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Adam G. Tindall
Mr. White
CP English 12
11 November 2015
Senior Project Paper: Writing a Novel
When I first started this project, I was nervous. I had actually begun writing the basis of my
current story when I was around fourteen years-old. I have written many renditions of the plot, until
finally I had given up for a long while. During this hiatus, I had decided to practice honing my writing
skills by writing a multiple variety of things. Some of these things include poems, short-stories, to even
bits and pieces of fanfiction. The comments online from me posting these things have varied as well.
Some very talented writers who write things on these sites have even commented. From praise to taunting
to criticism; meanwhile I was studying each and every comment looking for tips or tricks and pretty much
anything to make my writing better and more unique. This practice has paid off to an extent, as I try my
best to branch off into a wider range of topics when it comes to writing. When some of my online friends
read my works, they always ask, why such dark topics? That, is when I tell them of some of the things
that Ive been through. You see, I learned that I mightve had a talent for writing when I was still in
Roanoke, Virginia. My mother and I were living in what could be considered a ghetto-style apartment
complex. To emphasize this point, during my finals (also called SOLs) I had to study, work, and rest with
no electricity or internet access. It was hard, and to cope with the stress I began writing a type of blog that
I never officially released. I talked about my depression, thoughts of suicide, etc. It was a very dark time
for me.
When I wrote out these thoughts, I eventually got tired of my own reality. I would sit in my room
staring at my school laptops screen and staring at a blank page of Google Drive. That is when I started
using my imagination that I once had as a child to do something more. I wrote about death and
depression, then, when I began to get bored of those, I wrote about life and psychology. Each and every
topic I would write about I would get bored of. Finally, I realized that I was different from normal people.

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I enjoyed learning about literature. I could read through an entire series of books in one week, regardless
of length. If it captured my attention, if it inspired me in some ways, then I would finish the series in two
or three days. Writing seems to be a topic that many go after yet are never recognized for. Its a lot like
acting in movies. Some actors make it big like Scarlet Johanson. While others tend to stay on the lower
end of fame such as the likes of Doug Jones. That is exactly how writing is. Everyone knows who J. K.
Rowling is, yet when you ask them who John Keats is they go blank, this is because they are not writers.
They are readers. Readers enjoy doing what theyre name implies and experience the creation that writers
create. They are the reason why many writers write. Personally, I enjoy making my own works more for
myself. Yet when I read those comments online of my earlier works, I couldnt help but be motivated to
write more.
My novel is going to be 90,000 and hopefully a little over. The reason for this is because of the
novels category: Fantasy. Fantasy is a topic that many believe uses the realm of elves, dwarves, etc. that
J.R.R. Tolkien had created. Yet that is the common misconception. In reality, Fantasy is anything that goes
beyond our imaginations. Anything that cannot be explained by logic, reason, or science. That is why I
am trying out religious mythology as the topic of my book. More specifically being that of Angels and
Demons. The two are talked about throughout media, yet theyre always depicted as the same. Angels
being the good guys, Demons being the bad. This is something I wish to work on in my story, as I believe
that everything is a shade of gray. There are many misconceptions about Demons. One of the
misconceptions is that Lucifer is the same as Satan. Lucifer was known as the Light Bringer and was
cast out of Heaven for sitting on Gods throne and believing that he can transcend God. Thats it. No one
has tried to work on that, and most likely that is due because of the large amount of outcry it could cause
within the Christian communities all around the United States. Writers are scared to work off the bible,
yet the one thing I remember about the comments Ive read from earlier in my life is that yes, the hate I
recieved hurt. But it motivated me to improve myself, to go against the negativity and overcome it. That
is what I hope to do if I can eventually publish my novel. Its thanks to this being my Senior Project that I
can finally get back on track to what I first started four years ago.

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What I will need to research involves planning my novel out so I know my own plot. I will also
need to find time to write my novel as well. Then, revising and reviewing it will be essential as grammar,
punctuation, and coherent plot can make or break a story. Finding inspiration will also be a priority as that
can also make a novel very good. I will discuss these topics in the research section in good detail. Being a
writer is what I plan on doing for my career, so I want to study, research, and improve in order to make it
a steady slope up into the big leagues.
1.

Planning

When it comes to writing a novel, first a writer must start with the planning of the novel. The
protagonist is the main character of the story and it is he/she in which the story follows (roanestate.edu)
(learn.lexiconic.net). The Antagonist is the opposing force of the protagonist. The Antagonist can be
anything that fights the protagonist or gets in the protagonists way to complete the protagonists goal
(open.edu)(biowiki.ucdavis.edu). Side characters are there in order to assist the protagonist with
progressing the plot or thickening it (owl.english.purdue.edu)(Robert Scholes). The plot is the meat of any
writing. It is what really makes a story, a story (Learner.org)(sandhills.edu). Plot points are points within
the plot that are crucial moments that progress the story. These are the critical moments which draw a
reader in (blog.janicehardy.com)(owl.english.purdue.edu).
2. Writing
Next up comes actually writing the novel. In order to do this, a writer must make time to actually
write as distractions of all kinds can get in the way (writers.uclaextension.edu). A writer must not let
distraction take hold of his time, else he will never finish what he starts (Open.edu)
(blogs.centralpenn.edu). A writer must also be sure to research topics that he will put in his book. If he
doesnt do any research, then people who actually do research will notice (Nova.edu)
(bulletin.kenyon.edu).
3.

Reviewing
Once thats over, a writer needs to review his/her work in order to make changes. Spelling is the

number one problem a writer must get correct in his/her book so that way they keep the reader glued to

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the pages (bc.edu)(dyslexiahelp.umich.edu). Grammar is another important factor in writing. Though it can
be forgotten sometimes, it can distract the reader if the grammar is off-puttingly bad (gallaudet.edu). Once
the writer is done with simple things like grammar and spelling, he should move onto reviewing the plot
of the story. The plot is the meat that the reader needs to eat, and if the plot is bad then the reader doesnt
want to read it (cod.edu)(nova.edu). Once that is done, then the final part of the reviewing is the process
of changing everything. The writer must change some things in order to actually make progress, and this
is to help everything fit easier into the puzzle (creativenonfictionspring2015.qwriting.qc.cuny.edu)
(srmo.sagepub.com).
4.

Revising
After Reviewing the novel, a writer should move onto revising said novel. The number one thing

to actually revise, would be the storys elements (tedb-old.byu.edu)

(creativenonfictionspring2015.qwriting.qc.cuny.edu). After that a writer should focus on character
elements. What makes the character who he/she is and makes he/she interesting to the reader is the
question that must be able to be formulated by the reader (catalyst.uw.edu)(learn.lexiconic.net). When it
comes to the overall story, there are only two things left to revise. One thing is for the reader's enjoyment,
and that is the ending to a writers story (Learner.org). Finally, the last thing to revise so the reader has the
best enjoyment is the overall message that a writer is trying to spell out for the reader. This message can
be either good or bad, but it has to make sense and be able to be interpreted as the message the writer is
trying to say (muse.jhu.edu)(mockingbird.creighton.edu)(people.vcu.edu).
5.

Inspiration
Most of these topics cover the actual writing from the book, but not the ideas that a writer puts on

paper, their inspiration. There are many inspirational things that one can get from the world; wars, the
economy, anything a writer can imagine (mutv.missouri.edu)(midpac.edu). Writers also can get
inspiration from other works of fiction or written work. Whether its a movies plot adapted from a book,
the movie is still using the book for inspiration (mutv.missouri.edu)(library.taylor.edu). Then, there are
writers like Edgar Allan Poe who write from the experience of their lives. A majority of these writers

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lives are tragic or interesting enough to sound make-believe to an extent (sc.edu)(poemuseum.org).
Finally, when it comes to characters, writers especially take inspiration from the people around them. Its
as a saying goes, a reader never want to piss off a writer, or else theyll find a gruesome demise in their
next best seller (reading.cornell.edu)(hrc.utexas.edu).
Now that I have gone over everything there is to plan out and prepare for, I will utilize this info in
order to better my writing and create my novel. My novel as I said in the beginning is 90,000, which is a
lot of writing for a new writer such as myself. Yet by utilizing inspiration and detracting away from
procrastination and distraction I should be able to finish it in time before February 20 th, 2016. I am
determined to get my novel done. Though I have learned that publishing it will be difficult, I will at least
have the manuscript to turn in for the project itself then I will try to publish it at a later date. Writing is
one of my greatest passions, so reading articles and comments about writing helps me develop my own
style and sense of writing within both my mind and with what I type.
So by planning out my novel, I will have the basic skeleton of the novel itself. This is where I will
imagine up characters, plot, etc. to basically be the important points in the novel. These points could also
be referred to as a plot pyramid. Thankfully, I already have the major points of my story down, so then all
I need to do is fill in between the points with filler content that leads to said points. After that, I can
finally sit down and get to the one thing every writer hates: the writing process.
Once I establish time to sit down and write everything, I will be able to research into the lore of
the things Im writing about and make sure that characters in my story based on said lore are accurate. It
will also be the time where I must be on my guard for distraction, however, I have utilized a technique
where I turn everything off and have only one tab open on my computer. Said tab being the story. After
that its all a matter of patience and determination with a little bit of luck and imagination. That is how Ill
write my story.
Then comes the part where I will have to review and revise over every part of the story. This goes
for anything that seems out of place. I will even utilize pre-readers if I must to establish overall opinion. I
hope to garner the attention of anyone who likes mythology that isnt the currently over-used Greek,

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Roman, and Norse. This will be a steady, gradual process that should take about a month total in order to
complete.
Finally, the last thing to wrap up will be the little things like cover art and maybe some in-story
sketches to entertain the readers from time to time. I really want to put my all into this book and make
sure that its good. Writing this book and finishing it will be a very sweet, wonderful feeling. Not only
will I be completing a major project for school, but I will finally have a novel-length story that I can
eventually publish. All thanks to the research provided to make it a smooth, easier ride.

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