In a new edition of his column on LitReactor, Richard Thomas suggests a series of elements you should consider to determine if you’re ready to write a novel. They include:
- Voice. “You should have a pretty good idea of who you are and what you specifically bring to the table,” he says. “Think not only of your inspirations and influences, the authors you’ve read over the years, but also the films and television shows that have been a part of your life. Look at the authors and stories that stood out, that really blew you away.”
- Genre. You can write in different genres, but should have an idea of where your interests and strengths lay.
- Short stories. “I strongly recommend that you do not attempt to write a novel if you have never written a short story,” Thomas writes. Short stories give you the opportunity to master plot, character, setting, dialogue, theme, conflict, and other elements that you need to build a novel. “Failing after working on a story over a week or a month is much different than failing after working on a novel for years,” Thomas says.
- Structure. “Title, narrative hook, inciting incident, exposition, rising tension, internal and external conflicts, climax, resolution (and change), as well as denouement are all key elements that go into telling a story,” Thomas notes. “If you do not know these terms, if you don’t have a structure in place, you are risking failure.”
- Allies. “Find yourself a network of friends and peers and work on your craft with them,” Thomas recommends. “Find teachers that can teach you, mentors that can mentor you, and authors that can inspire you—the carrot to the horse that pulls the cart that is your career.”
