How to Start a Novel

I am beginning this story without knowing the end. Like any great adventure, we do not know what lies beyond the portal discovered in the back of a wardrobe. All it takes is courage or naiveté or ambition to take the first step, then "poof" your world changes. I welcome you to join me as I confront "rodents of unusual size," and other high-flying adventures of an aspiring novelist, including: deadlines, dialogue repartee, sleepless nights, agent pitches, publisher rejections, characters emerging from out-of-nowhere, ten page synopses, looming blank pages, and perhaps – publication, book club talks, critic reviews, and book signings.

If you are reading this you've probably decided you want to write a book, novel or otherwise. I started writing just as soon as I could read which was when I was four. I've always had a mad obsession with books, with at least one always at my side. I suspect you, dear reader, suffer from a similar disease. I've met two kinds of writers so far.

The first group is those who love to tell a story. They are entrapped in their own magical representation of events – who did what, when, and why. English creator of Peter Rabbit, Beatrix Potter was just such a person. She was always telling adventurous stories to her younger brother and anyone else who would listen. The tenacious fictitious character, Kit Kittridge (recently featured in a fun, though a bit campy, movie Kit Kittredge: An American Girl) was the same way. As a budding journalist, she was always interviewing people and investigating motives then turning them into a story. I have never been this kind of writer.

The second kind of writer is one who writes from a compulsion for self-expression. I fall into this category. This person writes because they have no other choice. They will write on anything, napkins, hands, in other books, and when available, paper. I do not know who else feels this way. Perhaps you can make suggestions but I suspect there are many expulsive tendencies.

In this blog I will share with you how I came to write "A Portrait of Josephine." How did the novel develop? How did I get started? Why did I get started? What were the challenges with writing a novel? What techniques did I employ to overcome the challenges of writing a novel?
Lastly, I'll provide tips on how to procrastinate in writing your novel – which is exactly what I am doing by writing this blog.

So, step one to procrastination, I mean, opening your mind so you can write freely – start a blog.

Allison Frederick is the author of the upcoming novel, A Portrait of Josephine - a classic tale of mentor and apprentice with a twist. A timid graduate student finds herself in the middle of an international art fraud spanning two centuries and two continents. To help her navigate these unchartered waters, she turns to an unlikely mentor - a 150 year old painting. Get your free autographed copy, click here or go to www.PortraitofJosephine.com

This novel is based on the tenacious spirits of artists Georgia O’Keeffe and Eva Hesse.