by Cindy Sproles @cindydevoted

Even though I’ve been writing for a while, I still love to sit at the feet of those who are successful and pick their brains. Their guidance is valuable. When a new writer hands me a manuscript, it’s easy to see their passion for the story. The concept is good, and they have an idea where the story should go. But, it quickly falls apart.

The Story Isn’t Enough

There’s more to writing a novel than just the story. There’s mechanics. Important mechanics.

It’s very difficult to gently begin pointing out why the story isn’t ready for publication. After all, there’s a protagonist, love, a hint of conflict, and a good ending. Why doesn’t it work?

Put the Horse Before the Cart

I once had a very wise and well-published author gently tell me, “You’ve got the cart before the horse.” I know I had that deer in the headlights look when she continued, “You have a good story. That’s the cart. But the mechanics have to come first. Just having the story isn’t enough. You have to learn how to bring the story to life, and that means getting the horse first.”

She brought realization to my writing. It wasn’t that I didn’t have a good story. I did. But I lacked the elements necessary to make the story work. I needed to learn the mechanics. It took time. Some were easily learned from books on writing, but the real gems came from face-to-face time with experienced authors. Tricks of the trade, so to speak, that you can only get from attending conference classes, paid critiques, or author mentoring.

When you have the opportunity to sit at the feet of the experienced, do it. It’s time well spent.

Here are some craft basics to help get your novel on the right track:

Conflict

Without conflict, a story is flat. I’m not sure what it says about us as readers, but we love to see the behind-the-scenes agony and struggle for the protagonist. The more angst you dump on your character, the harder they work to achieve their goal and the richer reading becomes. Conflict moves the story ahead.

A Strong Hook

I’ve seen books start out with beautifully written description and a normal day in the life of … However, all the well-written words in the world will not hold a reader’s attention, unless you provide them with a hook that makes them want to read on.

A hook doesn’t always have to be major conflict, but that’s good if you choose to go that route.

A hook needs to jolt the reader and force them to ask this question: “What on earth is going on here?” If you can force the reader to ask this question, you have successfully written a solid hook.

You can’t always get the hook in the first line of your chapter, and having it there is certainly not the only way to write it. But, it needs to be in that first page. And for me, the closer to the top, the better. Only you can define your hook, but readers give authors about three pages, and if you are not successful in grabbing them, they close the book.

An Inciting Incident

This incident is not the hook that draws your reader into the story. Rather, it’s the moment when the reader is yanked into the action of the story. If done well, the author will leave the reader with questions that propel them into the next page.

It’s a great place to show readers how your protagonist will deal with hardship, define their goals, perhaps their strengths or values. The inciting incidents pushes your character through a door and closes it so they cannot go back. It literally “moves your story ahead.”

A Goal or Desire

Your protagonist must have a desire or goal, a reason to move ahead. Readers need to see this in the opening chapter. None of us start the day without something that must be done – laundry, earning a paycheck. Perhaps your character’s motivation is to achieve and retain a place to live that will allow them to raise a child. Whatever you choose, your reader must see this goal or motivation.

Avoid the Information Dump

A wonderful author once critiqued the first few pages of a novel for me. His first response was, “Just start the story here!” Here was two pages into the first chapter. He was right. The entire first two pages were nothing more than information I felt the reader needed.

When we meet someone new, they rarely pull us to the side and fill us in on the four days prior to our meeting. Instead, we learn about our new friends in small bites. The same is true in your novel. Start the story where it begins, and allow the reader the joy of discovering those things about the characters on their own – in small bites. That’s part of the fun of reading.

These are just a few things to help you develop your novel. Remember, the story is vitally important, but without the basics, the story falls flat. Reread, rework, rewrite. This is, after all, what we do to learn the craft.

Out of the craft elements above, what do you find you struggle with the most? We’d love to hear your thoughts and encourage you in the comments below!

Cindy K. Sproles is an author, speaker, and conference teacher. She is the cofounder of ChristianDevotions.us and the executive editor of ChristianDevotions.us and InspireaFire.com. Cindy is the managing editor for Straight Street Books and SonRise Devotionals, both imprints of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. She is an award-winning and best-selling author and the director of the Asheville Christian Writers Conference. Visit Cindy at www.cindysproles.com.  @cindydevoted