Martha Randolph Carr

1. Start with a character, not the idea. It’s a good method to avoid preaching and ensure you end up with a well-rounded story. Write down on note cards or on your computer everything you know about the character. Where he/she went to school, how far they got, what’s their ethnic background, what do they look like, what kind of family do they have, and so on. The more details the better. Most of it you won’t use, but the more you know them, the easier it’ll be to write a believable character.
2. Figure out what’s happened to the main character or those around them that’s compelling enough to make you want to write this story.
3. Just start writing. Don’t wait for the perfect opener to even set out. It may take you awhile to get going and this is one area in life where just doing it really counts. When you’re done, look back at the beginning and see if that first chapter was really a warm-up and needs to be chopped off in order to get to the good stuff.
4. Know the ending before you set out. You’re the writer, not a reader. You need a general idea of where you’re headed in order to get there. This is also, often, a good preventative for writer’s block.
5. Have an outline of some sort at least a few chapters ahead. That way, when you’re struggling with a necessary scene that’s not exactly thrilling you, you can see where the next easy turn is coming and hang in there.
6. When describing a scene, less is so much more. A good rule of thumb is, if the reader can skip pages of the story without missing anything, it’s probably slowing the story down.
7. If you’re having trouble getting started or staying motivated set a daily goal for yourself that seems ridiculously easy and at least stick to that. Promise yourself that after the goal is met, you’ll get up and feel good about what you’ve done. For example, a page a day. It’s not much, but at the end of the year, you’d have a book.
8. Don’t be afraid to cut out entire scenes, even if admittedly it’s some of your best writing, if it’s hurting the whole.
9. Even though you have a pretty good outline going, stay open to new directions that may pop up in the course of writing a long novel and suddenly make perfect sense.
10. Most of all, follow your own instincts. This is a lot like raising children. Advice is great, but in the end, only you really know your baby.

New! Martha's Big Adventures in New York City.
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