Writing a book

When I wrote Watertown Fires it started out as a series of shorts stories and grew into a single story. I got my writing bug reignited in college. One of the last classes I took in graduate school was an elective writing class. Turns out it was one the best classes I ever took. If you’re able to take one, I recommend it. Write classes take you out of your comfort zone, they are awkward and scary. But the experience is invaluable. Usually when you get done with a writing class you are left with a pile of terrible stories…which is great! Sometime that is the spark you need to write a novel.

For me, writing a novel was something I did almost daily. It was exciting and new. It took a little bit to get used to writing long form. I highly recommend outlining your book. Stream of conscious method of writing a novel would drive most people insane! Outlining your book is critical and essential. It’s a road map to making sure you get to where you want to go without the ‘sagging middle’. Here’s a few books I found useful while writing Watertown Fires:

The Writer’s Little Help by James V. Smith Jr.

Plot by Ansen Dibell