I have currently finished the first chapter of my novel. Ever since then, the second chapter has been going a lot more smoothly than the first. I believe this is because I introduced 3 more important characters in my story. Now I can work on how each person carries themselves throughout the story and how they interact with each other. I also realized that I feel more confident when there is a scene where people are talking. In the first chapter, there wasn’t much dialogue since it was focusing on a single character’s daily routine. I discovered that it is easier for me to write about a group of people instead of one singular person. I am still using Richard Hawke’s method of writing. While I do find myself going back a lot and changing what I wrote, it is helpful to get all my ideas out fresh. However, I recently found another method through my research.

My cohort group leader had recently given me a link to an interview by the Writer’s Digest with fantasy fiction writer, Leigh Bardugo. There is one part where she is asked about her process. She calls herself an outliner, which means she writes out her ideas on one page and then fills those pages with her knowledge of what is happening in that scene. It is similar to the method used when I am writing papers, create basic knowledge, and then expand on those main ideas. She also talked about how the hardest part of world-building is not the world-building itself, but getting that information out to the reader. Basically, how to get the reader to understand the world you created. This resonated with me because I love creating worlds and making characters, but I always had trouble with putting down on paper, or in a form that someone else would understand. While her method is similar to Richard Hawke’s, both trying to get ideas out on paper, she takes more time into what that scene should look like. I will use this new method for chapter 3 of my book. 

I was also able to contact another author about asking them questions for my project. I am currently planning out a schedule for her to meet with me next week. I am also working on an online course as well called Start Writing Fiction on the FutureLearn website. I am excited to see what information each of them will bring.