Tips for Novel Writing (Without Going Totally Insane)

As someone who's written multiple (read: double digits) novels, it is both easy and hard - it really depends on how you approach it!

Romanticon's Tips for Novel Writing (Without Going Totally Insane):


Part 1: Before you start

1. Come up with an idea! If you don't have an idea, you don't have a novel. Simple as that.
2. No idea? Pick a genre you like. Do you read a lot of mystery, romance, scifi? Set out to write what you know.
3. Background research. If you want to write a Victorian period piece, you should read up on Victorian era daily life. If you want to write a space adventure, read up on rockets and space.
4. Plot-in-a-sentence. Imagine that you're in an elevator with Christopher Nolan. How do you convince him to buy your book as a movie deal before he reaches his floor?
5. Accountability. Set a reward for completion, but a punishment if you don't hit a daily goal. I've found that a good punishment for me is running a mile on each day I don't hit my word goal.
6. Choose a time or place to write, and make it a habit. I personally have a favorite coffee shop where I can people watch as I write.

To outline, or not to outline?

I've talked to other writers, and they swear by always/sometimes/never outlining their stories. Personally, it really comes down to what you feel works best for you. I outline, because I like the organization, and it helps me push through the "middle slog" when I no longer love my plot any longer.

I also find that a good outline means my book is already about 20% written! I'll start with just listing out the plot-in-a-sentence, and then I'll break that down into a list of events that happen in the book. Break those down a little further, and I've got chapters! Add in a few sentences describing what happens in each event, and I've got chapter summaries!

From there, I find it easy to just take a chapter summary a day and flush it out into a full chapter.

Part 2: Time to write! Uhhhh....

1. Have a word goal in mind before you start writing. I will usually aim to write 2,000 words a session - that gives me a 50k word novel in 25 days! Even a 500 word a day goal still gets you a novel in under 4 months.
2. Remove distractions. Check out apps like Write or Die, or even turn off your internet connection for the writing time. You can also find apps that block access to certain sites for a length of time (like turning off Reddit...).
3. Use a timer! I personally am a fan of the Pomodoro method - 25 minutes on, 5 minutes off. Great for writing intensely without getting burned out.
4. Find a writing group! Writing is much easier with other people, even if it's only a digital connection.
5. Keep a cheat sheet of important details. Write down your characters' names, descriptions, important backstory details, etc. I've had a character's eye and hair color change halfway through the story because I forgot how I originally described him. This also helps you with backstory.
6. Don't go back and edit! Editing a story before it's finished is a death stroke to the novel. If you realize you need to go back and re-write a plot point, make a note of it, and then KEEP GOING to the end before backing up to make changes.
7. If you think of a cool plot point or detail to add in at a future chapter, make a note of it so you don't forget. At the bottom of my document, I keep a slowly growing list of "things to remember".

Part 3: Halfway through and hating it

1. Relax. Every writer hates their story at some point and wants to scrap the whole thing. Keep going.
2. If you have an outline, don't forget to refer back to it - or update it if your story takes a new direction.
3. If your characters get "stuck", think about their goals. What are they after to be happy? Why don't they have it, what's holding them back? How do they accomplish their goal? What does that mean for your other characters?
4. Remember, your story doesn't need to hit a certain word limit, just wrap up. Some of my novels stopped at 45k words, some went all the way to 65k words. The story ends when it ends.

I'm done! Now what?

First, congratulations!
Second, put the novel aside for a few days. You need to distance yourself.
Once you're starting to forget some of the details of what you've written, go back and re-read it, preferably with a highlighter. I review in the following order:

1. First, does the overall plot flow? If not, what do I need to change?
2. Second, do the characters stay consistent in talking style, goals, motivation, attitude, and so on? If not, fix that after the plot's solid.
3. How's the logical consistency? If a character doesn't have a car, how do they get around? Is a broke character flying around the world? Is an awkward geek flirting effortlessly with supermodels? Make sure things make sense.

When I read one of my stories, I often try and see it as a movie in my head. If scenes in the movie aren't clear or don't make sense, I know I need to rewrite that section.

Composition of a novel

When I write a novel, it ends up being about:

• 20% descriptions and scenery
• 40% dialogue
• 20% emotion (how's the character feeling, thinking?)
• 20% action

Your numbers may be different, but you do need a blend of all 4 of these. Leave out emotions, and your characters all feel robotic. Leave out dialogue, and the thing doesn't feel real. Leave out descriptions, and your readers will be utterly confused.

Okay, now I'm really done with the thing. Now what?

Now, put your baby out in the world! You can either:

• Submit to traditional publishers (although you'll want an agent for this, and it's a long slog)
• Publish it yourself for free! Check out programs like Scrivener for making an ebook, and printing platforms like Lulu to get a physical copy.
• Put it up for sale! I sell my novels through Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) platform, as well as on other sites.

Remember, every author hates his finished product most of the time. You only get better through practice and self-assessment. You can do it!

Some other resources to check out:

www.nanowrimo.org - National Novel Writing Month is a competition every November, where people challenge themselves to write a novel in a month, 1,667 words per day! It's a great way to get motivation, with local writing groups all across the US and around the world.

www.savethecat.com - guide for anyone wanting to write a screenplay. In addition, google "Save the Cat beat sheet" for a great outline for writing a novel.

www.kboards.com/authors/ - forum for self-published authors through Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing program, great for getting started in self-publishing.

www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php - Scrivener is a great tool for writers - it lets you organize by chapters, compile a book from separate documents, adjust formatting, and export in many different formats, including as an epub book.

www.duotrope.com - exhaustive, amazing list of all markets for submitting stories, long or short. Well worth the membership fee.