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10 Best Tips on Writing a Good First Draft

When I wrote my first novel, I worried about grammar, spelling, sentence structure in the first draft. I didn't even know what a draft was. I sat down and started writing 'a manuscript'.

I kept looking back and trying to fix things as I wrote. Big mistake! I learned the long and hard way that first drafts are their own animal. They are really more about getting the story down on paper.

Now that I'm writing my 12th novel, I offer some tips for other beginners:

Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Your first draft is not supposed to be perfect. It's only a rough draft. You're only 'blurting out the story' on paper. Spelling, grammar, punctuation or sentence structure don't count yet.
Just keep writing. Don't stop to edit or revise in the first draft. It's a complete waste of time. You will make changes all throughout the draft, so polishing up writing that may be tossed is fruitless. You can fix the draft after you know you have the story down on paper.
Don't worry about deepening the plot or the depth of your characters. Just focus on getting your story down on paper. You can massage the plot in second drafts and add to your characters on your second go-round.
Write in a way that feels comfortable for you. Some people like to outline their stories before they start writing. Others like to just sit down and start writing without any planning. Find what works best for you and go with it.
Set aside some time each day to write. Even if it's just for 30 minutes, make sure you set aside some time each day to write. This will help you to stay on track and to make progress on your story.
Leave Notes to Yourself. Make notes to yourself wherever you stop writing in a session that will help you 'find your place' the next time you sit down. Write down what you're thinking and where your mind is at during this last writing session.
Find a quiet place to write. Unless you are one of these lucky people who can shut out all noise and action around you, you will need to find a place where you won't be interrupted so that you can focus on your writing.
Take breaks. Don't try to write for hours on end. Take breaks every 20-30 minutes to get up and move around, or to do something else that will help you to clear your head. It's even good to do some stretching exercises as sitting for long stretches can make us stiff!
Don't get discouraged. If your story is a good one, there is no such thing as a bad draft. You're not the writer during the first draft. You are still the story crafter. So don't get discouraged if nothing seems like a novel. Like I said earlier, you are just blurting out the story, recording it in broad strokes onto paper. As you begin to work with the first draft, that's when it will come to life and shape up.
Have fun! Writing should be enjoyable. If you're not having fun, it will show in your writing. So relax, have fun, and let your creativity flow.

I hope these tips help you to write a great first draft!

CHECK OUT MY PEEK BEHIND THE NOVEL VIDEO SERIES

5 Best Tips on Writing Subplots

FIRST THINGS FIRST:

First there's the mystery outline of a novel. It's important to know where the mystery begins, the names of all suspects, everyone's motivation for murder or kidnapping, theft, etc. But once you have your crime and mystery outline, what then?

Then it's time to turn to the subplots. Below are the five best tips to come up with subplots that fit the story.

Make sure your subplots support the main plot.

The subplots should not detract from the main plot, but should instead enhance it. They should add depth and complexity to the story, and they should help to drive the main plot forward. In a mystery, it's easy to mirror a main character's personality trait in a witness and create some inner dialogue. This ties it in nicely.

Give your subplots a narrative arc.

Each main character should have their own arc, even if it's a short arc for this one book in a series. There should be an arc of growth for the main characters. But just like the main plot, your subplots should have a beginning, middle, and end. They should have a clear goal or objective, and they should build to a satisfying resolution.

Write character-driven subplots.

The best subplots are those that are driven by the characters and the drama from their personal lives. The characters should have their own goals and motivations, and they should be actively working to achieve those goals throughout all four segments of the story. Even in a series, there should be a distinct growth on some level from the beginning of the novel to the end.

Try a new POV.

If you're writing a first-person novel, try using a different POV for your subplots. This can help to add variety to your story and to give readers a different perspective on the events. This is not a technique that I would suggest to beginner novelists, but for authors who are more seasoned, yes, this is a way to shake things up a bit.

Figure out how to connect the subplot and the main plot.

The subplots should be connected to the main plot in some way. This could be through a character, or a job, a family connection or a neighborhood. The connection should be clear to the reader, and it should help to make the story more cohesive, more realistic.

Ramp up the tension with a subplot.

Subplots can be used to ramp up the tension in your story. It's a great way to add a little more pressure onto your main character or characters! Not only do they have to catch the bad guy, but their landlord is threatening them, or their wife is threatening to leave them, etc. If the main mystery plot is getting a little slow as you drip in clues, you can spice up the subplot that will add some excitement and suspense.

Use subplots to explore themes.

Subplots can be used to explore themes in your story. For example, if your main character has a goal of having her own family, you could have a subplot about how the character is struggling to find their place in their family or with their in-laws.

Keep your subplots short and sweet.

Subplots need to be interesting, yes, but it's easy to go overboard with them too. So the arc needs to be short but concise. They should be short and sweet, so to speak. They should be short enough to keep the reader's interest, but not so short that they feel underdeveloped.

Don't be afraid to kill off characters in subplots.

And the last tip, and this is mostly to beginners, don't be afraid to kill off characters in subplots. This can add a sense of realism to your story, and it can also help to raise the stakes for the main characters. It can also be a shocking event that heightens the tension or adds a twist in the plot.

CHECK OUT MY PEEK BEHIND THE NOVEL VIDEO SERIES

WRITERS DIARY – Writing a Novel – First Draft Doubts

THERE ARE ALWAYS FIRST DRAFT DOUBTS:

I'm assuming all writers have doubts as they are writing the first draft. I know I do. Something happens between the feeling of knowing I have a good plotline and writing out the first draft.

After analyzing it for a while, I believe what happens is that I cannot 'envision' the whole story coming together as I am just blurting out the first half of the first draft.

When writing a first draft, I'm in the nitty gritty now. It's no longer 'thinking about the plotline'. I'm now committing it to paper. A feeling of insecurity arises as I realize that I'm halfway through my scenes and I don't get a feeling of any suspense or mystery. It has absolutely no personality yet. It's dry. The characters are a bit like sticks yet.

THIS IS WHY I START WITH FOUR DIFFERENT PLOTLINES:

Battling against these doubts is one reason I started working on four separate plotlines before choosing the best one. This way, I know I picked the best of four before I even started.

Then I remind myself that a first draft has no details. I'm really more or less linking the scenes where the biggest clues are dropped to one another. In the book I'm writing now, I'm even skipping over most of the subplots until I can get a read on how much "space" I'll have to write them.

What does that mean? It means that as a newer author, I can't go over 80,000 to 100,000 words. So I try to create a first draft with about 45,000 to 60,000. This way, I have room to beef up my subplots, add the descriptions and any theme commentary, etc.

THE DOUBTS ARE MORE ABOUT LACK OF VISION:

The doubts seem to be a combination of an inability to see the final novel and being halfway through the first layer of a first draft. It's hard not to feel that this story is not "good enough". It's not good enough. It's not meant to be good enough. A good enough story needs 8 or 9 layers of writing.

JUST KEEP WRITING:

So the antidote to self-doubt is to keep writing. Trust your plotline. Know too that you can always add clues, rearrange some scenes, add a bit more intrigue into your subplots. Eight layers of writing leaves a lot of room for beefing up a story, deepening a story and polishing a story.

REMIND MYSELF THAT THIS IS ONLY LAYER 3 OF A 7 TO 8 LAYER PROCESS:

I also remind myself that a first draft just has to be gotten through. It's the hardest layer to write because you are writing on faith alone really. You are trusting yourself as a storyteller.

Peek Behind the Novel – Layer 2 – How to Break the Crime Skeleton into Four Acts or Parts

FITTING THE CRIME SKELETON OUTLINE INTO THE FOUR ACT STRUCTURE:

For anyone who is new here, I use a Four Act Structure as opposed to the more-popular three-act structure. I find that middle section in the three-act structure too confusing. Over the writing of 12 novels, I gravitated to a four-part structure as it is more symmetrical and makes more sense to me. I also believe, for whatever it's worth to anyone, that this three-act structure is responsible for the 'lagging' that often occurs in the middle of a story.

If you are following my A Peek Behind the Novel Series, you have learned about creating the crime or mystery skeleton outline in past blog posts and videos. I won't go over those again here.

This is the point where you will break the crime/mystery skeleton into the four parts. I'll enumerate below the items that should be in each part. I hope this is helpful to newbies. I'm not an expert on any of this, by the way, but my purpose here is to provide help that I wish I had when I was first starting out.

Part One:

The inciting incident. In a murder, crime or police procedural story, this will be the crime itself and how the detectives show up in it. When the detectives are pushed into going on a quest to solve it, that's the inciting incident. This begins the journey of the story.

Also in Section 1, I drop some information about where my characters arcs will begin. Because I write in series, the question I ask myself is: What do my characters want at this time of their lives? What do they want to happen right now? I determine in this initial phase where the character arcs will begin, and where they will end.

Now, in the creative process, the character arcs get deeper and more elaborate, so don't worry if you don't have a clear idea of exactly how they will change. I make sure Part 1 contains information about where their arc begins.

Also in Part 1 will be a slow drip of background information. When I was new, I tended to do these big info drops in the beginning, but thankfully, editors and advance readers were good enough to point this out to me. The readers don't need to know everything about the background of the main characters within the first five pages. This information is best 'slowly dripped', just like the clues.

PART TWO:

Part Two is where I introduce all the suspects and their possible motivations -- as the detectives are quite often guessing at this early stage of an investigation. The motivation of each of the suspects will be uncovered in some way later in Part two or even in Part 3.

Part Two is about following clues and uncovering suspects, evidence and motivation. The readers are collecting information and they are doing their own thinking and speculating too. This is where their enjoyment comes from, hearing about the clues and trying to out think the detectives and the suspects -- and even the author!

Section two is also where the subplots begin to move forward. Whether the subplot is a specific conflict that gets worse or a general stubbornness that is exhibited, I begin to move the subplots along in part two.

The end of Part Two usually marks the midpoint of the book. I like to end this section with a .big reveal of some kind. Or maybe a clue that turns the investigation into another direction. There could even be a new murder, or the surfacing of an unusual suspect, or someone gets caught in a big lie that changes the direction of the investigation.

If you are using time or some other way to apply pressure to solve the crime, you also want to take it up one or two notches in Part 2.

Part Three:

Now the investigation gets a little stressful. The detectives may not agree on who the guilty party is, or maybe they know who it is but can't find the legal evidence to prove it. Maybe they are operating only on gut feeling and speculation at this point. They are rushing against the clock or against other forces working against them to solve it, catch the guilty party or find compelling and irrefutable evidence.

Part 3 is where the suspects' lies and half-truths are exposed and this all sheds light on the actual crime or mystery. The title of "most likely suspect" may also go back and forth between one or two of the suspects in Part 3.

The subplots need to also move along into their stage 3. They may need to be set up for a final resolution of the subplot, which is often very different than the main story.

Part Four:

Part four is broken down into two parts. In the first half of Section 4, the crime or mystery is solved. There will be whatever drama you want to add about the solving of this crime. Whether your detectives are battling physically with someone, bullets are being fired back and forth, or entrapping the guilty party, or just uncovering that last piece of evidence that will legally prove guilt, this is where this is revealed.

I personally also like to do a very quick sum up of the entire theory of the mystery. In my opinion, readers are very busy and sometimes they are reading carefully, but other times, they are reading with one eye open right before they fall asleep for the night. So I like to do a quick sum up just in case they missed anything. But I do it very quickly because there are the avid readers who never miss anything and you don't want to bore them!

The second half of Part 4 is the 'wrap up'. This is where you will show the new normal, everyone's life 'in resolution'. This is where you will also explain the full growth of your characters. Many author's don't do this, but I don't like to read books where things end where the reader is left to decide what it all means. I may have my own opinions, but I like to know what the author meant by the story. So I make sure I explain, again very quickly, how things are ending in a narrator voice.

If You Are Writing in a Series:

If you are writing a series, it's important to also let the reader know the back story continues. I always include a link to a signup list for readers to be notified of any new books that I am releasing.

Check Out My Video Below:

I have a video on this crime mystery technique below. For your convenience, I have the timestamps below if you want to jump to a specific section:

00:15 - Snapshot from a Crime Scene Clues List from another storyline
00:45 - Part 1 - Elements needed
01:29 - Part 1 - Dripping background information
01:45 - Part 2 - Adding additional suspects and motivations
02:24 - Part 2 - The Midpoint of the Story
03:00 - Part 3 - The Plot thickens - Secrets and revelations
03:30 - Part 3 - The Dark Night of the Soul
03:52 - Part 4 - First section is the big reveal
04:23 - Part 4 - Second half - Wrap up of the crime or mystery, show the growth of the characters and the new normal.
04:53 - Part 4 - Series clue that the story continues with a new adventure

Here is the Actual Video:

Peek Behind the Novel – Writing Scene Outlines

WHERE WE ARE BEGINNING IN THIS BLOG POST:

I left off writing about how I divide the crime skeleton, after adding in the subplots, into the Four-Part Structure. I am now entering the third layer of writing. This blog post and video below are about sketching in the plot outlines.

WHERE WE ARE GOING:

Most new writers want to get to the writing already. But in this layer of writing, all plot holes or inconsistencies will show up. Any clues that won't work when adding more suspects and motivations will show up in this layer.

So this layer is like an insurance policy that you won't be writing for the trash can.

USING THE SHORT TEMPLATE:

My template is short but it keeps me on track. I'll break it down below. This small template I use keeps my writing on point and tight. It prevents me from meandering, dawdling, going off on an irrelevant tangent or writing myself into a corner.

POINT OF VIEW

n order to prevent head-hopping, which is very common among new writers, you need to be constantly reminded that each scene is in one perspective. Some writers write in first person and that's easy.

However, I write in third person - one persons perspective. This prevents the reader hopping from head to head. It's too confusing for a reader to do that.

However, I don't choose my point of view this early on in the process. I wait until I am actually writing the scene before I choose. In my experience, as you write the scene, the first draft, one character will sort of 'claim the scene as their own'. That's when I choose the point of view and then make sure the entire scene is in that persons perspective.

Now, I must confess, since I write in third person narrator style, I do allow myself one tiny head-hop at the end of a scene if I think it serves the plot well. I think any reader can handle one tiny head hop.

I'm a self-published author at this time, and one of the benefits of self-publishing is you can do what you want. The professional publishers may be horrified by allowing one head hop at the end of a scene, but as a self-publisher, I can do what I want. (Hee hee)

KEEPING TRACK OF TIME

I don't know whether I am an author who is obsessed with time, or whether I use time as an element to put pressure to solve on my characters, but I have always tracked time. I find this helps me balance the story and make the story more realistic.

What I mean by that is often times there is so much that is happening in a book on one particular day, that it becomes unrealistic that all of this could happen in one day. Maybe it's just me.

Keeping track of time allows me to also know when the workday is over and the subplots can enter the scene as most subplots happen at least in part in a character's off time.

CHOOSING A SCENE LOCATION:

Location is important for two reasons. One reason is casts the scene in cement. You have chosen a stage for the scene to take place. I don't write any scene or location descriptions in this layer of writing. But I can write the action of the scene in context of a location.

Secondly, adding the location in this layer allow me to go off and find photographs that I can use in the layers down the road where I will add descriptions into the story.

PURPOSE - MOVING THE STORY ALONG

Every experienced author who I listened to when I was first writing fiction said the same thing: Everything in the manuscript is there to move the story along. If it doesn't move the story, it doesn't belong there. So this Purpose in my template helps me keep my writing tight and on point.

CLUES - KEEP TRACK OF CLUES

This one is self-evident. A crime novel, murder mystery or police procedural is about solving a crime or mystery. So uncovering clues, following them to the next clue is the vehicle for the story. So it's important to keep track of clues.

In the first stage of writing, it's easy to remember if you put clues into the story. In the first draft, it's easy to rely on your memory. But after you've read through the story a bit and begin to add more to it, you won't be able to remember whether you saw that clue in the last chapter or the last time you read through the entire layer.

So it's important to keep track of clues.

DIVIDING AND CONQUERING THE MANUSCRIPT:

By dividing the story into four parts, and then writing scene outlines, you can divide a huge manuscript down into bite-size pieces. It is less overwhelming and easier to organize, write and keep track of.

HOW SCENE OUTLINING WORKS IN SCRIVENER:

You can watch the video below for a full explanation, but each scene begins with the template. I leave the POV blank for now. I choose the time and location. And then under Purpose/Clues, I add everything I want to happen in this scene. I am thinking about the main plot, the dripping of background info, the dripping of clues, and the subplots.

I use numbers but using bullet points would probably be best as I have to change the numbers a lot. Although when I show you the rest of my technique, you will see that the number themselves don't matter.

ABOUT THE VIDEO:

In this video, I talk about and lay out how to use a simple template and write the individual scene outlines. By sketching in the individual novel scenes, I can be sure that the clues and mystery scenarios will all work before I waste any time writing any scenes. I go into my strategy and work flow in this video and the benefits of outlining the scenes first. Once you have a scene outline, the actual writing of the scenes becomes only creative and fun.

Time Stamps of this video:
00:01 - Laying out the plotline into scenes
00:58 - The benefits of writing scene outlines
02:46 - The scene template
03:03 - Summary of the process up to this point. Showing a scrolling outline.
04:22 - The template in action - an example of how the template works 04:45 - Point of View
05:26 - Keeping track of time in the manuscript
06:26 - The importance of Locations
07:10 - Purpose - Moving the story along
08:20 - Keeping track of clues
09:20 - Dividing and conquering the manuscript
10:05 - Live in Scrivener with present novel - How the scene outlines work. 11:45 - Sneak Peek of the Synopsis
12:05 - Looking at Scrivener Binders a new one vs. a fully written book
13:13 - Knowing the story through the outline

Peek Behind the Novel – Writing the First Draft – Layer 4

LAYER 4 - WRITING THE FIRST DRAFT

Use the Scene outlines to write the individual scenes.
Split Scrivener Binder into Four Parts representing the Four Part Structure.
I copy each scene outline into one document under the Part it belongs in.
I set up all of my scene documents in the proper sections. I don't worry if certain parts are 'heavy'. The clues are recorded but the rest of the drama of the story is not.

THE MIND IS ALWAYS WORKING:

This process will give you a bird's eye view of the scenes.
I usually decide to move a scene or two closer to the mid-section of the story. Because it's only an outline, it's easy-peasy.
By seeing the scenes with the timings and a one to three word prompt, I start to see the story from above.

I DON'T FORGET MY LANDMARKS - PART 1

The Hook (Which we haven't talked about yet)
The crime scene or the acknowledgement of the mystery
The Inciting Incident - When the detectives start off to solve the crime.
By the end of Part 1, I want there to be at least 2 suspects or even 3.
By the end of Part 1, more than one person looks guilty.

LANDMARKS OF PART 2:

Interviews begin - they point to different people
Clues begin to trickle in - they may seem to clear one or another
One of two secrets are exposed in Part 2.
The end of Part 2 is the midway point. There could be a big surprise or shock

LANDMARKS OF PART 3:

More interviews
More clues
Even the rise of another suspect, an unusual suspect.
This rise of an unusual suspect can twist the story into another direction.
This midway point could also be a Dark Night of the Soul where it may seem that the culprit may get away with it or it won't be solved or solved in time.

LANDMARKS OF PART 4:

The first part of this section will be a big reveal.
The crime will be solved between the start of Part 4 up to 2/3 of the part.
There needs to be time to wrap up the crime and show how it affects everyone involved.
The last part of the story is for the 'wrap up' where you tie up all the loose ends.

ABOUT WRITING THE WRAP UP:

Reveal the guilty party and solve the mystery.
Reveal why the red herring couldn't be guilty.
Do a quick review of the whole crime to confirm for the readers
Show a 'new normal' for the main characters, showing their character arcs completing.
In a series, you need to drop a clue that this crime is finished but their story continues.

TIPS ON WRITING A FIRST DRAFT:

Write forward only. Don't look back.
Don't worry about spelling, grammar, verb tense, too many over-used words.
The goal of the first draft is to get it down on paper and make sure you put everything into the story from your scene outlines.
Think of it as 'blurting out the story'.

I'LL BE BUSY OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS WRITING:

I've reached Layer 4 in my present novel. This layer takes time to get it all down on paper.
By not worrying about prose or grammar, I'm free to just be creative about the story and whatever dialogue pops into my head.
The first draft will be just that -- a first draft.
Rest assured that the first draft is important, but by the time I get all the way to Layer 8, it will be polished and not look anything like it looks in the first draft.

I HOPE THIS SPURS SHARING

I hope my revelations of my writing techniques will prompt other authors to reveal their process.
I love to learn new techniques and when I was brand new, learning from experienced authors was so very helpful.
Be sure to sign up at ReadFirstChapter.com to get on my mailing list. I send book promotions once a week and notices of new books and notices of when my books go "free" on Amazon.

Here is the YouTube video that goes along with this blog post. I have the timestamps below in case you want to watch a certain part over or just skip to the relevant part.

00:01 - How I set up Scrivener into the Four Part Story Structure 01:15 - This process gives you a bird's eye view of the entire story
02:00 - Showing in Scrivener how I set up the Binder, the documents, the Title and Synopsis sections and how I can use the Outline view to see a bird's eye view of the entire manuscript as it comes together.
03:00 - Tracking case time and personal time in order to weave in the subplots
03:36 - How I use the screen outlines, moving the scene outline into the Notes section to keep it safe
04:25 - The Corkboard vs. Outline View 06:10 - Keeping the writing landmarks of Part 1 in mind: The hook, inciting incident, etc.
07:15 - Landmarks of Part 2, how the evidence trickles in - middle of the book
08:20 - Landmarks of Part 3 - Names the suspects and a dark night of the soul.
09:20 - First half of Part 4 - The big reveal and the wrap up of the mystery. 11:03 - Tying up all loose ends and the subplots. Showing the new normal. Ending the character arcs for this story.
12:00 - Writing series and letting the reader know the crime has been solved but their personal lives continue.
12:37 - Five tips to Beginner Writers 13:30 - The story crafter vs. the story author.

Peek Behind the Novel – Layer 1 – Organizing the Crime Tips

This is the second step in writing a new fiction novel. In the first step, I start out with writing four potential storylines in FreeMind, which is a mind mapping software. You can see that video here.

Once I finish four potential plotlines, one of them usually pops out and wants to be written. I feel myself getting excited to write it. This process, although it's hard to think of four different storylines, gives me confidence right from the beginning that I am writing the best book for me right now. This whole process fills me with excitement to write.

OPEN SCRIVENER AND BEGIN:

I take my new plotline and open scrivener. I open one document and plan the crime itself. I'm presently writing a police procedural at this time, but even if you are writing a generic mystery, this technique will work. Most great fiction has some level of mystery or suspense in it, so it would even work for generic fiction.

I make a chronological list of the crime as it happens. When it happens, who it happens to, who the first witnesses will be, if any. I also isolate in my mind an actual scene of the crime. I put in all the evidence the cops or detectives will find at the scene. This will begin the investigation. In a mystery or crime novel, this is the inciting incident.

I also add to the list other suspects and what their motivation will be for the crime or mystery. As you begin to add different suspects into the mix, you will most likely have to change your original plotline idea to accommodate these new suspects.

I go through this whole process adding, subtracting and changing up the suspects and plotline in this abbreviated format. It should look like directions from Google maps or a long list of very short paragraphs.

A SECTION CALLED THE ENDING:

I have a section at the end called "How it will end". My books never end the way I indicate in this section. However, by having a solid idea of how I want it to end at this time, it gives me a direction and a destination. Then during the creative process, when I get new and better ideas, I simple go down my list and/or scene outlines (we'll cover these in another installment) and change up the outline. It's easy-peasy.

I do this for the entire storyline. At the end, you will have a good idea what the story is about, but there won't be any nuance, or personality in the story yet, so if it seems dry, don't worry about it. It is very dry at this point. You are knitting together a skeleton and bones are dry. You will breathe live into this as you get to the point of actual writing.

THE BENEFITS OF WRITING THIS OUTLINE:

Most new writers want to start writing scenes and dialogue. They want to just get on with it. But the dark side of working this way is that when you find out your clues won't work when you need to add a new suspect, you will have written two chapters already. My process will save you from writing for the trashcan.

By going through this short one-liner outline in chronological order, anything in the story that won't work, it comes out in this layer of writing. This saves you from throwing away already written work.

There is a video I made for YouTube below. I go over some of these points but others tips and tricks as well. For your convenience, I have time stamps below in case you want to just jump to the section you want to look at:

01:27 - Open Scrivener and open one document
01:45 - Other suspects, their motivation, red herring, etc.
02:15 - How it will End section
03:20 - Determining the framework of the script which will prevent writing for the trash can.
05:30 - Review of the layer elements
05:43 - Sneak peek into the next videos

Gimp for Authors – Basic Tips I Wish I knew When I Started

Gimp is a free graphics program and it's fairly easy to use. But a lot of the program is not self-explanatory. So you can get lost really easily. A graphics designer needs to know how the entire program works. For authors, writers and other self-publishers, you only need to know a few of the tools to do pretty much everything you need to do.

The purpose of this blog post and video below is to give an overview of what authors will need to know about Gimp in order to be able to make social media posts, ad banners and book covers.

OPEN A NEW DOCUMENT VS. OPEN AS A LAYER:

Once you download the software, you will open the program and your first move will be to 'create a new image'. Click on FILE > NEW IMAGE. This will open a new dialogue box. Fill in the dimensions of how big or small you want the image to be.

PPI - This controls how big the image is. If you are creating something for a printer, or a paperback cover, you need to fill in 300ppi. If you are creating a social media image, fill in 72ppi. Printers need BIG pictures and the internet likes smaller pictures because they are easier to pull up from the servers.

HOW THE LAYERS PANEL WORKS:

All images are created in layers. The layers are built up one over the other. This is another reason why transparency is important -- which I'll cover below -- because you don't want to cover up the image or work below the layer you are on.

If you don't see your layer's panel open with the default settings, click on Windows > Dockable Dialogue Boxes and Layers will be one of the first choices in the long list of choices. You can get to it by using the shortcut key Control L.

CHANGING COLORS FOR TEXT:

The graphic to the left is a closeup of the tools panel. Each tool is represented by an icon. Below the tools is a graphic representation of your foreground color (the color on top) and the background color (the color in the back).

When you open a blank layer, it will default to your chosen background color.

The text tool uses the foreground color. So if you want to create a layer of black text, click on the text tool, click where you want to type on your image, and the text will render in black.

However, if you want to change the color of your text, before you click on the text tool, click on the black foreground color icon, and a color box will open. Choose another color and then click okay. Then click on the text box and your text will render in that color.

TIPS ON USING THE TEXT TOOL:

The text took can be tricky for a beginner because you can't as easily use the shortcut keys. For example, if you change your text size and then click on M for the move tool, it only adds an 'm' next to the text size. This can drive a new user mad! So be aware of this, that the shortcut keys can be a bit tricky when using the text tool.

It's best to click out of the text box and then click on the move tool icon. I wish I had known this when I first started using Gimp!

USING THE ALIGNMENT TOOL:

In order to align everything in the center on your image, you will need to use the alignment tool. There are two steps in using the alignment tool. Most tools are as easy as just clicking once on them. However, when using the alignment tool, click the tool to make it active. Double click to bring up the tool box. Then choose to associate this to the background layer. Once it has been assigned, then you click inside the image to the area you want to align. Four very tiny dots will surround the object you are about to align. These tiny dots are easy for a beginner to overlook. Once you see these tiny dots, then you click on the 'center' or 'left-align', etc. inside the tool itself.

When you see the video below, you will see it in action and it will become clearer.

SAVE VS. SAVE AS VS. EXPORT AS:

There are three ways to save documents. I'll post below the three ways and when you want to use that particular save:

Save or Save as - This saves the image as a .xcf document. These documents are only recognized by the Gimp program itself. You may want to save a social media image you made as a .xcf document. This way, when you open it, you open the document and all the layers you created. You can easily reuse these files to make future social media images.
Export as - In order to use the images on the web or even send to a printer, they will need to be saved in the proper format. So you will save as a .jpg or .png for the web. If you have a job that a professional printer will use, you will most likely have to use a pdf.

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS ON SAVING FOR GIMP BEGINNERS:

It's important to know that .jpg images do not allow transparency. They will default to having a white background. .png images do allow transparency backgrounds. This means that if you have a round logo with no background, you need to save it as a pgn file. Otherwise, it will throw in a white background if you save it as a jpg.

Now, there is a little glitch in Gimp for saving PDF files, especially when saving book covers. The work around is to save the book cover as a xcf document for safekeeping. Then save it as a jpg file. Open the jpg file and then save that as a pdf.

If you just save the xcf file as a pdf, it starts throwing thing into different places. It took me hours and hours to figure this out, so I'm passing on this tip to other beginners! Save as a jpg, then open the jpg and save that one layer document as a pdf.

HOW THE TRANSPARENCY WORKS:

In the project below, the Banner for Bookfunnel, you won't really need to now about the transparency layers. But I offer this as a beginner tip.

If you choose to make an image and choose the transparency layer from the getgo, then each layer above your first layer will also be a transparency layer.

However, if you just open the document and try to add something that needs a transparency, it will cause a lot of frustration because the transparency won't work. If you do this, open with a white or black background, then go over to the layers panel, right click on the layer and select "add alpha channel". When you do this, nothing will happen, no noise is heard. It feels like nothing happened. But it did.

If you then click over into the image and then click your delete button ono your computer, the background color will disappear and in its place will be the grey and white checkerboard, as seen above, which represents the transparency.

For your convenience, I have posted the time stamps for the how to video that follows in case you want to watch a short clip more than once.

Video Timestamps:

00:01 - How to properly size a graphic
01:19 - How to open a picture vs. how to open a picture as a layer
02:00 - How to resize an image with the scale tool
03:15 - The layer's panel - How to find it - how it works
04:00 - How to change text color with the eye dropper
04:33 - How to use the text tool, a text box, and create a headline (T)
05:02 - How to resize the text size and make two text lines
06:02 - How to use the alignment tool (Q)
07:00 - How to move the text box (M)
07:21 - How to save the graphic as a XCF document (Gimp document)
07:58 - How to export the graphic as jpg/png graphic for internet
08:30 - How to save your project as a Template and reuse it
09:36 - How to turn a black background layer into a transparency layer

Gimp For Authors – How to Make a Professional Banner

WHY GIMP?

I used Photoshop in the past, which is a great tool. They have a subscription where you get to use the latest tools in their whole suite of products, but the price starts at $50 a month. When I was doing web design, that was fine. But now I'm retired and I'm on a fixed income; so now $50 a month is no longer okay!

Gimp is an open source software that is free. They do take donations as they have a team of developers who put this together for 'people of the world'. They are part of the group of unsung heroes who get no acclaim in the media. So if you want to think about making a donation to them, you can do that here. You can also download the software here.

Gimp is similar to but different from Photoshop. These companies copyright and trademark many of their "techniques" so everything has to be done slightly differently and called a different name. So there is a tiny learning curve in trading Photoshop for Gimp, but it's well worth it.

MARKETING WITH GRAPHICS

As a self-published author, all marketing for my books falls to me. I can outsource it, but that costs money too. I have figured out, after publishing 11 novels, where my money is best spent. The answer is on line-editing, which costs between $400 to $500 or more depending upon how long your book is.

So learning to make graphics is very important for the self-published author. Using Gimp can make this easy for you as you can reuse some of the same templates. It's easy enough to learn as authors and writers only need to know how to make book covers, social media graphics and website banners.

BOOKFUNNEL AND SITEORIGIN:

Two of the most popular websites to give away or sell your book is through bookfunnel.com and siteoriginapp.com. These two companies offer the opportunity to join other authors in featuring your book. Everyone has a 'share date' and they share the promotion with their newsletter list and also with their social media following. It's a win/win for everyone.

HOW TO MAKE THE BANNER - WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS

I have a video below that shows how easy it is. I'll post the written instructions here in case you want to keep them handy!

Open a new document.
Make the dimensions 1500 px wide and 500 px tall.
Change the ppi to 300
Expand the Advanced options and choose a transparency background.
Right-click (RC) on the background layer and choose 'fill with background color'.
Get a royalty-free graphic from depositphotos.com or pixabay.com. Save to your computer and note where you are putting it so you can find it for the next step.
Open as a layer. It will pull the picture into your project. It will most likely be way too big.
Using your mouse, hold down control and scroll up or down to zoom out on the new picture layer. Then go over and click on the scale tool.
Once you have activated the scale tool, hold down the control key and grab a corner of the photo (you may only see the yellow dotted line). Drag it in to resize it on the background layer. Let go.
Click on M to activate the move tool, or click on it in the toolbox. Move the graphic into the center of your background, or wherever you want it.
Click on the Text tool and pull out a text box. Click inside the box and begin to type your headline. Use Control A to surround all the text to resize it or change the color. Make however many text layers you need. Once you click on the text tool, it automatically puts it on its own layer.
To align to the center: Click on your background layer. Make sure the tool panel is open. (Double click the tool itself to bring up the tools panel for that align tool) Chose to assign the reference point to be the selected layer. Then click on the individual elements within the graphic and align them to the center.
Once you are done with your graphic and are happy with it, you have two choices to save it. (1) You can "Save as" and this will save the Gimp document that you can open next time and just change the picture and headlines. I would suggest you save at least one of these to reuse. (2) If you want to use the headline or graphic elsewhere, you want to save it as a jpg or png file. Use Export As and then choose the folder and name for the graphic.
That's it! Easy-peasy -- well, maybe the second or third time you do it it will be easy.

HOW TO MAKE THE BANNER VIDEO

A Peek Behind the Novel Series – Writing in Layers – Chronology of a Crime

WHERE WE LEFT OFF:

In the first installment of the Peek Behind the Novel Series, I wrote about working four different plotlines before choosing one. By working on four of them, it helps me 'improve' on some storylines and when I have four to choose from, I am able to go into the project knowing that I have chosen the best one. It's a technique that I use to build my author confidence.

THE FIRST LAYER OF WRITING A NOVEL - THE CHRONOLOGY OF A CRIME

In the first layer of writing, I focus only on the crime or mystery. I make a list of the chronology of the crime. How it happens, who it happens to, how the detectives are assigned to the case. I focus only on the crime. I don't think of subplots, or dialogue or even the outcome. Only on the crime itself, almost like a Forensic Files show.

This layer of writing is only a chronological list of the crime or mystery and how it plays out. Mine looks like a list with small paragraphs and one line clues. It could even look like a printout from Google maps!

DIVIDE AND CONQUER:

Once I have the chronology of the crime, I begin to break the chronology into four parts. Nothing fancy; just Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4. By breaking the crime up into four sections, I'm preparing it to be plugged into the 'four-act play' format. I never took to the three-act play because the center section is too unstructured and it's twice as long as the other sections. It's called one part, but it's really two parts in one. It was too asymmetrical for me. So rather than using a three act structure, I break Act 2 into two separate parts.

PART 1 - Introduction to the Detectives and Normal Life:

In Part 1, the detectives hear about the crime or mystery and are somehow assigned to it. That assignment is different in each case. I start in their normal working lives and have them pulled into the crime.

This part also entails the scene of the crime and whatever clues may or may not be present. One or maybe two suspects will arise at the scene or shortly thereafter.

Part 1 - The Inciting Incident:

In a police procedural, being assigned to the case is the inciting incident. They are called into this crime investigation whether they want to be or not. Part 1 will end with the inciting incident. They have seen the scene of the crime and have gathered their first clue or clues. They are now off on a quest to solve the crime.

Part 2 - The Investigation Begins:

The Jack Nolan Detective Series is about two detectives, Jack and Fiona, who have personal lives that are also in flux. Part 2 introduces the subplots about the detectives and the early investigations they go off on.

The facts as well as clues begin to trickle into the storyline so that the reader can start trying to10 guess who committed the mystery or crime.

The end of Part 2 is the midpoint of the story, so I try to have a twist or a revelation that changes the direction of the investigation in some way.

Part 3 - The Truth Begins to Seep Out:

Early in Part 3, the last suspect will appear and the detectives will be trying to figure out who has the greater motivation. Or which of the suspects had the time and opportunity to commit the crime. Also in part 3, the masks on the suspects begin to fall and their secrets are exposed and a couple even are caught in a lie or two.

The end of Part 3 is the equivalent of a Dark Night of the Soul. This is a place where maybe the detectives can't figure out who did it, or they know but can't find proof, or there is a chance the bag guy or girl will get away with it for one reason or another. It is a low point. This could also coincide with a low point in one of the detective's personal lives.

Part 3 ends on this darker moment. I want the reader to be worried that the detectives won't solve it in time, or the bad guy will get away with something.

PART 4 - The Big Reveal

The beginning of Part 4 is the big reveal. There is one clue or one revelation that confirms the guilt of whatever the real bad guy is. This sets up a situation where the bad guy is going to get away, or the detectives have to trap him or her -- however you choose to 'solve' the case.

The second part of Part 4 is where I as the author, very quickly, wrap up the whole crime. I like to do this in case my readers are reading with one eye open. People are busy today and often they may miss something. So I like to spell it out very quickly -- because I don't want to bore the readers who were paying attention -- how the crime occurred and how the evidence was there all along.

Next you wrap up the subplots and resolve and reveal anything that is hanging in the air, like the red herring, or how other suspects couldn't have done it. You also want to wrap up the subplots on a satisfying note.

IF YOU ARE WRITING A SERIES:

My series are four or more books, so the personal lives are written a bit like a soap opera. The characters do have a full character arc in each novel. They learn something in that book that I reflect on in the end, but I also drop a clue at the end of the mystery/crime that the story will continue in the next book.

I DON'T WANT TO GET AHEAD OF MYSELF:

I've just given you a bird's eye view of how the book will proceed when marrying all four parts of it together. But this first layer is only the chronology of the crime.

I also end this layer with a section I call "How it will end". It never ends the way I think it will, but committing to an end this early at least gives me a direction and a destination. It's easy enough to change the chronology when the story takes a natural turn or changes within the creative process.