping with my penchant for double-meanings, I chose the title of the newsletter because you can interpret it several ways.

Literally, a novel approach is a new approach. I hope this will be a new approach (for you) to learning how to write a novel. I am always on the lookout for new ways to learn to make my own writing better, and I look forward to sharing those methods (and ones I've used in the past) with you.

If you look at it differently, a novel approach can also mean learning to write a novel by approaching it in parts. For instance, I will take the building blocks of novels - plot, character, dialogue, setting, description and such - and try to make them understandable to you. A piece at a time.

After all, a novel is quite an undertaking. It makes it less intimidating and overwhelming to break it into parts. One word at a time, if you will.

The last reason I chose the name is that I thought I might (only might) try to show you parts of one of my novels in progress with "before and after" bits to show you exactly how I improve my novels.

No matter how you look at it, though, I hope these novel writing tips will speed you on your way in writing your own book. Good luck on your journey!

Using Vivid Descriptive Phrases to
Make Your Novel Come to Life

Worse, you may find yourself writing in a style that doesn't match either the fiction genre you've chosen, or the overall book theme.

Probably the worst offense in description is being passive and plain when you should be finding the most vivid figures of speech for these passages.

So, how do you avoid these errors in your writing?


Matchmaking 101

The first thing I watch for, when I'm writing descriptive phrases about my characters and setting is whether or not I'm writing in an appropriate voice for both the genre and the theme of my book.

What do I mean by that?

Look at this brief description and tell me what kind of novel it's from:

The clouds boiled over the jagged peaks like an invading army.

If you said romance, well it can't be a very light one. If you said suspense, horror, thriller or science fiction (maybe fantasy, in the right sub-genre), you've nailed it. Let's see if we can play with the phrase now to make it fit a lighter novel.

The clouds sailed over the azure mountains liked puffs of cotton candy.

Okay, I've taken it to extremes, but you get the point. Match the tone of your novel when you write your descriptions. Otherwise, you'll jolt your readers out of their "suspension of disbelief" that's required to "get into" your story.


Can Those Cliches

The second thing I look for when I edit a novel is cliches disguised as descriptive phrases. If your hero and heroine fall in love and you call it a match made in heaven, you flunk originality class. Big time.

That's not to say you should halt your momentum when you're writing a rough draft, just because you accidentally spilled out a cliche. By no means mess with the process of getting the first draft down.

Wait until editing time, then go back and dissect every figure of speech you've used. If you've heard it put that way before, it's either a cliche, or you picked it up from someone else's writing. It's okay to steal general ideas, but not exact wording.

So, instead of a match made in heaven, how can you phrase your pair or lovebirds? Let your mind play with it. Write down as many ways to say the same thing as you can, then choose the one that fits the book the best.

In this case, assuming you're writing a down-to-earth modern romance, maybe it should be a union grounded by reality. Doesn't sound nearly as romantic, but it doesn't have to if the theme of the book is contemporary.

Whatever your genre and theme, just make your description fit, or your readers will have fits.


From Mundane to Magnificent

One more thing I always look for when fixing any descriptive phrases is whether or not I've gotten passive.

You've heard of passive and active phrasing, right?

I was walking down the path...

Was, were, have been - all the forms of "to be" and other weak verbs only flatten the image you're trying to create.

Use active verbs - and nouns, too. Then you won't need too many adverbs or adjectives to make those lazy verbs and nouns better.

Here's a great example. The author is on the right track, the image is pretty good, but the language is too passive:

There was a high wind that, of course, found a way through every buttonhole and seam of my coat. The tops of my boots were caked with snow and it was slowly melting its way through my trousers.

Let's bring it to life completely.

The vicious wind pierced every buttonhole and slithered through every seam of my wool coat. Snow caked the tops of my boots, seeping through my trousers to ice my legs.

You can feel that wind and the snow soaking into your pants, can't you? I know I can.

So, don't forget when you edit a novel to bring all of your descriptive phrases up to maximum voltage. Delight your readers with a world they can walk right into. You won't regret it.

On making your descriptive phrases create a real world:

That's what writing is all about, after all, making others see what you have put down on the page and believing that it does, or could, exist... ~ Anne McCaffrey