Writing can be a very daunting task to the for a novice writer. The beginning of a journey is often the hardest part. As a new writer sometimes you find it hard to know where to start, or even what to do. In as much as there is no guideline to writing a best seller, there are some key things that need to be thought of and included when writing your novel. With that being said here are 10 list of tips to know when writing a novel.
Choose the Genre
When I saw choose I genre I don’t mean just roll the dice and use whichever one that lands, No! when I say choose a genre I mean you need to choose a genre that your story fits into. If you’re writing about a man and a woman falling in love in Paris, you’re genre is romance. Picking a genre is crucial; it allows you to find your audience. People who want to read romance will look for romance books and people who want to read fantasy will look for fantasy books.
Go Big or Go Home
You aren’t the best. That the first thing you need to acknowledge as a writer it’s that you simply are not the best. There are thousands of books out there and millions of people out there. Therefore you need to stand out, a writer should be willing to go beyond the norm and reinvent stories or retell stories in a different way. Think big, do research, have a dramatic High concept idea that wow your readers and makes them want more and more.
Your Character is your Baby
New Writers tend to focus more on the story rather than they’re Characters. Think about it, if you’ve read a book then you know that you kept on reading because you just simply loved the character. A good Protagonist (hero) is the reason why bad books become masterpieces. As a writer you need to take time and envision what it exactly you want your character to be and access how relatable they are to the reader.
Create A Devil.
Every good Protagonist needs a good Antagonist (Villain) to keep them on their toes. Good villain equals good drama, and good drama equals happy readers. When in order to create a good villain you need to know that the sole purpose of the villain is to oppose the Protagonist hence he or she or they should be able to challenge the Protagonist and bring out the worst or the best in the protagonist. After all Why do we like Voldemort so much.
Words and Targets.
When you are writing a novel it is important to understand that there are certain amounts of words needed in order for your book to be categorized as a novel. The same goes for Genre. Each Genre has a set limit of words in order for a book to be considered a Romance, Fantasy, Si-Fi, Teen Fiction etc.
Do your research, find out the word length of your genre and get to it!
Make This Complicated
When I read a book I get so excited when there are twists and turns within the story. When you write a good character naturally the readers are invested in what happens to the character. Give your character a good subplot that’s thrilling, exciting and shows off more of the characters will and personality.
We Love Surprises
How many times have you read a good book and got surprised by a shocking revelation. If you have then my guess is that you even remember the name of the book and the storyline. Sunrises within a novel can make it memorable, make things exciting (notice how I keep saying exciting).They create fresh new instances that keep the reader hooked and wanting more and more of the story. So Keep surprising them at least three times within your novel.
Save The Best for Last
Sometimes its good to hold back the best for last. When telling a story a dramatic ending is the most impactful way to end it. Create a good yet dramatic ending for the character. Try and resolve the most important threads for last. Make the ending count.
Stay In Viewpoint.
There is nothing I hate more than a writer who does not stick to the characters viewpoint. Let me explain. When you decide to write your work in the third person then stick to it. Mixing voices is the easiest way to botch up your book and drive readers away. But there are instances whereby mixing of voices can be allowed, however, with strict guidelines and it needs to be absolutely necessary for the enhancing the plot. If it doesn’t then don’t use it.
Action Always.
The title is confusing I know. What I mean is, from the beginning of this article I have been emphasizing on excitement. Your story needs to be exciting, it needs to make the reader not want to put the book down. Therefore my best advice is to always write in action mode, don’t be too descriptive instead show the reader by using words such as he shivered instead of he felt cold. Transport the reader and make them feel like they are in the story, that they are the character.
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