Mathew Said:

How to write a novel if it takes place in a different country?

We Answered:

Well, you would write the dialogs between the locals in english, but you would make it obvious that the people are talking in italian. As for an italian speaking to the american, it would all depend on the american. if the american can understand italian, then you would write that dialog in english. however, if the american does not understand italian and it is your intention that the american does not understand what the italian is saying, then you would write it in italian, but provide a translation, whether it be at the bottom of the page or in parenthesis next to the italian sentence. If you write the translation at the bottom of the page, which i would do, as to not interrupt the flow of the dialog. then you would put like an asterisks or some symbol or number next to the sentence and then put the same symbol at the bottom of the page and translate it

Juan Said:

How does one start to write a novel?

We Answered:

The first person that posted is right, you can't force yourself to write something. It has to naturally come out of you. If you're staring at a blank page, you're either scared or don' know where to begin or both. Do you know enough about the story to begin? You probably don't by the sound of it. You don't have to do an outline, or anything that extreme, but you have to have a pretty good idea of the characters, setting, and story before you begin. You don't have to know everything but spaces will fill in randomly and you will be surprised at what comes out. If you need motivation, read. Nothing's better than a book by your side to cheer you on, preferably one that's similar to the book you're writing. Because if that guy/girl could get published, you can get published. And play some music to get you in the mood, whatever music at all, to invoke the feeling. And, begin wherever you want. It's your book, your own art. Do it the way you want and most importantly, have fun. If you don't have fun with your novel, it will come out lackluster. If NaNoWrimo has taught you anything, it's to loosen up internal barriers and get something on the page. If you don't like what you have on the page, you can always revise it later. So, enjoy yourself and good luck, and remember, have some fun.

Eric Said:

How does it sound for a 12 year old to write novels?

We Answered:

I wrote my first novel when I was 11, so I think it's perfectly fine for a 12 year old to write novels. However, getting from manuscript to novel isn't easy, especially if you're looking for a traditional publishing company, but is certainly possible. How do I know? I'm actually a published author—16-year-old Michelle Izmaylov, author of Dream Saver.

First of all, you've got to watch out for sharks in the water. Most of the publishers I found were self-publishers in disguise. 'Self-publish' means a company that will charge you money to get your book onto the market and into stores—or so they say. They feed you fancy lies topped off with whipped cream, icing, and sprinkled nonsense. No self-publish company will ever get your book into any major bookstores such as Barnes and Noble, simply because major retailers don't deal with self-publishers. The big bookstores know that self-publishers publish anything and everyone—trash and fantastic works alike. They won't risk taking a bad book into their stores when Scholastic is putting out bestsellers by the dozen. So watch out for them. They'll take your money and sell you your own book without making you a big-ticket item. So skip the self-publishers.

The guys you really want to work with are traditional publishers. These guys only take the best of the best and publish your book for free (often, they even pay the author in advance for the manuscript). Traditional publishers are hard to get to, but don't give up until you get in. To get through to these guys, you might want to have a literary agent represent you because most traditional publishers don't request unsolicited manuscripts.

Once you've weeded out the bad guys, it's time to start mailing query letters to traditional publishers. The key words here are don't give up. Even after I had 250 refusals stashed up in my inbox, I still kept on emailing and trying. So don't get discouraged. Remember, the road's tough, but you can overcome it!

Personally, I got in through an unconventional method. I won a short story contest sponsored by Mercury Publishing House, a traditional publishing company. Thus, my story "Bonnie" was the real reason I was published. My win gave my direct contact with the company and I worked things out from there!

For links to agents and publishers, check out my blog (www.michelleizmaylov.blogspot... com). I also have some good tips and advice!

Good luck in getting published!

Jerome Said:

Mystery novel where the first person point of view is of the killer?

We Answered:

Murder of Roger Ackroyd, by Agatha Christie.

Jenny Said:

How to not get discouraged when I write?

We Answered:

First of all, it's never about the length of the book. It's about what is written inside it. If it doesn't please you, then work on it so that it does, because editors and publishers want their clients to be passionate about their novels.
But get some other people to edit it, because sometimes you overreact with something that's actually quite good. Take their advice and train yourself to see the details that you missed which were caught by your trusted editors.
As for the wording, (im assuming you mean vocabulary) grab a dictionary and thesaurus and change tired and overused words.
Never stop believing in yourself. Be optimistic about your writing and about everything else. And send your novels out to a publisher/editor and get an agent. There are many that will reject, sadly, it happens to every author. But one of them might just accept you. Just keep trying.

Ivan Said:

I'm starting to write a novel, any guidance?

We Answered:

I always just write a short 8-line summary of the book, like a synopsis. I then look at it every now and then to keep on track, but it never works to plan everything out. You'll find if you plan the book step by step or chapter by chapter that you'll end up changing it anyway as you write. Novels NEVER follow a plan or keep on track to your original outline, as life is not planned either. Just let your characters and plot develop as you go along.

The best writer Stephen King says he never plans and doesn't know how the books will end; just go with it and you'll find you won't be able to stop your characters from talking and you'll soon get engrossed in the storyline.

And no, an outline isn't a must - if you can work better that way then sure, but I find it's best to let everything plot out and you'll be suprised at the results. Don't put every idea into your story, siv out the ones you think are better, narrow them down and focus on a single 'seed' and let your novel 'grow' as you 'water it every day',

One last tip: try and write something every day even if it's only 20 mins or half hour, otherwise you'll distance yourself from the writing, end up becoming lazy and not want to carry it on, and eventually give up or say you haven't got time. If you want to be a novelist, you MAKE TIME.

Adrian Said:

How to write a sword fighting scene for a script?

We Answered:

Visualizing plays an important role in writing books. Visualize the fighting scene first.Make it as real as possible.Then take a paper and describe what u saw.Then think about grammar and how u can make it more realistic.