Novel Writers Corner
Mine is not the only way to write a salable novel, but what I teach really works. That’s proven by countless former students who took my lessons and went on to sell their first (and sometimes, many) novels. So I’ll give you a brief example, then begin with an overview of what I plan to soon present on this website. This instruction will help you to write and sell your first novel as others have done. Example:
TRICIA GOYER WROTE: “Over a decade ago, I attended my first writers’ conference. I wanted to be a writer, but it seemed liked a distant dream. Then I attended a series of workshops by a brilliant and witty writer named Lee Roddy. I hadn’t heard of him before, but since then, I won’t forget.”
Tricia’s website now shows that since then she has sold 11 books, including six novels, plus 250 magazine articles, etc. I encourage you aspiring writers to believe you also can write and publish your novel after instruction that really works.
Here’s a working syllabus of what I have taught, and will be my working outline when I teach “Writing Novels that Sell” at the upcoming Lake Tahoe Writers Conference.*
Characters & Plot: Passwords to Successful Fiction
- Characters: learn secrets of creating believable 3-dimensional individuals with personalities for whom readers have feelings.
- Plot: Correctly answer four specific questions, and your plot will always work.
Elements and Scenes: Live Action on a Dead Page
- Elements: The hidden dynamics that give power to characters in conflict.
- Scenes: It’s not enough to “show, don’t tell.” What are the visuals?
Structure and Selling: Putting it together for Sale
- Structure: How to make a 3-part dramatic structure to correctly hold the proper story elements under each of the required parts.
- Selling: It’s not enough to write a good novel; learn how to sell it.
Questions? Ask me on this website. I’ll answer here for the benefit of all aspiring novelists.
Lee Roddy
Novelist/Speaker
Member,
Authors
Guild
of America
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BUD GARDNER continued...“Lee Roddy (is) a highly successful published novelist and master teacher. Not all novelists, writers, or authors can teach fiction. This is where Lee Roddy comes in. Lee is a wonderful teacher who understands the craft of fiction writing, how to motivate students to try writing novels, and how to help the students get published.
“Many of Roddy’s former students have gone on to sell their first novels and sometimes a series of them. For example, one aspiring author’s first novel brought a $100,000 advance, a staggering figure in today’s publishing marketplace.”
“In my travels as a writing conference seminarist, conference director, and keynote speaker, I have met some outstanding authors, such as John Saul, Terry Brooks, and Elizabeth George, fiction instructors at the Maui Writer’s Fiction Retreat and Conference, where I have been a member of the teaching staff for the past eight years. None of them is a better novel teacher
than Lee Roddy. He is a rare novelist-teacher; indeed, I wish we could clone him.” (Bud Gardner, retired head of Writing for Publication Program at American River College, Sacramento, CA)