How does Zhihu write novels?

Zhihu should pay attention to the difference between novels and essays, the sense of picture, the characterization, the conception and outline of the story.

1, the difference between fiction and prose

If you are going to write a novel, you must understand that novel writing is different from prose. But in fact, the Chinese education we received from childhood is to teach people to write essays, not novels. Prose is lyrical and used to express your thoughts and feelings. Writing a novel, to put it bluntly, is telling a story. How to tell the story clearly is the most basic.

2. Picture sense

In the era when movies were not invented, novels were actually a product similar to "movies". Think about it. When you read a novel, do you just imagine the corresponding picture in your mind according to the words you see with your eyes? It can be said that reading a novel is to "put a movie" in your mind. That movie is made up of pictures. In the same way, what characteristics should a good novel have? The most basic thing is the sense of picture.

3. Characterization of characters

When depicting characters, one of the methods mentioned by many people is to write biographies for the characters, that is, to write the life experiences and personality characteristics of the characters first. But in fact, when the characters appear in the story, you can't copy your biography as it is, so readers can't see your settings. Human behavior is the key to shaping characters.

4. The conception of the story

When a novice writes a story, he often makes a mistake, that is, he writes the story very smoothly without drama conflict. Therefore, this story will not be exciting enough. So when you conceive a story, you should conceive in advance where the contradictions in your story intensify. Even some people write stories, that is, they directly think of a climax and then create around it.

5. Overview

When you are conceiving a story, you should pick up a pen and paper and start writing an outline. Why write an outline? The outline can be said to be the skeleton of your novel. When the skeleton is set up, it is half the battle. Another advantage of the outline is that it visually shows you what your novel might look like.