I’ve been away from my house for too long. I’ve been traveling, having adventures, and meeting new people. The world has changed a lot since I last left home and so have I. But now it’s time to go back.
Back to my house, where all my old friends are waiting for me: the characters inside my head who keep telling me stories about their lives (and maybe their deaths).
These characters have been begging me for years now: “Please write us down!” they cry out from those dusty corners of our minds where ideas are born into existence before we even know they’re there.
Where they percolate until we finally give them attention; until we start putting pen to paper; until we begin crafting sentences that build themselves up into paragraphs and chapters and whole novels.
| Takeaways |
|---|
| Embrace the revision process as an essential step in crafting a novel. |
| Understand that writing is a journey filled with challenges and growth. |
| Explore software tools that can enhance your novel-writing experience. |
| Learn from the author’s personal experiences and lessons as a novelist. |
| Gain insights into the emotional and creative aspects of novel writing. |
Leaving The House
Leaving the house is one of the best things you can do for your writing. There are so many benefits to stepping outside and getting some fresh air!
You’ll get exercise, Vitamin D, feel more energetic (and thus be able to write longer and better), and possibly even meet new people who can help you with your project.
There are all kinds of ways to go about this that fit different lifestyles or preferences, but here are some ideas:
Take a walk around the neighborhood or park in your town. This is especially good if you live in an area where there’s a lot of natural beauty if not, try looking at pictures of nature online! Or just sit by a window as long as it isn’t raining outside.
Go for a hike with friends or family members who share an interest in hiking (or just like being outdoors). If there isn’t anyone available at that time then just take yourself out on an adventure!
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Avoidance And Excuses
Avoidance and excuses are the two major obstacles between you and your novel.
You’ve probably already started to make excuses for why you can’t write a novel, but don’t let them get the better of you. You have to overcome them by realizing that they’re just in your head, like a thought bubble or a voice telling you what to do or not do.
To get over avoidance, consider how much time it will take to write this book: if it’s less than an hour per day, then it’s not that big of a deal! Just put aside some time when no one is around (maybe after dinner?) and start typing away at those first few pages.
To avoid making excuses for why not to start writing today, just keep saying “I’m going to write” until it starts sounding like something you believe because so far this has worked really well for me with my other projects…
The Proper Response To A Blank Page
There is no way to know what you will see when you open your document, so don’t panic. If it’s blank, that’s okay! You can always save a draft and try again later.
If it’s not blank, that’s fine too! Don’t get frustrated; just start typing somewhere else on the page and make your novel as long as it should be.
You may want to delete some sections if they aren’t working, but don’t throw away everything just yet: sometimes deleting the wrong piece can make things worse instead of better. Also remember that even if something seems hopelessly bad or embarrassing now, who knows?
Maybe later on in life (or at least tomorrow morning) you’ll think back fondly on this part-time job as an unpaid intern at [insert name here] publishing company.
The time I had all day every day for months and months doing nothing more than reading through countless manuscripts submitted by hopeful authors (both professional writers AND non-professional writers) to find one good enough for publication in our prestigious literary journal!
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Opening Pages
When you’re writing the first page or two of your novel, you have the advantage of being able to set the scene without too much pressure. If this is your first draft, it’s okay if things don’t go exactly as planned you can always go back and fix them later!
You may want to start with a description of where your story takes place. What sort of setting does it have? Is it sunny and bright? Or dark and gloomy? Is there an ocean nearby? Are there mountains?
An urban sprawl filled with skyscrapers or small towns nestled within forested areas? Whatever location you choose will help establish mood and character traits for your protagonist(s), so give careful thought to what kind of setting would best suit them.
Once you’ve chosen a setting, consider how much time has passed since our characters last saw each other before they reunite in Act II (or earlier). How has their relationship changed since then?
What changes might have happened at home during those years apart from new neighbors moving into town; new jobs opening up; old friends dying; families moving away…the possibilities are endless!
You’ll also want to consider who else will be present during these early scenes; if someone else is important enough for us readers not only meet but spend some time talking with them soon after we meet our main characters themselves (who don’t necessarily need introductions) then chances are good that person will play some role later on down the road as well.”
Character Names
The first step to creating your characters is deciding on their names.
Whether you’re writing a novel or a short story, character names are of paramount importance. The wrong name can destroy an otherwise brilliant character and it’s difficult to get people invested in the story of someone whose name they can’t even pronounce!
But if you’re not careful, you run the risk of having such mundane names as John Smith and Mary Jones populate your work—which is why we recommend avoiding this particular trap by picking something unique but not too unique.
Onomatopoeic names are always fun (think “Biff” from Back To School), and using puns will also guarantee that readers have no trouble remembering who belongs where (ahem).
As for common suffixes like “-man” or “-woman”, we’d suggest avoiding them; if anything, these types of endings can make it hard for readers to remember whether they’ve read about this person before (or worse yet: they start wondering whether there might be another character named David-man).
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Character Descriptions
You want your descriptions to be brief, specific, consistent, relevant, and clear. You also want them to be concise.
It can be hard not to go overboard when you’re writing a novel describing your characters in great detail is one way of getting inside their head and their hearts and experiencing life from their perspective. There’s nothing wrong with that!
But even if the character is an orphaned street urchin whose mother died when she was three and whose father was murdered by his uncle for some reason (or whatever), it’s best to focus on what matters most: what does this character look like? How does he/she act?
What makes him/her different from other characters we’ve already met? This doesn’t mean you should ignore everything else about your character (that would just be silly), but these are things most readers will expect or anticipate without being explicitly told about them.
The main thing here is consistency don’t jump around between what kind of clothes someone wears in one chapter versus another chapter since clothing choices say a lot about people’s personalities;
Always keep track of how old each member of your cast is at any given point during the story so you don’t contradict yourself later on down the line;
Make sure each scene has something going on besides just “we were walking through town together while talking about how much fun it would be if we were friends forever.”
The Proper Amount Of Description
Many writers obsess over how much to include in their novels, but there’s no magic formula for determining the proper level of description.
For example, one fan of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings may think that his descriptions are too long and boring; another may view them as necessary to convey a clear picture of Middle Earth.
For this reason, it’s important to know your audience to understand what they would find interesting and exciting about your story.
If they’re not interested in the details you’ve chosen to include, then those details won’t help your readers visualize the scene or understand its importance (or vice-versa).
Dialogue Tags
Dialogue tags are a necessary evil. They have to be there, otherwise, you won’t know who is speaking. But they should be as invisible as possible.
It can be tempting to use dialogue tags that make your characters sound more interesting or witty than they are, but that can come across as contrived and patronizing.
Your readers will pick up on it, and if you do too much of it, they may start skimming the dialogue just to get to the next bit of action or description.
Instead, find a way to keep your characters sounding natural without using unnecessary words like “said” or “asked” (and avoid “demanded” or “whined,” etc.).
If there’s something specific about how one character speaks using slang terms for instance maybe make sure another character does too (or not).
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Repetition In Writing
Repetition is a common problem in writing. It happens when you use the same word, phrase, or sentence twice within a paragraph or two pages.
If you didn’t mean to do it, the repetition isn’t damaging, but it can detract from your writing and make readers feel like they’re reading more than one thing at once.
To avoid unintentional repetition:
Go through each of your scenes and make sure that none repeat any words/phrases/sentences that were used in other scenes. If you find anything like this happening, go back through those scenes and change them so that they don’t repeat anything from other scenes.
Then read all of your work again this time looking out for unintentional repetitions of ideas as well as wordings and phrases (so if one character mentions “the red room” in one scene, don’t have another character mention “the red room” later on).
Fix any unintentional repetitions by either changing what they say or changing how they say it and then make sure that no intentional repetitions remain!
Backstory
You can also create a backstory using dialogue. Dialogue is a great method for revealing backstory because it gives the reader insight into the character’s thoughts and feelings.
For instance, if you want to tell us about what happened to your protagonist when she was an adolescent, one way would be through a flashback where we see her at age 16 arguing with her mother.
Or maybe someone is telling your protagonist a story from their past; this could be another character or even yourself as a writer!
Transition Words And Phrases
Transition words and phrases are used to connect ideas. They can also be used to help the reader follow the flow of the story, and they may even help organize events into a logical order.
Imagine that you’re telling a friend about an event in your life that happened last week. You might say, “I went to the store. Then I came home.”
Or perhaps you’d tell it like this: “I went to the store and then came home.” If you didn’t say anything about coming home after going to the store, your friend might think that you left again before returning home!
In fiction writing, transition words and phrases can be used similarly: “He went into his house; then he fell asleep.” Or: “He walked inside; then he collapsed on his bed.”
This second example makes it clearer that one thing happens after another in the sequence you go inside before falling asleep and doesn’t leave any room for confusion about which action came first or second (or third).
Prologues And Epilogues
Prologues and epilogues are optional, but they can be useful. They’re often used to establish a scene or introduce a character before beginning the story properly.
For example, an author might want to use an opening prologue that introduces the main character and then, after a few chapters of setting up the plot, write an ending prologue that reveals what happened to some of those characters after their stories ended.
Prologues can also be used as narrative framing devices they may start with “As she looked back on her life…” instead of just “She looked back on her life…”
This technique makes it easier for readers who may have forgotten some important details about what happened in previous books in order not only to remember but also to understand how they relate here.
The Purpose Of Story Notes
Story notes are not the story. They are a way to record your thoughts on the story while you’re working on it, and they can be as simple or complex as you want them to be.
The trick is to only include things that might be useful down the road so that when you go back and look through them again, there isn’t a lot of clutter getting in your way.
I’ve used many different methods for keeping track of my stories over the years from handwritten journals (see the previous chapter) to endless Microsoft Word documents (not recommended).
I ended up settling on Scrivener after trying just about everything else out there and now I’m hooked!
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Conclusion
There’s no magic bullet for the challenges of writing a novel, but we hope that these tips have gotten you closer to finishing your story. We also encourage you to take time off from your project every once in a while it’s good for your brain!
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources to further enhance your understanding of novel writing and related topics:
Survivor’s Guide to the Long, Slow, Infuriating Process of Revision: Learn valuable insights into the revision process and how to navigate its challenges effectively.
Creative Writer’s Survival Guide: Explore a comprehensive guide for creative writers, offering practical advice and strategies for thriving in the writing journey.
Writing a Novel by Richard Skinner: Delve into Richard Skinner’s book on novel writing, gaining expert guidance and tips to craft your masterpiece.
FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions related to novel writing:
What are some effective techniques for overcoming writer’s block during novel writing?
Writer’s block can be challenging, but trying techniques like freewriting, changing your writing environment, and outlining can help stimulate creativity and overcome the block.
How do I create well-rounded and relatable characters in my novel?
To create compelling characters, focus on their motivations, fears, and flaws. Develop a character profile and consider their background, desires, and conflicts to make them relatable.
What’s the importance of outlining before starting to write a novel?
Outlining provides structure to your story, helping you organize plot points and character arcs. It can prevent getting stuck and make the writing process smoother.
How can I maintain consistency in my novel’s plot and world-building?
Creating a detailed story bible or reference document can help you maintain consistency in your plot, settings, and world-building elements, ensuring a seamless reading experience.
What’s the role of dialogue in novel writing, and how can I write authentic dialogue?
Dialogue adds depth to characters and moves the story forward. To write authentic dialogue, listen to real conversations, consider character personalities, and use dialogue to reveal emotions and information.
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.
