The celebrated American author Mark Twain dismissed anyone who believed it was possible to learn how to create a novel.
He said:
“A man without the ability to write a novel has trouble when he attempts to create one.”
He doesn’t have a clear idea of his story. He has no story.
Stephen Fry, a British author, puts it another way. Stephen Fry says that success is achieved by authors who understand the difficulties of writing a book.
According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco), 2.2 million books worldwide are published yearly. This includes fiction as well as non-fiction titles.
The writing process for most of these authors is virtually unchanged since Twain’s time in the late 19th century. The plot outline and ideas are written down so that they can be deciphered and developed over time.
Technology is making author’s lives more accessible these days
A US data scientist and novelist, Michael Green, realized the importance of technology in simplifying and streamlining the writing process while he was writing his first book.
He had 500 pages of complex stories to edit, and he said that it was difficult to keep track of.
All these documents were about the deeper aspects of my world. But, unfortunately, it wasn’t easy to keep track of all this information. This was when I switched to a more data-science-minded approach to solving complex problems with many pieces.
Lynn was created by Mr Green, a digital platform that allows authors to visualize, plan, and weave together all the elements that make up a story, such as characters and plot arcs.
The beta version of the app is currently in development and is being used by several writers. Users can create and update complex digital story maps or templates.
According to Mr Green, many novelists start their work with a basic idea of a plot or character. However, Lynn says the process of expanding on this initial idea can be simplified.
As an author has a new idea they want to add to the story, they can input it into a natural structure. They are creating a visualization.
“Piece-by-piece, they’re adding to it. New ideas are constantly being added to the story”
Melissa Haveman, the author coach and ghostwriter, says that technology can be distracting.
Technology is being used more to connect authors with readers once they have published their books.
Michael Green believes that technology will be more prominent in the future as a new generation of tech-savvy writers emerges.
He says, “What I’m seeing with Generation Z and younger writers is that it’s looking for technology to guide them.” They see it as an opportunity to learn and grow, not extra work.
