Publication Date

4-2022

School

College of Arts and Sciences

Major

English

Keywords

writing, editing, english, creative writing, fantasy, novel

Disciplines

Creative Writing | Fiction | Literature in English, North America | Philosophy of Language | Reading and Language | Technical and Professional Writing

Abstract

Writing a novel is a great undertaking. Many would-be writers have set out to create a novel and give up halfway through, uncertain where or how they failed. This project aims to help prospective authors get past that barrier. By analyzing one’s own writing style, a writer can ascertain greater insight into the strengths and weaknesses of one’s own work and therefore help rectify mistakes one might make otherwise, or learn to see a chapter from a new angle. The author will demonstrate this method on himself first by way of focused revisions. A sample chapter of a fantasy novel, written by the author, will be provided as a baseline, and then the author will rewrite that chapter four different ways, focusing on a different element of storytelling with each rewrite: plot, character development, dialogue, and theme/tone. Following the baseline chapter, an analysis section will then dissect and analyze the author’s writing style, pulling excerpts from the rewrites, and pointing out their strengths and weaknesses so as to provide a model for other prospective writers.

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