Writing a novel isn’t easy. It’s not just hard work; it’s also a long process that can leave you feeling uncertain about whether or not your book will ever get finished.
Fortunately, there are some simple techniques and tricks that can help you simplify the process and make sure your book gets done. Here are my top 21 tips for simplifying the novel-writing process:
| Key Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Utilize a structured framework to streamline your novel writing process. |
| 2. Break down your writing into manageable tasks, such as outlining, drafting, and revising. |
| 3. Embrace the power of consistent writing habits to maintain momentum. |
| 4. Explore techniques for generating ideas and overcoming writer’s block. |
| 5. Consider the benefits of using a book style guide for a polished manuscript. |
| 6. Prioritize character development and plot cohesion to engage your readers. |
| 7. Don’t rush the process; take time for thoughtful revisions and edits. |
| 8. Seek inspiration from other writers and resources to enhance your skills. |
| 9. Stay open to adapting your plan as your story evolves. |
| 10. Remember that simplicity and organization can lead to a more enjoyable writing experience. |
Keep An Idea File
Keeping an idea file is a great way to keep track of ideas you have while writing.
You can include anything in this file that you think might be useful for your novel notes on characters, scenes, settings, and other elements; inspirational quotes; interesting words and phrases; or even just words or phrases that intrigue you.
“An idea file is like having a potluck with yourself,” says novelist Megan Griffiths. “It’s a place where all the little tidbits that I collect while I’m reading or surfing online or watching TV get put into one place so they don’t get lost.”
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Set Word-Count Goals
You may have heard of the “write-a-thon,” in which writers set a goal for how many words they want to produce on a certain day and then spend all day writing. This can be an effective way of keeping your goals in mind even when you’re not trying to write, but it’s not the only option.
A simpler approach is to set an overall word count goal for your work session and then write it down somewhere visible where you’ll see it often (such as on your computer desktop or bathroom mirror).
This helps keep your attention focused on the task at hand so that you don’t get distracted by other things. It also gives us something concrete against which we can measure our progress, rather than just having vague ideas about what we’ve done over long periods.
For example, if I’m writing 2K words per day while working on my novel, then I know exactly how much work needs to be done before I have reached my target number of pages: 20K pages equals roughly 80K words (though some authors may vary slightly from this rule).
Track Your Progress
Tracking your progress is one of the most important things you can do as a writer. You need to know how much you’ve done and how much more there is left to do so that when it comes time for you to finish writing your book, it’s not such a daunting task and feels more manageable.
Your best bet for tracking progress is by using some sort of software or website that will keep track of this information for you automatically. If there isn’t any available, then try using Excel spreadsheets (or Google Sheets).
This way, all you need to do is enter what chapters and scenes have been written over each period (e.g., each day).
Here are some tips:
Write down everything that goes into your novel – even if it seems inconsequential at first glance!
The more detail about where every scene takes place and what characters say in those scenes, the better off we’ll be later on the line when reviewing our notes later on down the line
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Get An Accountability Partner
Get an accountability partner. Having someone to hold you accountable to your writing goals is crucial because it’s easy to get distracted by other things in life (or easily lose sight of your goal).
An accountability partner can help keep you on track, motivated, and on top of your writing goals.
Find the right time and place for you. While there are no hard-and-fast rules about when or where it’s best to write, there are some things that seem to work better than others: morning works best for some people, while others prefer evening;
Sitting at home might make more sense than working in a coffee shop with noise around, and setting aside specific times each day can help maintain continuity in the long run but doing so may require pushing away distractions during those times!
Don’t Wait For Inspiration
Writing can be a daunting process. You might feel like you need to wait for inspiration to strike before you begin writing your novel, but that’s not always necessary. You can start by writing about anything at all it doesn’t have to be about the story itself.
You can write about what you know, such as your own life experiences or the experiences of friends and family members.
If there’s something in particular that interests you, use it as inspiration! If nothing else, just write down what comes naturally to you and see where it takes you.
If there are topics that interest but don’t necessarily bother or excite us (such as politics or religion), why not use them?
After all, these things affect our lives every day; why not give them some attention in our work? If nothing else, addressing them will probably make our readers think more deeply about these issues than they would have otherwise!
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You Don’t Have To Write In Order
You don’t have to write in order. You can write scenes out of order if they’re more interesting or important to you.
You can write the scenes that are most interesting to you first because that’s what will make writing the rest of your book easier.
You can also skip overwriting one scene and return later, once you’ve written other parts of your book that may make sense with it.
It doesn’t matter if the reader knows about a character before meeting them in person the reader should meet them in person!
Use A Calendar
Planning is important for writing. Setting aside time to write, even if it’s just 15 minutes each day or one hour on the weekends, will help you make progress and keep your momentum going.
If you don’t plan, it’s easy to get off track by doing other things that seem more urgent at the time — checking social media, watching a movie or TV show, playing video games…
As with everything else in life (including dieting), moderation is key here: don’t plan so much that you never get around to writing;
But also don’t plan so little that your schedule becomes too loosey-goosey and ends up disrupting your concentration when it’s time for those precious writing sessions!
Here are some ideas for planning out those sessions:
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Set Self-Imposed Deadlines
- Write down your deadline. The first step in setting a self-imposed deadline is writing it down.
- Create a plan to meet that deadline and write it down, too. This isn’t just for you it’s for me, too!
- Write about your progress on the plan so I know if I’m ahead of or behind schedule (and for what reasons).
- Do not get distracted by other projects or tasks that don’t have anything to do with writing your novel (or any other task).
Talk About Your Work Before You Finish It
The word “talk” sounds so innocuous, so quotidian. If you’re a writer, though, it can be the most powerful thing in your life. If you want to make progress with your novel or any creative project—the best thing you can do is talk about it before it’s finished.
Talking about your work is not just helpful for getting yourself unstuck; it also helps with the next step of writing: revision. Do you know what happens when an author writes a draft and then freaks out? She stops publishing anything else for at least six months (and maybe forever).
Or she self-publishes her draft under the pseudonym “Anonymous,” which means that nobody will ever read or review it if she ever gets around to editing and revising her masterpiece book one day down the line.
Even though everyone knows that there are so many improvements that could be made! All because she didn’t share her ideas early enough in their development stage!
So don’t let this happen to you! Share your idea before anyone sees what’s inside those precious pages even if no one thinks they’re ready yet or knows how much room there still needs improving before the publication date arrives.”
Stop Multitasking
Multitasking is bad for your brain. It makes you less creative, less productive, less happy, and less healthy. But the worst part is that it makes you less effective! And who wants to be ineffective?
That’s why I recommend that every writer focuses on one task at a time. Sure, your computer may have multiple tabs open or even multiple windows open on the same screen but don’t let yourself get distracted by these things!
Focus all of your attention on one project at a time and then move on to the next task when it’s finished. For example: if you’re working on a novel right now, let’s say…
Then do nothing else except focus on writing that novel until it’s done (or at least until it has reached its current stage). Your work will go faster than ever before if we all just commit ourselves to this simple rule: “Don’t multitask!”
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Write To A Schedule, Not To The Page Count
It’s important to set up a writing schedule and stick with it. Don’t work on your novel from 9-5 Monday through Friday. Set aside specific time slots for writing and stick with them.
If you write in two three-hour blocks each day, then you will be able to estimate how many words you can expect per block.
Writing deadlines are useful as well you should have at least one deadline per week or month when setting up your calendar so that there is accountability in place for finishing your chapters on time (or earlier).
If you have trouble sticking with a schedule or hitting deadlines, try breaking down large blocks of time into smaller chunks like 15 minutes here, 30 minutes there it may feel overwhelming at first but soon enough it will become second nature!
Give Yourself A Break When You Need One
It’s important to rest and take a break when you need one. When you are working on something, it can be easy to just push through until the end. But if you don’t take breaks, your mind will get tired and overwhelmed, and it will be harder for you to get things done.
As long as you are getting enough sleep every night (at least eight hours), eating well, and exercising regularly, then taking time off is good for your productivity in the long run!
Write What You Want To Write
Write what you want to read. It’s simple, but it’s also the most important thing. Write what you would want to read if someone else were writing it for you, or if that book weren’t already out there at all.
If you’re starting from scratch and aren’t trying to write a sequel or prequel of an existing series (or another book in the same genre), then this is probably going to be your first novel anyway.
Write what you want to write about. You might have some idea for a story floating around inside your head right now a plotline or setting that has been floating around ever since childhood but haven’t put down on paper yet because there isn’t enough time in the day!
Or maybe it’s just been too long since you last sat down at that desk we all have under our desks (if so, go ahead and move mine).
Either way, start by writing whatever comes naturally: don’t try too hard; just let yourself get into a groove as soon as possible with your ideas before moving on to anything else later on down the road.
Once everything settles back down again after getting over this initial hurdle the first time round rather than having any sort of preconceived notions about how things will turn out beforehand because chances are good they won’t end up being exactly.
Like how we expect them might be when we first started thinking about them either way so don’t worry about those things until later either now or later depending upon how much effort one wants to put into something before deciding.
Whether it would help improve one’s chances versus hinder them instead depends upon how many people start reading these blog posts every month versus not being able to find enough readership base interest level needed before asking questions like these which may keep blogging
Train Your Brain For Writing By Writing Every Day
Writing every day is an essential part of the writing process. It trains your brain to be ready to write at any moment instead of having to wait until inspiration strikes, you can simply sit down and begin typing.
If you want to train your brain for writing, try these tips:
Write every day: Even if it’s just a little bit; even if it’s not what you were planning on working on today; even if it doesn’t feel like much progress is being made; even if nobody else sees what you’re doing (or cares).
Write anyway! We writers must stick with our daily word count goals, no matter what life throws at us.
Try setting aside the same time each day: This will help establish an automatic routine that will make writing much easier in the future (and make sure those pesky “I’m too tired” excuses don’t get in your way).
Try setting up shop in the same place each time: Whether it’s at home or a coffee shop or library (or wherever).
Decide on where exactly that space will be so there aren’t any surprises along the way when it comes time for writing sessions (and there will always come a point in which something interferes with plans… trust me).
The more consistent our environments are during this process, the better off we’ll be when trying not only to readapt ourselves but also to learn new things about ourselves over time–which leads me nicely to my next point!
Read Great Books That Make You Want To Write Better Books
This may seem obvious, but it’s so important! You must read a ton of books and consume as much writing material as possible. If you want to be a writer, then part of your job is reading and absorbing other people’s work.
The more we write, the better writers we become, and the more we read, the more interesting stories there are for us to turn into our creations.
The best way to learn how to write is by reading what others have done before us to see their successes and mistakes firsthand;
This means reading great works of fiction (or nonfiction) regularly so that inspiration strikes at all times during your day-to-day life rather than just when sitting down at your desk with pen or keyboard nearby!
Conclusion
Writing a novel is hard, but it doesn’t have to be as complicated as you think. By following some of these tips and tricks for simplifying your writing process, you can make the experience much easier on yourself.
It’s true that sometimes inspiration just won’t strike, but if you keep at it then eventually something will come together, and when it does? The feeling of accomplishment is worth every ounce of effort!
Further Reading
Simplify Your Book Writing Process with a Book Style GuideExplore the benefits of using a book style guide to streamline your writing process and create a consistent and polished manuscript.
How to Write a Novel: A Step-by-Step GuideDive into a comprehensive step-by-step guide that takes you through the process of writing a novel, from conception to completion.
How to Write a Novel: Tips and TechniquesGain insights into effective novel writing techniques, including plot development, character building, and maintaining reader engagement.
FAQs
How can a book style guide simplify my writing process?
A book style guide provides a set of standardized rules and guidelines for formatting and presenting your manuscript. By following these guidelines, you can save time and ensure consistency throughout your writing, making the editing and publishing process smoother.
What steps are involved in writing a novel?
Writing a novel involves several key steps, including brainstorming ideas, outlining the plot, developing characters, drafting chapters, revising, and editing. Each step contributes to crafting a compelling and well-structured story.
Are there specific techniques for writing a captivating novel?
Yes, there are various techniques that can enhance the quality of your novel. These include creating relatable characters, establishing clear goals and conflicts, using descriptive language to set the scene, and mastering the art of dialogue.
How do I overcome writer’s block while working on a novel?
Writer’s block can be frustrating, but there are strategies to overcome it. Try changing your writing environment, taking breaks, outlining the next scene, or freewriting to spark creativity and get your ideas flowing again.
What are some common mistakes to avoid when writing a novel?
Common mistakes include inconsistent character behavior, overly complex plots, lack of conflict, and excessive exposition. It’s also important to avoid rushing the writing process—take your time to develop a well-crafted story.
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.