Writing a novel is not a task for the faint-hearted, but what if there are ways you can do it without the fear of failure? Standing in front of your first novel endeavor should be exciting and the excitement should not fade halfway through the process. Before you put pen to paper, be sure that you are passionate about the storyline. This journey will be long and you are going to have to stay committed until the end. It seems like pretty obvious advice, but many writers do not understand how much works actually goes into completing a novel.
After completing the first draft, your work has only begun. You can find the best proofreading services online, or you can hire an editor to help you. At the end of the day, this is still your work and the final decision before sending to a publisher would be in your hands. There are some actions you can take to make this process easier and ensure that your hard work ends up in a success story.
1. Outline
Before you take on this task, make sure to get your foundation right. Draw an outline of how you would like your novel to flow. This is going to make it easier to just fill in the blanks along the way. You need to have some kind of structure to how a novel is written and an outline helps with that.
2. Breaks
After you have done the outline, take a small break away from your work. Do the same between chapters. A break could be an entire day or two, just so that you give your brain some time to recuperate. Take this time to work on another project that is far removed from the novel.
3. Set your own goals
There is so much online about setting goals, but the freedom that comes with setting your own is liberating. As a resume proofreader, I know exactly how many resumes I have to get through each day to reach my goal. Write these goals down and once you’ve achieved your daily goal, give yourself permission to relax.
4. Fun activity first
After you wake up in the morning, you might be tempted to start on your novel right away. Do something fun first to give your brain a chance to catch up with your excitement first. This is also helpful on those days when you really just don’t have the energy to get going.
5. Read
Take some time away from your own work and read good books written by other brilliant authors. Admire the work and enjoy this moment. You are going to be so motivated and inspired, that your own novel will seem like a pleasurable task. You also pick up some great tips on the writing style of the author.
6. Get dirty
Publishers are so tired of writers who try to be so perfect in their work that it takes away from the impact the story can have. Say things the way you would if you’d tell a friend the story. Get a little dirty with it and move away from the pretty and perfect way of writing. An online proofreading service might want to correct some of your writing, but stand for what you need the end goal to be.
7. Personality
When it comes to writing over a thousand pages, you can only take the book as far as your own personality goes. What I mean by this is that you should always stay true to who you are and what your writing capabilities are. Add humor or sadness. In the end, this novel will be a reflection of your own mind and that is what makes it successful.
8. Get your mind right
Do not go into this with a mindset that is not ready yet. If it means waiting another year, then do so. You have to commit to the process fully and if you’re not ready mentally, you should not start. Get your head in the game and the process of completing your novel will be so much easier.
9. Anticipate the next chapter
When you are about to end one chapter, you might want to consider how you would start the next one. This allows you to end the one chapter with the flow of the other one in mind. It is often something writers miss and the reader could easily be confused.
Eva Read is a professional writer and a content manager. She find inspiration in music, yoga and books. Her life motto is “Opportunities don’t happen. You create them.”
Comment here