Are You Ready to Write a Novel?

No matter what your current level of writing activity, you may feel that someday, down the road, you will be trying to write a novel. You may even have some novel ideas bouncing around in your head. But then fear strikes. You don’t want to be one of those bad-example wannabe writers you read about in how-to-write texts. But how do you know if you are ready to start your novel?

The first thing to consider is whether or not you read novels. If you haven’t read any since being required to do so in high school, perhaps writing a novel is not something you will be able to do. Real novelists read novels— a lot of novels, and not just ones in the genre they write in. A romance novelist will read horror novels, and a horror novelist will read science fiction. In addition, a novelist reads a lot of non-fiction books. Writers are readers— don’t forget that rule of thumb.

Do you think like a writer? Are stories floating around in your head? Most novelists have been making up stories in their head since childhood. In my own case, I did it constantly. A child psychologist offered to cure me of this habit, but instead I gave up the psychologist. A working writer carries a load of characters around in his head at all times, and may find inspiration in the unlikeliest of places.

Another consideration is whether you are able to spell and use correct grammar. You may think that isn’t important these days since the invention of spell-check and grammar-checking software. But the truth is that unless you are already good at spelling and grammar, these aids may actually make your writing worse. For example, if spell check identifies a misspelled word, what if you choose the wrong word from its list of suggestions? But fortunately, this concern is something you can correct. Working every day on improving your spelling and/or grammar is time well spent if you hope to be a novelist.

If you have these basic qualifications, you may well be ready to write your first novel. Your next step will be to figure out what type of novel you want to write. You will need to know the genre— such as mystery or romance— as well as the sub-genre or other factor in the kind of novel you are planning. Read a number of current novels of your chosen genre to be sure you understand what is being done today.

As you write down your novel ideas, you may find it beneficial to read books on novel writing, or on character development or novel outlining. The best books of this type are written by people who have actually written novels, such as Laurence Block. You might also consult the web site of novelist Holly Lisle, which has loads of information and courses on how to write novels.

Novel writing is an adventure. It may take you many years before you succeed at finishing your first novel, and it may take you even longer to sell it to a publisher. Even Stephen King wrote five or so novels he couldn’t sell before he finally sold Carrie and became a successful author. But if it is what you want to do, go for it, work hard, never stop writing!