How to Transition to Writing Fiction

Novels are different from any other writing form.

I know—not a news flash! Anyone who’s put pen to paper in the noble quest of writing fiction can attest to this. There’s so much to learn. So many skills to master. And all while trying to bring your characters to life and story to fly off the pages and hopefully, entertain some readers in the process.

Penning good fiction can prove slippery, to say the least.

Folks often come to me from quite different walks of life as they’ve finished a first draft. Or, are in the process of slogging through one.  And the skills that go into success for a academic writing, or even a journalist pursuits, are far afield for what makes a good novel 

I worked with a wonderful writer who has a Ph.D. in literature, and taught that at Berkeley. When she called to go over her edits and critique, she began with, “I had no idea about all of this! And I teach university literature!”

Things are quite different from the “other” side of the desk, no?

She did go on to learn and master the skills, enough that her novel became a Publishers Weekly “Spring Pick to Watch.”

My own background was in journalism, although even when practicing that, I dabbled in fiction as well. And when I moved completely from the news business to the characters in my head, I, like all folks who pursue this path, had to unlearn a lot of the rules of article writing.

Fiction just turns journalism’s inverted pyramid on its head.

Which is, oddly the best way to think of the differences. Although of course similarities exist as well, let’s just talk about the distinctions, using a simple model of beginning, middle, and end.

1). Journalism does work off of that inverted pyramid.

You begin with your lead. You know, “The body of Miriam Wilson was found Tuesday morning at 9 AM at her home on Belmont Place. Police took into custody . . . “

How is this different from novels?

Books, too, begin with a hook. Something to draw in the reader. Rather than calling this the “lead,” in fiction we call it the story question. And instead of answering the question up front, as we do in journalism, we don’t give the answer until the end.

You may actually begin with the body of Miriam Wilson (especially if this is a Mystery, and we’re going down the ‘who-done-it’ path). But from there, our paths diverge.

Unless you’re using the arrest of the alleged perp as a smokescreen, the entire novel revolves around finding the real killer.  So if you name him in the opening section there isn’t a book to be had.

2). The journalistic or academic story goes from the crime and the perp directly into the supporting facts of the issue.

These facts come quickly, and up front. Quotes from law enforcement and witnesses. Then delving into background and finishing up with what the lawyers say (always the lawyers!).

But the point being, you get all the pertinent details up front, because news editors know not many people actually read ‘til the end. If the headline grabs them, they read the first sentence/paragraph. Maybe another. But unless they’re invested in some other way, they don’t read much after that.

How is this different from novels?

In novel writing, we call such facts up front an info dump.

As a book editor, I see this simply all the time. Writers often go on for pages and pages (and sometimes chapters) explaining who the character is—his background (sometimes even his parents’ and grandparents’ histories).  The thought being, the reader needs to know this background for the story to make sense.

The problem being, said reader has already laid down the book and gone on to something else . . .

Instead, we want to weave this background into the story as we go through the plot points and acts of the storyline. Yes, we do need to know who the character is. But we don’t need all the facts of his life. We need what’s pertinent to this story.

3). The journalistic story includes “other” information to wind down.

These are things such as, “Funeral arrangements will be publicized when finalized,” or, “Donations to the family can be made at x, y, z.”

Because, again, newspaper editors know that the majority of readers never even made it this far into the story.

How is this different from novels?

This one’s easy, no? Your whole book has led up to the end! We don’t call it the climax for nothing.

The final reckoning for the characters and the story come near the very end. Here, we see if the hero is successful, and if the story question to begin is finally answered (note: it sure better be!).

Your point is to absolutely bring the reader to this conclusion.

Are there other differences between the disciplines? Absolutely.  A lot of them.  We’ll talk about those down the road.

But this will help you wrap your head around what makes a good novel 

So, go to it!