#bethanylambert

[blambert-wordbubbles-blog]

Ironic Communication Delimma

When writing my query bio I had considerable difficulty determining what credentials justified me as a writer. My BA in English isn't impressive enough for the publishing industry and my business-oriented resume history isn't relevant for writing. Though I have made it a point to utilize my writing to enhance business communications, those projects have been small and easily dismissed from a publishing justification vantage-point. Research for query bios suggested not to mention work history unless some part of your job is based on writing. My solution - I've posted for several communications positions at my current employer. I realized that if writing is something I truly want to do then I need to immerse myself in it. The irony of the situation? I would have a much easier time getting a position in communications if I was a published author.

Ah, the rub of life.

[blambert-wordbubbles-blog]

Plot Holes

Getting stuck on the outline due to plot holes. Writing out lists of questions to help tie up those holes before I continue on. The first part of the story seems very easy for me, but the rest is such a mystery. The questions I'm asking of the story are incredibly intriguing and are really making me want to read this. Only issue is I don't have the answers for them yet.

[blambert-wordbubbles-blog]

How to write a novel

So while I'm waiting to hear back from the agent on my picture book, I'm preparing to write a story for middle grade readers. The process is infinitely different. The picture book was told as an oral story and translated to lyrical stanzas to help me remember it. This is going to be a much longer prose piece.

But as I'm trying to figure out how to tackle this the researh for "how to start/write a novel" is incredibly unhelpful. I understand the basic priniciples of "write, write, write," "write what you know/feel,"and so on. But no advice seems to go into the specifics on how to organize your thoughts. "Just write" seems too haphazard and likely to produce weal plot and characters; fleshing out character analysis seems potentially wasteful for a first step as I'm not entirely sure who I need and why. I've decided to do a multi-step approach:

Hash out a large development plot line

Revisit the plot line and dig deeper into the subplots (determining how to get from bullet A to bullet B and what happens between them). This is where details from research will start to really come in.

Then do a character analysis to build up the characters that fit the story.

Tweak the plot/subplot as necessary, possibly building a third tier to flesh out the story a little more.

Once I have these pieces I believe the story will come much easier.

After the overall story is written I think 2-3 more passes (minimal) will put me in a better spot.

What's driving me to write this story is a quote from Toni Morrison stating "If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.”