There's so much information on this site, and one of the challenges of crafting books to support it was figuring out how to organize everything. I wanted this series to be more than just a collection of articles, and to accomplish the same goals as the site--to offer writers tips they can apply right to their works in progress and see results.
Planning Your Novel: Ideas and Structure contains ten workshops and over 100 exercises that lead you through the novel-planning process. Each exercise builds off the last and takes you step-by-step through finding and developing ideas, brainstorming stories, and crafting a solid plan for your novel.
The final three workshops are designed to help you craft your one-sentence summary (your eventual pitch), your summary blurb (your eventual query letter), and a working synopsis (your eventual synopsis). So as the workshops help you plan your novel, they also help pave the way for the more annoying business and submitting side of things to make that whole process easier down the road.
You'll Find Exercises On:
- Creating Characters: protagonist, antagonist, as well as secondary characters
- Choosing Point of View: and how to get the most out of that POV
- Determining the Conflict: both internal and external, as well as how to develop your goals, stakes, and theme
- Finding Your Process: and helping you figure out what techniques work best for you, from pansting to outlining to a mix of several styles
- Developing Your Plot: by helping you find the anchor points of your story
- And So Much More: finding and developing ideas, tips on writing trilogies, sequels, and series, where your novel fits in the market, determining your genre and word count, finding your setting
Stuck on a First Draft? Several of my beta readers were stuck on their own novels and discovered that doing the exercise in my book helped them fix their problems. The brainstorming questions helped them pinpoint the weak areas and find what was holding them back.
Pantser? No Problem: If planning your novel beforehand just isn't for you, Planning Your Novel: Ideas and Structure is a great revision plan to help you structure your draft, spot any weak areas, and polish your overall story.
Planning Your Novel: Ideas and Structure is an easy-to-follow guide to planning your novel, as well as a handy tool for revising a first draft, or fixing a novel that isn’t quite working.
Buy it Now:
Kobo: ebook
Also available on iBooks and most online retailers.
Janice
Hardy is the founder of Fiction University, and the author of the
teen fantasy trilogy The Healing Wars, where she tapped into her own
dark side to create a world where healing was dangerous, and those
with the best intentions often made the worst choices. Her novels
include The Shifter, (Picked as one of the 10 Books All Young Georgians Should Read, 2014) Blue Fire, and Darkfall from Balzer+Bray/Harper Collins. The first book in her Foundations of Fiction series, Planning Your Novel: Ideas and Structure is out now.
Janice
Hardy is the founder of Fiction University, and the author of the
teen fantasy trilogy The Healing Wars, where she tapped into her own
dark side to create a world where healing was dangerous, and those
with the best intentions often made the worst choices. Her novels
include The Shifter, (Picked as one of the 10 Books All Young Georgians Should Read, 2014) Blue Fire, and Darkfall from Balzer+Bray/Harper Collins. The first book in her Foundations of Fiction series, Planning Your Novel: Ideas and Structure is out now.
Congratulations, Janice! I'm looking forward to checking it out.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!
DeleteCongrats! I'd already added it to my wishlist. Can't wait to read it.
ReplyDeleteAw, thanks, I appreciate it!
DeleteCongratulations! This book has already helped me and I know it's going to help others get their bearings, too.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank YOU. Was great having your sharp eye go over it.
DeleteCongrats! I saw you guest posting and bought it on Amazon a few days ago. Now I'm reading it with haste and loving it!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm both nervous and excited to have it out there finally. I'll be a nervous wreck all week I'm sure (grin).
DeleteHow great!! Is sitting in my little pink Kindle - waiting for me - I can hear it calling my name......
ReplyDeleteThanks for this wonderful tool - know it will take forever to read through, as I'll be stopping to use the info constantly!
A pink Kindle? That's awesome, I didn't know they came in colors. Thanks so much! My beta readers said they kept making notes on their novels instead of beta reading, so I hope that's a good sign!
DeleteThree cheers for this publication, Janice. Your blog has always been a great site for helpful information so I'm certain these craft books will be just as beneficial.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm so pleased with how the site has developed over the years. Helped along by my awesome readers!
DeleteCongrats, Janice! Based on what I read on your blog, this must be one AWESOME book. Can't wait to add it to my collection...
ReplyDeleteAw, thanks!
DeleteCongratulations! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!
DeleteCongratulations, Janice!!! Mine is already on the way - and I can't wait until it arrives and I can dig right in and figure out this third book in my series that is due in June :)
ReplyDeleteYou're such a source of great information - thank you for that - and for making it easy to use in book form!!
Marilee Haynes
www.amazon.com/author/marileehaynes
Thank you, I greatly appreciate it. And I hope it helps you whip that book into shape!
DeleteCongratulations! My copy is on its way, too, just in time to help revise a first draft.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Perfect timing, too. :)
DeleteCongratulations, Janice! Just ordered my copy! :)
ReplyDeleteYipee! I ordered the print copy (I love print copies of craft books) and got the Kindle version FREE. Can't wait to dig in. I'm so glad you put out a craft book, Janice. We all learn so much from you.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy your insight so naturally, I bought the book! Looking forward to reading it.
ReplyDeleteGot mine on order.
ReplyDeleteNow on its way just in time before I do some major ass-flattening in rewrite purgatory.
DeleteCongrats, Janice! Looking forward to reading it. I know it'll be super helpful.
ReplyDeleteCongrats Janice! You've got so much great advice to share. I love that it's now in one book. ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks! It a series, so there will be more to come :)
ReplyDeleteI'm finding there's value in structure, these days.
ReplyDeleteIt really helps pull a story together and makes it easier to work with overall.
DeleteCongratulations, Janice! Ordered it. Now I just need to write that novel ;)
ReplyDeleteAw, thanks! You're off to a good start at least :)
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