Tag: novel writing

Building a World

Any writing endeavor leaves an author building a world. This is true for nonfiction as well as fiction. It is true for any genre.

Nonfiction Too?

Nonfiction is set in a real place. It is someplace you can see pictures of or visit. Except that isn’t the place you are writing about.

The author is writing about a place the author sees. It may be based on reality, but the author sees it according to the author’s point of view.

When I wrote “Exploring the Ozark Hills”, I chose the topics. I went out and took the pictures framing them to illustrate what I wanted to write about. It was the real world, but it was also the world I wanted to see.

Real World Fiction

Novels set in the real world, past or present, are like the ones for nonfiction. They may be based on real places, but they are written about as the author sees them.

Plot events influence what is most important in a setting description. Flower kinds and colors don’t matter much during a chase scene. During a romantic scene, these may help enhance the feeling the writer is trying for.

Fantasy and Science Fiction

No matter how hard a writer tries to create an imaginary world, it will relate to what is familiar. We may write about being telepathic, but it is not based on experience. Instead we write about what we think it would be like.

Building a world with strange plants and animals is the same. We have a mental picture of what an animal is, what a plant is. The imaginary ones will conform to these ideas to some extent as we can’t relate to something totally out of our experience.

Melding Truth and Imagination

As I struggle with “The Carduan Chronicles: Ship Nineteen”, I must meld the reality of nature with my point of view of these places with the point of view of these small people. The plants and animals are those I am familiar with. I must see them differently to make my writing feel real.

Building a world for any writing project is challenging. It takes time and thought. In the end, this world begins to feel real and that lets it feel real for a reader.

Tags creating novel settings, novel writing

GKP Writing News

Making Setting Real

Post author By Karen GoatKeeper
Post date March 20, 2026

When I watch a movie, the scenery goes by like speeding by city blocks in a car. It isn’t real. Instead, it’s just scenery. Part of the challenge in writing is making setting real, not just scenery.

What aspects of this road might fit into a novel’s setting? The trees are bare indicating winter or very early spring. Gravel covers the road making walking difficult except in the clear spaces left by passing vehicles. If the weather is cold or a cold wind is blowing, would this road be pleasant to walk along?

What About Setting?

Think about a walk through your home. If you only saw this in a video, it would only be scenery. Well, maybe a bit more because it is a place you are familiar with.

Now walk through you home. This is more than visual. There are sounds. Aromas drift by. Your attention might focus on a favorite item opening up memories. Your home is a real place.

Which experience would give you as a reader greater involvement in the story? Which one would make the story seem more real?

Making Setting Real

In writing a rough draft of a novel, setting usually is just scenery except for times when the plot depends on it. This is fine. The main foci for a rough draft are usually characters and plot.

Then comes the rewrite. This is where setting comes into its own. Perhaps your main character is making bread. The dough has a smell, a feel, a look both as it is mixed and as it is kneaded. Later comes the aroma of baking bread. This changes as the bread gets closer to done.

Perhaps you main character is going someplace. If it is a city street, there are city sounds of people, vehicles, activities, smells. If it is a walk in the country, there is the feel of the dirt, smells, sounds of wind and animals, weather.

Adding some descriptions about these or other aspects of your setting brings the reader into the story.

How Much?

Just as too much backstory can put the brakes on your story, too much description can do the same. The idea is to add just enough to enhance the story.

Going back to a road. Does the road meander down a valley? Perhaps it is a straight highway through a desert. Is heat shimmering above it? Just a mention of this influences your driver. Are they paying attention or looking out the window and getting into trouble?

Getting It Right

This is where actually being in a place really matters. How can you add the sensory details if you’ve never been there? You can’t. How can you know what details really catch attention if you’ve never been there.

Even if all you do is take a walk through a similar place, it let’s you get it right. The reader can tell.

Tags novel writing, writing novels

GKP Writing News

Exploring New Perspectives

Post author By Karen GoatKeeper
Post date February 27, 2026

When I first began The Carduan Chronicles, there was only one ship that dropped out of a worm tunnel into a February ice storm forcing them to land in an Ozarks ravine. As the nine Carduans began to explore their new world, I began exploring new perspectives.

That fallen log looks like a wall. It is only six inches high and easy to step over. Easy unless you are only four inches tall. Walking up a ravine takes an entirely different look when you are that small.

Ozark Ravines

My Ozark home has several ravines near it. I have walked up all of them at one time or another, some of them several times. Broad or narrow, the ravines have several things in common.

One thing is water. Although the ravine may be dry much of the time, it was formed by running water racing down between two hills. Some have water in them much of the time, usually as pools here and there.

Another thing are the trees. People often think of woods or forests as static populations of trees. They aren’t. Those trees are enemies in their quest for light, water and space in which to grow.

The weakest trees don’t survive. In a few years the dead trunks fall to the ground. Bigger trees are victims of storms.

Exploring New Perspectives

The Carduans are four inches tall. Fallen trees I can step over, are taller than they are. How can they deal with these?

Ice storms are not too uncommon in the Ozarks. The Carduans come from a planet where water never freezes. They have never seen ice or snow.

Arkosa, their home planet, is hot, dry and bathed with UV light. The plants are blue or red as a protection from the UV light. Their crops are mostly grasses – think wheat, oats or rice – and root tubers – think potatoes, carrots or turnips.

These people have never seen trees or birds or the many other creatures familiar to those who walk in the Ozarks. Blue jays are taller than they are.

As the Carduans go exploring their new world, I am exploring new perspectives in mine.

Tags creating characters, novel writing

GKP Writing News

Making Characters Real

Post author By Karen GoatKeeper
Post date February 21, 2026

Perhaps you have picked up a book like this, I certainly have. The main character is someone or something you just can’t relate to. Making characters real is not that easy.

Another problem is found in those books where all the characters seem to be clones. They think alike. They act alike. All of the characters might as well be talking to themselves.

Creating Characters

There are lots of ways for an author to create a character. One way is to have a list of characteristics. Another I came across has a series of questions to answer about the character.

Anyone who does some research on writing will find other methods of creating characters. These methods do work for some authors. Perhaps they would for you. These methods don’t work for me.

My Characters

I create the bare bones of a character in my head. As I have a vague notion of the plot, the character is based on how he or she will interact with the plot. Usually I come up with a name and a basic description.

At that point, I start writing my rough draft. As I write the novel, it starts making characters real to me. They get to the point they seem like someone I could go to the store and meet.

The drawback to creating characters this way, is that I do have to go back and rewrite the beginning of the draft. That way the characters consistent throughout.

Different Characters

Making characters real is easier for me if I base them on people I have known, even slightly. This matters because it gives each character a unique voice and behavior in the novel.

Even when writing a memoir, an author is creating, rather recreating their character from a previous time in their lives. People grow up and change with time so a younger version of you is not the modern one and is, therefore, a character in your memoir.

No matter how an author creates their characters, making characters real is important so readers can enjoy your books more.

Tags novel illustration, novel writing, world building

GKP Writing News

Creating Carduans

Post author By Karen GoatKeeper
Post date January 30, 2026

When the idea for the Carduan Chronicles first occurred to me, all I knew was that a space ship would appear during an ice storm, land in an Ozark ravine and leave the occupants trying to survive. The next task was creating Carduans.

Carduan Ship 19 appeared during an ice storm which forced it to land. On the way down, it had to maneuver between trees in the ravine.

How Big?

There were several considerations. I went hiking through a number of Ozark ravines trying to spot places a space ship could land. A flat area was not a problem as bluff rocks stick out in many places. However, they are small.

Ravines have trees growing in them. The ship had to be small enough to avoid them.

The final size of the space ship was thirty inches long, eighteen inches wide and high. These Carduans had to fit inside. Four inches tall worked.

Creating Carduans depended on them being small. They must blend in to avoid unwanted attention.

Physical Appearance

I now had a height for creating Carduans. They had heads, arms, legs, feet and hands. Obviously, these were small and fingers would be very slender. There would be three fingers so the Carduans would count in threes and sixes.

Of course, the Carduans could just be tiny people with a few minor changes. That didn’t suit me. How would they be different?

Many creatures on Earth have blue blood. It is not based on iron which is what makes our blood red. If the Carduans had blue blood, they would be blue.

An interesting article about chickens showed up. It seems chickens have retina cells sensitive to five different color wavelengths. Insects often see in ultraviolet.

Setting Up Arkosa

The Carduans come from the planet Arkosa. I picture this planet as dry, hot, bathed in ultraviolet light. Plants would have fall colors as the pigments for these colors can deal with ultraviolet light for photosynthesis.

Seeing ultraviolet would be an advantage. Having a third eyelid to counter intense glare or shield from dust would be another advantage.

My Carduans

So, in creating Carduans, I had to consider the setting and the origins of these creatures. This was for Ship Nineteen. But, the same creatures are also on Ship Eighteen.

Tags Carduan Chronicles, novel writing, writing novels

GKP Writing News

Creating Characters

Post author By Karen GoatKeeper
Post date January 16, 2026

Some novels begin with a plot. Others begin with a character. But all novels require creating characters.

Where do these fictional characters come from? How does a writer find these characters?

cover for "Broken Promises" by Karen GoatKeeper — This is the only novel I have written that uses a person I once knew. He is in the book the way he was when I knew him. He is now deceased.

Asking For Trouble

Even some famous authors like Hemmingway got into trouble by using their friends, acquaintances and enemies as characters in their novels. If they were lucky, they just had to find new friends. Unlucky writers ended up being sued.

Having written this, I do base my characters on people I know, have read about or seen. But, I don’t use the people exactly. Instead I look at some trait or traits these people have and build a character around them, one that is not the original person.

cover of "Old Promises" Hazel Whitmore #2 by Karen GoatKeeper — When I was doing a practical teaching course, I noticed a student who was extremely shy. Who was she? I never found out. Yet, she became the model for Hazel’s friend in this book.

Creating Characters Exercise

Next time you are out and about, look at the people around you. These people are strangers. You know nothing about them, really.

Pick out one. What do you think this person is like? Do they work? Invent a personality for this person. How would this person fit into a story or novel?

cover for "Dora's Story" by Karen GoatKeeper — Names were a big challenge in “Dora’s Story” as there were goat shows and every exhibitor and goat needed a name.

What’s In a Name?

I hate finding names for my characters most of the time. Now and then a character just has a name, but this isn’t usually the case.

Usually, the name search takes time and persistence. There are online lists. Books, telephone books, old school annuals are all places to look.

Several factors need consideration. One is the time frame of the novel. Names change in popularity or even existence over the years. Nova is not a possibility for an eighteenth century novel.

Plus, the name needs to be one the writer is comfortable with. I tend to like two and three syllable names. There’s no real reason, but I am happier with characters with names of these lengths.

cover for "Capri Capers" by Karen GoatKeeper — As this was a fun novel, the names had to be fun. Roscoe Rascal, Dan Janus, even Harriet Zeigenhert which is German for goat.

Names Can Change

No matter how detailed a writer is creating characters, things including names can change as the plot evolves. New traits will emerge in the characters. They will become like people you know well.

A great compliment was paid me talking with a woman about Life’s Rules. I was describing Stephanie, my main character. The woman thought she was a real person, someone she wanted to meet.

Creating characters is important for a writer and compliments like this one make the effort worth while.

Tags novel writing, writing novels

GKP Writing News

Novel Writing Time

Post author By Karen GoatKeeper
Post date December 19, 2025

December brings the end of a calendar year. Perhaps January starts off that year you plan to use for novel writing.

You know. That idea you’ve kicked around for years saying someday you will write a novel or a memoir – something.

phot idea for novel writing time — When I began writing “Dora’s Story”, the entire premise of the book unrolled for me in a short time of thinking about telling the story of a girl and her goat. But the link between goats and their owners was nothing new. I saw it at the Phelps County Fair getting pictures for “Goat Games”. This is a young Oberhasli doe with her proud owner.

Bad Reason for Novel Writing

You’re tired of your day job. Writing can make you a fortune. All you need to do is write that best seller.

Over a million new books are published every year. The chances of a debut novel becoming that gold mine are so slim it would take a microscope to see them.

Dora's Story novel writing time introduced Emily and Dora — As I developed the plot, Dora’s Story became a novel in six parts. The first one introduced Emily and Dora.

Good Reason for Novel Writing

There is that idea you can’t ignore. It’s a plot or a character or a wish to tell your family who you are and where you came from.

This thing is there when you wake up, whenever you stop during the day and puts you to sleep at night. It’s begging you to write it.

As Dora moves from owner to owner and Emily searches for her, years go by. This brought in another aspect of novel writing: time passage. Finally, Dora ends up with Shawn.

Getting Ready

First, you will need a time to write. It can be the half hour before you go to bed or when you get up. Perhaps it is while you eat lunch.

Different people are most awake and ready to write at different times. Find that time for yourself and try to write then. If nothing else, write down notes so you can use them for writing later.

Second, you will need a place to write. This doesn’t need to be fancy or a whole room. It can be just enough room for your notebook or your laptop.

One essential thing in this place is being able to turn off the email, the phone, the interruptions for that bit of time. Once you start novel writing, you want to finish the thought you are working on and interruptions will make it fly out the window often to never return.

I could see how much Barbara Rissler loved her Nubians as I visited her while writing Goat Games. In Dora’s Story, Emily searches for several years and her love for Dora keeps her going. In the end, she must make hard decisions about Dora.

Most Importantly

This novel writing is for you, no one else. Yes, readers matter once the novel is done, but the writing is for you.

And expect that first draft to stink. That’s what rewriting fixes.

Tags novel writing, writing novels

GKP Writing News

Memorable Books

Post author By Karen GoatKeeper
Post date November 22, 2025

Are there books you remember years, maybe decades after you read them? These are memorable books indeed.

So many books today are just fluff: read them today and forget them tonight. I read many of these. They are a great way to close out the day, settle the mind down ready to drift off to sleep.

What Makes Memorable Books Memorable?

The book speaks to you, means something on a deep level. It can be a philosophy of life or a way of looking at your own life.

Any book can do this. One silly bit of fluff I read helped me realize being short was only the obstacle of being vertically challenged. It didn’t mean I was not a worthwhile person. At the time I read this, I needed that change of view.

Other books can reach out to huge numbers of readers with deep themes. Harry Potter does this. Under the fluff of magic is the value of friendship and loyalty, the putting of others before your own life, if necessary.

My little bit of fluff is from a book long forgotten and rightly so. Perhaps Harry Potter will vanish over time too, but the themes will remain important. Other books like “The Three Musketeers” have these themes.

Themes in Writing

Memorable books often have an underlying theme in them. It is woven into the characters and the plot, becoming part of the story.

A more obvious way is through allegory. “A Rustle In the Grass” and “Watership Down” are two of these. On the surface these books are fun stories to read. Under the surface are the social themes that sometimes don’t become obvious to the reader until after the book is read.

That is the important part of writing books or stories with a theme: they are part of the story. Preaching never really gets a theme across as it is shoving the author’s ideas in your face.

How many memorable books have you read? My answer is: not enough.

Tags book marketing, novel writing, writing novels

GKP Writing News

Indie Book Disaster

Post author By Karen GoatKeeper
Post date November 7, 2025

Books by indie authors – those who self publish – often get ignored or thought of as not as good as a ‘regular’ book. I recently came across an indie book disaster that reinforces those opinions.

Self Publishing Responsibilities

A traditionally published book has a team of people working with the author. Many self published authors like me have no such team. That leaves me responsible for writing the best possible book myself.

Writing the book is only the first step. It is an important step, but only the beginning. The other steps include spelling, grammar, editing the book, the cover, the summary, the publicity. The list seems overwhelming.

Writing the Book

A novel needs a plot, relatable characters and setting, pacing, timing. The indie book disaster I came across had none of these. There were attempts, but it never seemed to figure out what the book was really about.

This novel does have research and work behind it. When I think of Stephanie Taylor, the main character in Life’s Rules, she is a real person to me with an extensive history. Much of what I know about her will not show up in the novel, it influences how she acts and behaves in the novel

Every character in the indie book disaster had this extensive history dumped into the novel. Sometimes this was repeated more than once.

That highlights another problem. Repeating the same information or the same words over and over until the reader starts counting them.

Why Read an Indie Book Disaster?

Reading good books is important for an author. Reading not good books is too. These remind me about why I do so many drafts looking for the problems, trying to work them out.

One thing I don’t want to do is publish an indie book disaster.

Tags book marketing, novel writing, writing novels

GKP Writing News

Arts Rolla Council Writing Contest

Post author By Karen GoatKeeper
Post date September 12, 2025

An email arrived a week or so ago announcing the Rolla Arts Council Biannual Writing Contest. I left it sitting there thinking I had nothing to enter. I’ve done very little serious writing the past couple of years, mostly picture books.

This is the only contest I do enter. Perhaps I should enter more, but they take time both to find and enter them and to write something to enter. The email stares at me several times a week.

Rolla Arts Council Writing Contest

There are three categories to enter: fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Although I do write haikus, these are not really useful for this contest. That leaves the two writing categories.

Both can be excerpts of longer projects. That’s fine. However, 3000 words isn’t very long, often not even a chapter. And I’ve entered previous contests with two of my novels I am working on already.

Possible Fiction Entry?

There is the one I am presently editing. It’s the second of the Carduan Chronicles on Ship Eighteen. Perhaps I can enter part of it. I even know which chapter, although I would need an explanatory paragraph for it. After all, the judge won’t know about the Carduans or, in this case, the ship’s journey.

The first chapter of the book on Ship Nineteen took second place. It would be nice if this entry in the series also took a place.

Water striders are fun to watch skating across the water surface. Their feet have hairs holding air to keep them from sinking. These Ozark creek residents must be included in a picture book about exploring an Ozark creek.

Possible Nonfiction Entry?

I am working on picture books. These don’t normally work well without the illustrations and these are not part of the entry.

There is the Chemistry Project. Science activity books aren’t appropriate for the contest.

Perhaps I can start a different picture book, science based with more text than a traditional picture book. Topic? Perhaps a series of books ultimately about 100-inch hikes. The first one is about exploring my Ozark creek?

It is a place to start. With six projects already in progress, I really don’t need another one. But I do want a Rolla Arts Council Writing Contest entry. And I need reasons to take time off to go walking.

Tags book marketing, novel writing, writing contests