PREPPING TO WRITE YOUR NOVEL

Grant Fulkner
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PREPPING TO WRITE YOUR NOVEL

1.The basics of your novel

After exploring several ideas, write one or two sentences about your novel.

You can include some basic information about your main character if you have
them in mind.

2. Characterization exercises
Complete characterization “personality tests” for your main character.

Option A: The “Proust Questionnaire”.

1. What is your character's idea of perfect happiness?

2. What is your character's greatest fear?
3. What is the trait your character most deplores in themself?
4. What is the trait your character most deplores in others?
5. Which living person does your character most admire?
6. What is your character's greatest extravagance?
7. What is your character's current state of mind?
8. What does your character consider the most overrated virtue?
9. On what occasion does your character lie?
10. What does your character most dislike about their appearance?
11. Which living person does your character most despise?
12. What is the quality your character most likes in a man?
13. What is the quality your character most likes in a woman?
14. Which words or phrases does your character most overuse?
15. What or who is the greatest love of your character's life?
16. When and where was your character happiest?
17. Which talent would your character most like to have?

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Grant Fulkner
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18. If your character could change one thing about themself, what would it
be?
19. What does your character consider their greatest achievement?
20. If your character were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what
would it be?
21. Where would your character most like to live?
22. What is your character's most treasured possession?
23. What does your character regard as the lowest depth of misery?
24. What is your character's favorite occupation?
25. What is your character's most marked characteristic?
26. What does your character most value in their friends?
27. Who are your character's favorite writers?
28. Who is your character's hero of ction?
29. Which historical gure does your character most identify with?
30. Who are your character's heroes in real life?
31. What are your character's favorite names?
32. What is it that your character most dislikes?
33. What is your character's greatest regret?
34. How would your character like to die?
35. What is your character's motto?

Option B: The 36 questions that lead to love. This is especially useful if you
are writing a love story.

1. Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would your character
want as a dinner guest?
2. Would your character like to be famous? In what way?
3. Before making a telephone call, does your character ever rehearse what
they are going to say? Why?
4. What would constitute a “perfect” day for your character?
5. When did your character last sing to themself? To someone else?
6. If your character were able to live to the age of 90 and retain either the
mind or body of a 30-year-old for the last 60 years of their life, which
would they want?
7. Does your character have a secret hunch about how they will die?

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Grant Fulkner
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8. Name three things your character and their partner appear to have in
common.
9. For what in their life does your character feel most grateful?
10. If your character could change anything about the way they were raised,
what would it be?
11. Take four minutes and tell their partner your character’s life story in as
much detail as possible.
12. If your character could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality
or ability, what would it be?
13. If a crystal ball could tell your character the truth about themself, their
life, the future or anything else, what would your character want to
know?
14. Is there something that your character have dreamed of doing for a long
time? Why haven’t they done it?
15. What is the greatest accomplishment of your character’s life?
16. What does your character value most in a friendship?
17. What is your character’s most treasured memory?
18. What is your character’s most terrible memory?
19. If your character knew that in one year they would die suddenly, would
they change anything about the way they are now living? Why?
20. What does friendship mean to your character?
21. What roles do love and affection play in your character’s life?
22. Share something your character consider a positive characteristic of
their partner. Share a total of ve items.
23. How close and warm is your character’s family? Does your character
feel your character’s childhood was happier than most other people’s?
24. How does your character feel about their relationship with their mother?
25. Make three true “we” statements each from the point of view of your
character. For instance, “We are both in this room feeling ... “
26. Complete this sentence from the point of view of your character: “I wish I
had someone with whom I could share ... “
27. If your character were going to become a close friend with your
character’s partner, please share what would be important for him or her
to know.
28. Tell your character’s partner what they like about them; be very honest
this time, saying things that your character might not say to someone
they’ve just met.

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 Grant Fulkner
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29. Share with your character’s partner an embarrassing moment their life.
30. When did your character last cry in front of another person? By
themself?
31. Tell your character’s partner something that your character likes about
them already.
32. What, if anything, is too serious to be joked about? Reply from the point
of view of your character.
33. If your character were to die this evening with no opportunity to
communicate with anyone, what would they most regret not having told
someone? Why haven’t they told them yet?
34. Your character’s house, containing everything they own, catches re.
After saving their loved ones and pets, your character has time to safely
make a nal dash to save any one item. What would it be? Why?
35. Of all the people in your character’s family, whose death would they nd
most disturbing? Why?
36. Share a personal problem from the point of view of your character and
ask their partner’s advice on how they might handle it. Also, ask them to
re ect back to your character how your character seems to be feeling
about the problem they have chosen.

3. Write a character logline.

Identify the main desires, con icts, and obstacles of your main character in
just a couple of sentences.

4. Write the dust jacket for your novel

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Grant Fulkner
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In no more than 250 words, summarize your novel in a way that draws the
potential buyer’s attention. This summary should include:

• Main characters
• Plot, including setting
• Tone
• Genre

5. Set a goal and a deadline

Go on a time hunt and spend a typical day tracking how you use time.

How much time do you have to write in a day?

Spend 1-hour writing and count how many words you write in that hour.

With this information, determine:

• How many hours will you write each day

• How many words you will write each day
• How many days will you spend writing your rst draft

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