Question

hey guys, need some writing help! i'm writing a short novel for school, and i'm stuck on a part on what to do next, could you possibly help me out?

Answer 1

this is what i have so far, i think its fully caught up to what i'm writing tho.

Answer 2

can you copy and paste this on google docs and link us? I will check it for you when I get home later. that's presumably OS functions properly.

Answer 3

overall, i'd say that you should think about showing more than telling. (telling: "it was a broiling hot day with rainclouds overhead" showing: "the rain hit the pavement with a sizzle." the 'showing' lets the reader see what is happening without the author having to spell everything out. for editing what you already have, i think you should do a careful check on making sure the verb tenses agree and also on cutting down the description of how the boy is chosen for the quest and why. keep it simple and don't re-explain why he was chosen and what it will mean. you could cut that by about half and it would read more smoothly. everyone's drafts are ALWAYS too wordy and too long (even professional writers) . . . the important thing is to do what you did, which is just to get the ideas out, so you can go back and simplify to what you really need/want to say . . . and make it crisper and make it flow better.

what you have is a good beginning of a hero's quest journey, just needs some tightening up. as for where to go next. . . exactly the question! what is the journey? where does the quest lead? what is the inciting event that takes the reluctant hero out of his comfort zone and propels him into the unknown where he is faced with obstacle after obstacle? . . . .(no need to tell the audience that this is what will happen to him, you will SHOW them as the story progresses). if you run out of ideas for where to go, a good question to ask can be "what if?" what if a virus came that killed half the village? what if the boy's sister followed him even when she wasn't supposed to? what if there was an enemy in their midst? what if the boy was blind, but had other amazing skills? what if the boy's mother wasn't who he thought? . . . just a few examples of how to brainstorm 'what if's' if you stay loose with it, then something might pop up that takes you in an interesting or unexpected direction. sometimes it's a good idea to pop the hero in the middle of some action - for example as he is being chosen, suddenly something happens that shakes up the status quo. . . action drives the plot forward much better than description.

good luck! let me know if you have any specific questions.