Writing a novel is hard! It’s intimidating, challenging, and exhausting. But it can also be exciting, exhilarating, and rewarding. If you’re not in this for the fame or glory (and let’s face it: most of us aren’t).
Then you need to find your own reasons for writing and those reasons may change over time as your skills improve or as other things happen in your life. But here are some things I’ve learned along the way that have helped me stick with it:
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Importance of planning and outlining before writing. |
| 2. Embrace rewriting and multiple drafts for refinement. |
| 3. Develop well-rounded characters with depth and growth. |
| 4. Setting and world-building enhance the story’s impact. |
| 5. Balancing dialogue and narration for dynamic prose. |
| 6. Emotions and conflict drive engaging plotlines. |
| 7. Embrace constructive feedback for improvement. |
| 8. Persistence and consistency are essential. |
| 9. Writing is a journey of learning and growth. |
| 10. Celebrate small successes along the way. |
Write For Yourself
The first time I wrote a novel, I did so for the wrong reasons. While my friends were starting bands and forming clubs, I was creating characters and writing stories.
It was only when I read one of my stories aloud to a friend that it occurred to me: Writing is your passion! You can do this!
So why didn’t you? Why didn’t you write a novel? Well, at the time, I felt like my life was full enough of other things that writing wasn’t something that would be worthwhile or even possible.
But then one day while sitting in a cafe reading The Great Gatsby (again), it hit me: If Fitzgerald could write an entire book about what he loved most his wife Zelda then why couldn’t I?
Building a strong foundation is essential for any aspiring novel writer. Check out our article on Top 10 Tips for the Aspiring Novel Writer to discover valuable insights that can help you on your writing journey.
Don’t Wait For Inspiration
You don’t need the inspiration to be a writer. It’s out there, all around you (if you look hard enough), but it’s not something that can be forced.
You can’t say, “Oh hey, look at that tree! That’s where I’ll start my next novel.” You won’t see an idea for a great story just sitting on the sidewalk like an old banana peel or a discarded newspaper.
You’re not going to feel inspired when it comes time to write your novel you may even dread picking up the pen or tapping away at the keyboard and that’s okay.
Writing is hard work and it takes time (and patience) before ideas start flowing freely into your brain and onto the page.
This doesn’t mean those ideas will never come; they will come eventually if you keep going through this process of creating every day even when it feels like nothing is happening in your life except endless repetition with no progress being made towards something more satisfying than what currently exists in front of us somewhere between our dreams and reality:
Ourselves as writers who someday might share their words with others who are willing enough to listen long enough until all these things come together…
Novel writing is an art that holds surprises at every turn. Explore our post on 12 Novel Writing Tips & Tricks That Will Surprise You to uncover unconventional techniques that could elevate your storytelling.
Don’t Try To Guess What The Market Wants
You can never be sure of what the market wants, and trying to guess is a good way to lose focus on your own work.
Don’t try to guess what other writers are doing. Even if you have a brilliant idea, if it isn’t original or unique enough that readers will notice it, they won’t care about it either and neither will your publisher or agent!
Don’t try to guess what readers want. This may seem obvious, but so many writers think they know exactly what their audience wants and then proceed to write something completely different (or don’t even consider their audience at all).
Readers are fickle; if they find out that someone’s writing style doesn’t appeal directly to them, they’ll stop reading immediately without any hesitation whatsoever.
Even if there’s no other reason than feeling “meh” about how things felt when reading the past few chapters from start-to-finish…and especially if there were no problems with those chapters at all (which would usually happen first before someone decides whether or not continue reading).
Find A Comfortable Work Environment
Finding a comfortable work environment is the key to writing good novels. I’m not saying you need to spend hundreds of dollars on a desk and chair, but you should find a place that works for you.
This may be difficult if you’re working from home since so many distractions are naturally present in your personal space.
But even within the comfort of your own home, there can still be distractions; maybe your wife is trying to get something out of the kitchen or your kids are playing outside the door all these things can put pressure on your writing time!
That’s why it’s important that when you decide where and when to write (which we’ll discuss later), there aren’t any other people around who might distract you from what needs to get done.
After all, if no one is watching over our shoulders while we’re writing then there will be less chance for us being interrupted by others asking us questions or making comments about how much work we already have done today!
Crafting compelling narratives often stems from learning from others’ stories. Dive into our thoughts on Things I’ve Learned About Storytelling from Years of Reading Novels to see how literary insights can enhance your own writing.
Choose A Book Length And Stay Consistent
Don’t try to write a different length every time, or things will get confusing. You’ll start to lose track of your own story if you switch between the Harry Potter series, the Game of Thrones series, and Nancy Drew books constantly.
This is especially true if you’re writing in a genre that has popular conventions regarding word count (500-word flash fiction versus 100k epics).
Don’t change the length of your chapters either; this is just as important as keeping consistent with page count when working on novels!
If readers are used to reading ten pages per chapter on average while they’re getting into your story and then suddenly there are five-page chapters instead.
It’s going to throw them off their stride in terms of getting comfortable with how quickly or slowly things happen within each part of their experience reading from the beginning until the end (or even from the middle until the end).
Don’t Start Until You Know The Ending
There are many reasons for this. First, it’s a huge help in motivating you to write your novel. If you know where you’re going, it won’t be so hard to get there.
Second, if an unexpected idea comes along during the writing process that could make a stronger story, but deviates from your original plotline, then at least you’ll have a framework in place that allows room for flexibility and change (but not too much).
Thirdly and most importantly you have a chance to make sure that your ending is satisfying before publishing anything.
You may be thinking: “But how can I know what will happen until I’ve written my way through my first draft?” A good way around this is by outlining before beginning writing: just come up with various possible endings based on the plot points introduced throughout the story thus far;
Once those are settled upon and fleshed out some more user research and dialogue between characters as appropriate (which should form part of every good outline), then all that remains is filling in the blanks!
Sustaining creativity and enthusiasm is a crucial aspect of writing. Discover strategies to maintain motivation with our guide on How to Stay Inspired as a Writer and keep your novel project on track.
Write In The Same Place, At The Same Time, Every Day
It’s so important to me and it makes such a huge difference. I’ve found that if I set aside specific times for writing, I’m more productive than if I try to write whenever inspiration strikes or when there’s nothing else going on in my life.
When your writing is part of your routine, it becomes easier to focus because you know what to expect and aren’t constantly tempted by distractions like social media or television.
This isn’t just about getting into a routine; it’s also about getting into a good state of mind when thinking about your story. If you have trouble getting into a flow state when working on something new (like starting an outline), then having some sort of ritual can help with that too!
Don’t Change Something Without Changing Something Else
The best advice for novel writing that I’ve ever gotten came from my friend, the author of several novels and short stories. He said, “Don’t change something without changing something else.”
It sounds simple and obvious, but here’s what he meant: If you change a word in your book, make sure you change some other words as well. If you choose to put a comma after the word “oranges.”
Then decide to put it after the word “bananas,” don’t just leave out all those other commas! It means that every time someone reads “oranges” they’ll expect there to be another comma somewhere soon.
And if they don’t see one immediately after those two words, it will throw them off so much that they won’t be able to concentrate on anything else in your book!
In fact…there are thousands of things like these happening throughout our brains every day:
Trying desperately not to lose focus on something important while simultaneously being distracted by thousands of other seemingly irrelevant bits of information coming at us from all directions (even if we aren’t aware we’re receiving any).
This is why writers need editors–because even though writers know their own work better than anyone else (because writing requires constant self-reflection), there’s still no way around needing fresh eyes looking over their work before publication (if possible).
Believe In Yourself
The most important thing I’ve learned about novel writing is to believe in yourself.
You can’t be a good novelist unless you are willing to believe that you are a good novelist, and if you’re not, then no amount of reading other people’s novels will help.
And it’s not enough just to believe that you have talent; you have to believe that your novel has value and specialness on its terms.
This doesn’t mean “you have no choice but success” or “everyone who reads your book will love it” or any of those other bad things writers sometimes say about themselves when they’re trying too hard not to be negative.
It does mean that as a writer, whether or not there is an audience for what we write depends on our own decisions about how much effort we put into making our work better rather than blaming everything else for its shortcomings.
Most importantly: Writing isn’t easy but either way, we are responsible for what happens next!
Build Your Confidence With Positive Self-Talk
It’s important to be realistic with your self-talk. You can’t get better if you don’t believe that you can get better, and this is true for writing as well as anything else in life.
The more you talk yourself up and tell yourself how talented and creative and brilliant you are, the more likely it is that people will believe it.
And since we all like to be around people who feel good about themselves (as opposed to those who constantly beat themselves up), your positive outlook on life will rub off on the people around you too.
Write Three Pages Every Morning When You Wake Up, Without Fail Or Excuse
I cannot stress enough how important a daily writing habit is. You must write three pages every morning when you wake up, without fail or excuse (that includes holidays and birthdays).
If you’re not sure what to write about at first, just write “I woke up this morning and brushed my teeth…” and keep going from there. Gradually it will become easier to start and finish your daily quota of pages.
You can only improve your writing if you actually put words on paper novelist Stephen King says that if he doesn’t write for a week he starts losing his grasp of the language!
Embarking on a novel-writing journey requires a solid plan. Explore our post offering 17 Tips for Anyone Wanting to Write a Novel to gain actionable advice that can guide you from concept to completion.
Keep A Notepad With You Everywhere
This is a no-brainer, but it’s worth repeating: keep a notepad with you at all times. And I don’t mean the type of thing you might use to take down a few lines from your favorite song or to jot down your grocery list.
I mean, get yourself one of those big ol’ yellow legal pads that come with an elastic band and some sort of fastener so they won’t blow away when you leave it on the subway.
Use this notepad as a place where you can write down ideas and thoughts whenever they occur to you (or even if they don’t).
Write down anything that comes into your mind whether it’s about plot points for future stories or insights into what life would be like in South Africa during the apartheid era. Don’t worry about grammar or spelling; there will be plenty of time later on for that kind of refinement.
For now just write whatever comes into your head, because everything has a potential value at this point:
Even if an idea doesn’t end up being used by itself (or perhaps combined with another idea), “dirt” like this is always useful when deciding how best to piece together other elements to create something new and exciting.”
Read Actively
When you’re reading actively, you’re not just letting your eyes drift over the words on a page. You’re asking questions of the text and looking for answers.
When I was writing my novel, I would read with a certain kind of question in mind. Is this scene working? Do I care about what’s happening here? How can I make it better?
In general, active readers are more likely to notice when something doesn’t work and how they might fix it. Active reading means thinking about why a book came out the way it did while you’re reading.
And if there’s anything that could be improved upon or made clearer in future books by the same author or different authors who write similar kinds of books but approach them differently (for example mystery/thriller vs murder mystery).
Read Every Single Thing You Write Out Loud
Reading out loud is a vital part of the writing process. It helps you catch mistakes, it helps you make sure the language is clear, and it makes sure your story flows in a way that’s easy to read and understand. You’ll also be able to hear if your story sounds boring or confusing.
It’s important to read every single thing you write out loud. There are plenty of things that can go wrong when writing fiction and reading aloud will help you find them before they become major problems later on in the process!
Know When To Stop Editing A Section And Start Writing A New One
Sometimes the best way to get unstuck is to start writing again. You might have been editing or revising the same section for days, weeks, or even months on end.
That’s fine as long as it’s moving forward if you’re making changes and seeing improvement in your work, you can keep going.
But if you find yourself stuck on one section for too long, stop what you’re doing and move onto something else for a while.
If that means going back to an earlier section that needs more work instead of continuing with your revision, then do so!
When it comes down to it (and this goes for any kind of writing), sometimes the best way out of a rut is just jumping into new territory and seeing where that leads us
Listen To Yourself Read Your Work And Make Changes Based On How It Feels Out Loud
It’s a good idea to read your work out loud because this will help you see any problems with the flow or rhythm of your writing.
If it sounds a little awkward or unnatural when you read it, consider changing up the sentence structure, adding some punctuation, or making some other edits so that reading back over what you’ve written doesn’t feel like an unpleasant chore.
Reading aloud can also help with discovering typos by highlighting words that are misspelled (and correcting them).
But even if there aren’t any typos present in the text being read, there could still be things about how the sentences sound when spoken out loud that could be changed for the better!
You may also find that certain passages sound more appropriate at different times during your story than others.
For example: if someone is talking about something traumatic (like having been abducted by aliens), then maybe reading those lines while whispering them would make sense whereas otherwise, they might feel too quiet/too dramatic?
Or maybe reading loudly is just something really fun and exciting? Whatever works best for each particular passage depends on what kind of mood you’re trying to evoke through language alone…
Conclusion
Writing novels is a complicated process, but it can also be very rewarding. The best way to learn how to write a novel is by doing it. Start by writing a short story or novella, and work your way up from there.
The key is having the right tools and resources available so that you don’t get overwhelmed with all of the different tasks involved in writing a novel. Here are ten things that I’ve learned along this journey as an author:
#1) You need to create your schedule and stick to it! Write some words every day (even if those words aren’t perfect).
And make sure your time spent writing isn’t interrupted by distractions like social media or television binges (unless those distractions help inspire new ideas).
#2) You must have an idea for your story before you start writing it! This can come from anywhere; sometimes even just one word can spark an entire plotline.
It’s important not only because it gives direction for where things will go later on down the road but also because without one there won’t be anything at all!
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources that offer insights into the world of writing:
15 Things I Learned in My First Year of Writing Short Description: Gain valuable lessons from a writer’s first-year journey, covering challenges and growth in the writing process.
Top Ten Things I’ve Learned from Kids About Writing a Book Short Description: Discover unique perspectives on writing from children’s author Augusta Scattergood and her interactions with young readers.
5 Lessons from Writing 10 Novels Short Description: Learn key takeaways from the experience of writing multiple novels, offering insights into the craft and process.
FAQs
What are some common challenges in a writer’s first year?
In a writer’s first year, challenges like writer’s block, self-doubt, and finding one’s voice are often encountered. These experiences contribute to growth as a writer.
How can interactions with kids inspire writing?
Interacting with kids can provide fresh and unfiltered perspectives, sparking creativity and offering unique insights that can enrich storytelling.
What lessons can be learned from writing multiple novels?
Writing multiple novels provides a deep understanding of story structure, character development, and the importance of persistence in the face of challenges.
How can young readers’ feedback impact a writer’s approach?
Feedback from young readers can offer valuable insights into what engages and resonates with the target audience, guiding an author’s writing choices.
What benefits does reflecting on one’s writing journey offer?
Reflecting on one’s writing journey allows for the identification of growth areas, learning from mistakes, and adapting strategies for future projects.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.