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When I was starting on my path as a novelist, I just dove right in but I had no idea what I was doing. It was scary but I was determined to stick with it, no matter what.
Soon I found roadmaps of sorts to guide me along my way. I didn't know if these "how to" guides would get me to The End but I persisted.
By the time I finished my first novel, I was determined to find a better way to write a novel. It took me 5 years to get to The End.
5 years, really? I mean, there had to be more direct routes to get to my destination of a finished first draft. (Though I know it took the time it took because learning, and life.)
I wrote the second novel in 6 weeks because I found a story map that resonated and excited me.
But when it came time to edit the book, I realized that even though I had a cool story map that spoke to me, the map was incomplete. I hadn't thought about so many things as I wrote.
And I was still lost as to how to answer those questions as I struggled to edit the book.
After banging my head against the wall trying to shoehorn that second novel into something it wasn't, I set it aside.
The third novel would be the one I'd get clear about what I was doing before I actually started. Then I could at least attempt to aim for those elements as I write a sloppy first draft.
I dove into that book with gusto, clarity, and passion, and was so excited by the project.
When I finished it and wanted to think about pitching it to agents and editors, I learned I had to write one paragraph to pitch it in a query letter, or in person. And I freaked.
What? I had to squeeze my novel into only a few sentences? How in the bleep do I do that? It felt so hard, so foreign, and so wrong.
A kind, experienced author taught us new authors how to craft this paragraph, known as an elevator pitch, and in my case, almost wrote it for me. I was so frozen by fear.
After that, I vowed to master the elevator pitch and make it my friend. I realized something else...
As foreign as the elevator pitch was to me, it is designed to encapsulate the 5 main elements of your novel.
If I could put those elements together, then I could better conceive of a story even before it was written.
A compressed story, if you will.
An almost closed accordion.
As you make your way through the rest of the plan your novel tips, the accordion will open, and your story will reveal itself more and more to you.
To dive into the elevator pitch as a story planning tool, go here:
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