When I started the task of writing The Love Fool, I had no idea how to begin. Sure, I’ve written papers case studies and such while at college or university, but never had I considered my writing to be enough to fill up a whole novel. So, I never really gave writing attention. Not until I moved to Rome.
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While in Rome, I wasn’t really working much. I had a small side gig blogging about food and a lot of time. Time was open for me to explore the city, which eventually inspired me to think up ideas for a story. I found that this free time allowed me to open my mind letting ideas formulate, percolate, and become what eventually led to the setting, crux, and outcomes in The Love Fool.
Finally, I sat down and just started typing the ideas. I didn’t know how long this new found habit of finding ideas would go on, but I thought I’d type any thought out and eventually sit back and see if there would be enough to tell a story. I didn’t know how to approach any of it, but I knew I needed a story, so I just typed.
With all that said, I share three points of advice for anyone out there who thought about writing a book, story, or anything – but didn’t know how to begin. I feel these three major issues will help any writer embark on this new adventure.
TIP #1 – MAKE TIME
We all have busy lives – working all day, parenting maybe, and what not. So, how could any of us who have ideas for stories even begin to think about sitting down to write? The truth is, we just won’t. We have a lot of other things we can think of doing to catch up on things we left for another day. The idea of sitting down and thinking about a story, just won’t happen. We keep procrastinating on doing the writing thing someday. And we all know where that leads – nowhere. So, my advice is to schedule a good chunk of time. It could be a whole day, a weekend or longer, but schedule it. Get away. Shut down from social media, society, and everyday life. Let your mind shut down to open up to creativity. Don’t think about your busy schedule. Let your mind just go. And soon you will have that burst of inspiration to think about your story. Of course you may have days when you don’t write a thing, but do not be discouraged because what is important is that your mind is little by little opening up to freedom and creativity. The ideas will come – trust me.
TIP #3: REPEAT
As ideas come to you, repeat them to yourself. Let’s say you think of an interaction between your characters. Keep thinking of that same situation and how it would unfold. Think about that scene from beginning to end, over and over. As you keep repeating that thought, you will find yourself improving the characters reactions – thinking of different ways characters could react and finalizing which you prefer. In addition, you will find your mind adding new details to that same scene. Maybe the weather begins to come to mind, or the season in which your characters are set. Maybe the location of the characters? They could have started in a car, and you test them out on a boat, or maybe inside a hotel room. These testing of details help solidify the story, and sometimes move the story in a new direction, maybe adding a whole other storyline within your main story. I know I found that repeating ideas helped me fill in many gaps.
TIP #3 – JUST WRITE
When the ideas pop in your mind, just write them. Whatever they may be, write them down. It doesn’t have to be full sentences. It doesn’t have to be a list. It could even be a paragraph of phrases that just take down the ideas. As long as you write them, you have them. You don’t’ have to use the ideas necessarily, but you have them. I had so many ideas – some related to my story and some that didn’t. And sometimes – later – I found ways to incorporate the ideas that didn’t make sense. And some of the other senseless ideas, I still have and may even use them at another time. Whatever the case may be – it’s always good to have your ideas down for use at some point. One never knows.
Lorenzo Petruzziello holds an MBA in global marketing from Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts. His background includes publicity and marketing for many of public television’s popular cooking and travel shows. He lives in Massachusetts focusing on his writing. THE LOVE FOOL is his first novel.
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1 Comments
Love that cover. As an author, how much input do you have in the final product?
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
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