The Triple Threat: (How To Write A Novel And Stay Sane In The Process)

By Solitaire Parke

I believe everyone has at least one good book within them, probably more. But if you don’t know where to start, that’s a problem.

Hi, I’m Solitaire Parke and I write science fiction, urban fantasy, horror/thriller, larger world and poetry books. I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember, and I’ve made my fair share of mistakes along the way. Hopefully, I can help you avoid some of those same mistakes and your novel can become a reality instead of just a dream. In THE TRIPLE THREAT I will share with you the knowledge I’ve gained along my writing journey in the hope that your dreams can come to fruition.

The satisfaction you’ll receive from being able to put your thoughts down in a paperback (e-book or audiobook) is well worth the time and effort, and something you can be proud of for the rest of your life.
You’ll learn about –

How to start – Do research – Outlines
Plots and Subplots
Characterization – Dialogue - Conflict
Timelines -Showing not Telling
Helpful Templates – Cover Art
Editing - Publishing
and much more within each chapter – including examples.

If you want to finally write your novel, this book will guide you through each process to a finished book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jun 11, 2024
• ISBN: 9781304289698

Solitaire Parke

Solitaire Parke is an author of Science Fiction/Urban Fantasy, Poetry and Larger World books. He is a lover of dragons, the poetry of Edgar Allan Poe, and has a large collection of science fiction books and movies. After becoming an award winning photographer and earning a degree in music theory, he worked in graphic and web design, but he always returns to writing.When he is not writing, you can find him reading, watching a sci-fi television show or movie, or researching a new “techno gadget” on the internet. He now resides in Arizona with his family and two very spoiled dogs!

Book preview

(How To Write A Novel And Stay Sane In The Process)

Solitaire Parke

THE TRIPLE THREAT

(How To Write A Novel And Stay Sane In The Process)

Solitaire Parke

Copyright © 2024 Solitaire Parke

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the permission

of the author.

ISBN 978-1-304-28969-8

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my editors, Brandi Parke, and Kimberly Gippert, who volun-told me to write it. Since I promised to volun-do whatever they thought best, this project came to fruition despite my continued misgivings. I genuinely hope it helps the next budding writer who asks some or all the same questions that I did.

Solitaire…

INTRODUCTION

The Triple Threat concept was developed after a series of setbacks early in my writing career. Initially I figured if each book was considered like baseball, it would involve three chances to get to first base. That translated to three major sections in every novel, the beginning, a turning point, and ultimately the finale.

I looked at the three sections as potential threats to the book’s completion and dubbed them accordingly. Within each threat were critical scenarios that would either help the story or cause it to fall short of the original vision. In the vernacular of baseball…three strikes and you’re out, or in this case, three threats. I also realize that you can get to first base through allowing four balls and a walk, but that makes for a very boring game and disinterested viewers.

Prior to writing my first novel there were a few questions that needed answering before I could get started. The first and most important was how does one go about writing a novel? It seems like an easy question and the answer, potentially also seemed simple; ask the published authors how they accomplished this feat.

Six authors later, I discovered there was not a simple answer to this dilemma. Each author had a uniquely different method for what they considered their first step. Some worked exclusively on lengthy processes for a completed outline, and then hammered out the finished first rough draft. Others had abbreviated outlines and then shot from the hip until the book was finished. I found several authors who believed an outline took away from the spontaneity of true creativity and never constructed them or conformed to an existing set of notes, they simply wrote until the story unfolded in front of them.

The next layer of decision was whether to use First, or Third Person context for the portrayal. Some authors believe First Person, or the point of view with you being the storyteller, is out of the question and should not be considered if science fiction or fantasy novels are to be the chosen genre. I do not share that belief and feel that if you are the one telling the story, it could be told in First Person regardless of the book’s classification. On the other hand, if an omnipotent being, or any other person besides the main character, someone who knows every nuance of the story works better for you, or Third Person, then, by all means, let the other person tell the tale.

Next, is the eternal question; should you take historically accurate information, and then construct it into a fictional tale, or stick to the facts, all of them…and create a non-fictional work. In the end, it all boils down to whether you want to depict an event exactly the way things happened or write the story line how you wished it had been. You’ll either write a document concerning a segment of history, or a novel depicting events that will drive the story to its completion. As always, it’s up to you.

The last option is to tell a story that originated entirely out of your imagination. These are my personal favorites because there are no rules to follow, no physical laws, and if you mop yourself into a corner, simply create something new in the universe that will help you out of the predicament the story stumbled over.

In the end, I designed a system that was easy to live with, answered all the questions at hand, and gave me the ability to know how and where to end the novel in the way it made the most sense. I called it The Triple Threat. Each of the three threats constitutes a potential to improve the finished product, starting with the first being where to start the story. The second is the turning point where the story moves beyond the stage setting and character analysis and brings the important issue(s) to the forefront. The third and last threat is how and where the story ends by dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s respectively. There is no exception to giving complete closure or a desperate cliff hanger when ending a story.

Before I get ahead of myself, first, there is no set method for choosing a story to write. Some come in the form of dreams, while others happen because of an event that inspires you in some way that needs to be expounded on. It could be a change in your environment, a story given to you about a previous family member, or a cognizant awareness of a wrong that needs to be made right.

In other words, it’s like a watermelon patch where you shouldn’t pick a piece of fruit until you know it’s ripe. Be selective and you’ll never regret what you pen into permanency.

I believe that research is imperative before putting the first word down and that means anything, if not everything, that has not been already learned or experienced by you. Hence the first rule of better writing is to write about what you know. If your story involves places, actions, or well-known people, there will be enormous volumes of research to make sure the things being described have plausibility, accuracy, and obvious firsthand knowledge when introduced. No story is complete without doing the homework concerning the content.

I learned to give myself goals when writing, knowing full well that the achievable results need to be elastic. For me, two pages or one thousand words per day is usually an achievable goal. Having said that, attempting to write when you’re not inspired won’t produce the number of pages desired at an acceptable level of excellence. Work toward an average, some days will see that goal realized, while others produce frustration without a word being written. By the same token, there will be times when four or more pages will magically materialize in front of you, and there’s your average being made visible. The goals are exactly that, just goals, not demands. Books take months or years to write even when you’re inspired.

The largest hurdle to overcome is the lack of instant gratification. Writing can be a lot of things to a lot of people, but it is certainly not glamorous nor quickly achieved.

It is, however, at least to me, the greatest way to make a living, it exercises the imagination, increases your knowledge, and last, but certainly not least, eases the stress that comes