how to write a novel

ArtStation - Chess with ghosts

So what’s it like to write a novel?

I had a new insight into this, yesterday. For me, writing a novel is like playing chess against an invisible opponent about whom you know nothing at all–nothing but the moves of his chessmen on the board.

I used to like to dope everything out in notebooks before I wrote a word. Four of those books (horror novels) got published. Forty didn’t. So now what I do is just ask God to give me the story and to guide me in telling it. Mostly I just pick up my pen and get to work. Let the invisible opponent surprise me! Most of those surprises turn out to be things I can use. Had one just the other day that really got me grinning.

I did have to write a lot of thankless unpublished novels before I ever sold anything. At the time I thought it wasn’t fair. But maybe those books were a gate I had to go through before I could get any farther down the road–tollbooths, as it were, along the highway. (Ooh, that’s corny!)

The lesson I’ve been taught is to welcome the surprises… and build on them.

I wonder if that applies to real life.

Now yiu Cant sea My Moth antenners!

I am so sick of that stopid lee and his stopid books! so i amb going to rite a boock my self! I amb going to rite a novvle and yiu shuld reed my boock insted of his!

My novvle it startts “out with” a Gay Marridge and then Mike and Geffry thay Transitoin and Change thare Gender “so” thay now wimmins insted of mans and then “thay” go on a Honey Moon and on thare Honey Moon “thay” Diskover a grate Lost City in the Junggle i think its In Cambodyer but may be i “wil” change that “to” som Place “in” Africka.

and in This Lost City thare lives Noboddy “but” all Socail Justis Wariers only and thay Is “al” Gay and thay “has” a hole lott of diffrint Genders and aslo Evry Boddy thay al “in” Collidge bein Interllecturals and thay Dont no boddy has to Work becose thare “is” Freee Tution thare!!! And The Rich thay has got to “pay” for Evry thing and aslo thay is “not” aloud to make No Proffit ever!!!

And “thay has” Got no God neether becose thay al Too Smart to beleave in God and that “is” Wye this hear Place it is a Parridice! But then some christins thay “come” alongg and thay “trie” to reck it but thay Cant becose them christins thay is jist stopid Biggits and “thay” Dont kno how To doo nothing and al them Trans Gender peple thay jist alyaws Out Smarts the stopid christins and Finely thay puts them Al into Sensativvity Traning and that makes Thare Minds rihgjt so Thay dont “beleave” in God no more neether and so “that” it bringes us to A Hapy ending!!!

And my prefesser He sayes My Boock it is “sure” to be whatya cal a Classtic and oncet its Poblished thay “wil” make it Reckwired Reeding hear at Collidge and than No one thay wil “reed” That stopid lees boocks no more! Ha Ha!