How to write a novel
Nobel Laureate Mo Yan said, "Writing a novel is actually telling a story." A short novel
is a short story.
Students write short stories in English, which can help them apply to elite schools. Many of America's selective college are looking for the students who can write Novels in English. Elite schools believe that a student who can write a novel must have a vivid imagination. While liberal arts students certainly need to think figuratively, science students need their imaginations trained and improved if they want to be successful.
A good short novel (a short story) has at least six elements that need to be shown to the reader
1, The Setting
The setting tells the reader when and where the story takes place. Newspaper reports often begin with a clear time and place, but a novel may reveal the time and place slowly in the telling of the story.
2, The Characters
In any story, there should be at least one main character. There may also be an "opposite character" from the "main character", or one or two "supporting characters". Let's say we're going to write a story about a girl , Nancy, in high school, Nancy is the main character.
3, The Situation or Conflict
Conflict is telling the reader, what's going on? This needs to provide a "plot". What is the main character's problem? In what circumstances and with whom are the protagonists "in conflict"? Or the main character has a problem. Let's say Nancy, the high school girl, rebelling against with parental discipline and wants to play hooky. That's when there's a situation or a conflict.
4, The Action
The plot of the story unfolds along with the activities of the characters. The more detailed the activity, the more vivid the character image. For example, Nancy withdrew cash from the bank, bought a bus ticket to New York.
5， The Climax
Character activities escalate, leading to the climax of the plot. In our hypothetical story, Nancy arrived in New York City for the first time, strolled down the street, get lost, and was targeted by several scammers. At the last minute, patrol officers helped her out of trouble, and she was taken to the police station.
The police quickly alerted Nancy's parents. The parents quickly drove to the NYPD. When Nancy saw her parents, she hesitated a little, but quickly rushed to them. The parents smiled and spread their arms around Nancy.
6, The Outcome
When the story reached its climax, the situation or conflict was resolved, and the outcome was achieved. In our hypothetical story, Nancy was on her way home and had a long talk with her parents. Nancy decided to go back to school, and her parents said they would spend more time with their daughter. This is the end of the story.
At the beginning of learning to write a short story, brewed up the brief of the short story in your head. It is often advisable for beginners to confine their novel to a single event, that is, a story that takes place in a place, at a time, with as few characters as possible (although several people may be involved in the same event), and to tell a clear story.