Tips on Writing Your Own Novel

Writing a novel is one thing that a lot of us think that we would like to do at some point during the course of our lives. Some people even know what it is going to be about, and who the main character is going to be, but that’s as far as it usually goes. Only the minority manage to get pen to paper, and this is something that you have to be able to beat. If you want to be in that minority, then read on.

Before you even start writing, you have to know your characters inside out.  Every single one of them has to have a past, a present, and a future. You have to have a plan for them and know where they’re going to fit in the story. There is no point in starting to write when you don’t know which way things are going to go, so it is well worth taking the time to do the planning stage. If you can, buy a small note book and a pen and take it everywhere with you. That way, whenever you see anything that you feel as though you could write down, all that you would have to do would be to take the book out of your pocket and start to jot down some of your ideas. 

Although it might be a little bit daunting, you have to remember that a true novel is at least 100,000 words long. This is many hours work, and there is no point in thinking that this is going to be a short task. You need to set aside time to write regularly, and it could be one hour each evening, or you could just say that you’re going to write every Saturday if you don’t usually have anything else planned at the weekend. The most important thing to remember is that writing should never become a chore. If you find that you’re not enjoying writing your novel any more, stop writing, and leave it for a week before you take it out again and start to read it. You may surprise yourself at just how good your work is, and this will be a boost for you if you have not managed to get anything down on paper for a while. 

If you want to get your novel published when it has been finished, then you have to be patient. You might never find a publisher who is willing to even look at your work, but this is no reason to stop trying. There are many local publishers who will be willing to help you, although you might find that you don’t manage to make very much money from your book at the beginning. Something that you have to remember is that once your book is out there, there is always a chance that somebody might want to buy a copy. This means that it should be able to provide you with some residual income for the rest of your life, however little, so it is worth an investment.

Even if you never manage to get your work published, you can always know that you had the motivation and drive to get it finished, and this is something that you should be very proud of.