How to Write an Unforgettable Novel

On sifting through the cosmic mulch.

Alleged Hungarian serial killer Elizabeth Báthory, just one of many inspirations for THE WRITING RETREAT. (Source)

Hello friend, and welcome to my first newsletter!

 I’m so excited to be sharing these with you, because I feel like the land of publicity and social media is fun, but doesn’t always allow for nuance, complexity, and realness. As a therapist and creative coach, these are what I thrive on. 

So as we begin, maybe we can take a moment to pause and check in with ourselves. How are we today? What’s going on in our bodies? How can we bring some softness to any tightness or hard edges? I ask because I truly believe that the ability to connect with ourselves leads to aliveness, curiosity, and the most compelling art. 

Speaking of, today I want to talk about a question that has come up with several of my creative coaching clients. (What is creative coaching, you ask? See the end of this newsletter for more!) How can we come up with an idea for a novel that will keep us interested—no, FASCINATED, maybe even slightly obsessed—for the duration of us working on it? After all, writing a book is like going on a long journey. We’re going to be traveling for weeks, months, and probably years, depending on whether or not we’d like to try to get it published. In a world with so many distractions, how can we ensure that we’ll want to stay on that journey until the very end?

This is important, not just because many of us may want to finish our novels, but because there’s a strong correlation as to whether or not READERS will also want to stay with us on the book’s journey. If you write a novel that you find captivating, there’s a good chance that your audience will be pulled in, too.

I’ve had to ask myself this question while working on my next book. And I’ve realized that for me, there are three main categories that, if focused on, turn up the dial on my excitement for the project. These confirm: Yes! This is what I really want to write about! You can come up with these lists before you’ve written a word, or if you’ve slowed down somewhere along the way. The categories are: topics, literary tropes, and characters/archetypes. I’m going to give you an example based on my debut novel THE WRITING RETREAT. If you haven’t yet read it, you may want to skim as there are some light spoilers.

TOPICS: 

• Frustrations around being a struggling writer

• Friendship breakup

• Toxic mentor/mentee relationships (a la Whiplash)

• Competition/scarcity mindset in creative fields due to capitalism

• Racial disparities in publishing

• Coming out as bisexual/queer later in life

• Not being where you expect to be in life at a certain age (like 30)

• Effects of trauma (historic, familial, societal, etc.)

• Spiritualism (feminist origins of, see Mira Ptacin’s THE IN-BETWEENS) and arts-based channeling (Hilma af Klint)

LITERARY TROPES:

• Haunted house that echoes characters’ psyches (HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE, REBECCA)

• Being trapped inside during a snowstorm (THE SHINING)

• Victorian gothic vibes 

• Book-within-a-book (MISERY)

• Locked room thriller

• Coming of age - sexuality

CHARACTERS/ARCHETYPES*: 

• NO MEN

• Powerful older woman (vampiric, hypnotic like Elizabeth Báthory) (CRONE/QUEEN)

• Charismatic and charming psychopaths (Hannibal Lector) (TRICKSTER)

• Fake-ally opponent*

• Fake-opponent ally*

• Young/innocent naif

• Mrs. Danvers-like housekeeper

Signing copies of THE WRITING RETREAT at one of my favorite bookstores, Books Are Magic!

You can go wild with your lists—and know that you don’t ultimately have to include everything. But take some time to come up with all the topics, tropes, and characters that you would love to include in a book. Think of them like a bubbling cauldron of inspirations, or a pile of cosmic mulch. If you’re just starting your novel, explore and play with the items on your lists. How can your characters struggle with topics or themes you find interesting? How can you integrate a classic literary trope into your (possibly modern) tale? How would a trickster-like character or even a huge betrayal (ie fake-ally opponent) shake things up?

If you’re in the midst of writing your novel and want to feel reinvigorated, you can also make these lists. Are there topics you wanted to include that you can hit harder? Is that character as [tricky, charismatic, naive] as you’d wanted? If you’re ever feeling stuck or bored, it can also be energizing to go back to some of your original inspirations. Read the news article that made you want to write about X, watch the movie that blew your mind re: Y, or skim the passages of books that originally stoked your enthusiasm about Z.

I recommend printing out these lists and sticking them above your desk or wherever else you work. You’d be surprised how quickly you can forget about the things you originally wanted to include, and this physical reminder will keep them top-of-mind. Of course, you may find that you don’t end up including everything on the list—maybe this issue or that trope or character just didn’t fit. And that’s okay. Chances are, they might work better in a future project. 

I’ll write more about plot and characters in future newsletters, but the very basis of story-telling is to make sure that YOU are incredibly excited about your story. The more eager you are, the more you’ll want to go back to it, day after day, and the more readers will similarly feel drawn in. This method will also help protect you from that old enthusiasm-killer: that it’s all been done before. Because even if your topics, tropes, and characters have all been previously explored, they’ve never been explored IN THIS WAY, from your specific perspective (as the brilliant Audre Lorde reminds us). So make sure to write a book stuffed with your own inspirations and interests—one that only you could have written. 

I would love to hear your feedback: what do you think of this approach? What was one surprising idea or inspiration that made its way into your work? And what kinds of things would you like me to write about in future newsletters? Please comment below—and share if you enjoyed!

*More on archetypes and opponents in a future newsletter! Check out John Truby if you’d rather know NOW!

Creative Coaching

Interested in learning more about my creative coaching services? As a licensed therapist and NYT-bestselling novelist, I bring a unique set of skills to my creative coaching business. In our 60-minute sessions, we will explore and find solutions to your creative challenges in a way that feels enjoyable and sustainable. I support people who have specific questions ("Why can't I start/finish my project?" or "Why am I struggling to get an agent?") and those with more general issues ("How can I integrate more joyful creativity into my life?" or "I'd like to be more creative, but I don't know where to start"). My view is that our creative life should be exciting and fulfilling, instead of stressful and overwhelming. I offer different sized packages based on different needs. More on packages/pricing in the Work with Me section of my website. Reach out with any questions (juliabartz@gmail.com), and if you’d like to book with me, you can fill out a quick request form here.

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