How to Author a Novel

Introduction:

Writing a fiction novel is not easy, for you literally have to make something out of nothing. However, neither is it rocket science. Read on to find out how this writer became an author.

Things You Will Need:

Ability to express yourself

Basic writing skill

Imagination

Perseverance

Step 1:

Know what you will write about:  So you wish to write a novel? Excellent! This writer can testify that writing a fiction novel is a wonderful and meaningful experience. However, do you know your story and how long you wish your book to be? Perhaps you do, but perhaps you are not as certain as you think. It is not necessary to know every detail of your novel before it is written; that is what the writing is for. But, you must at least have a solid general idea of your story and its length from beginning to end.

Step 2:

Deciding to write your story: Making the decision to commit to the project is a huge part of writing a novel. Writing a book is much different than writing articles and short stories. At the very least, it will take several weeks to write your novel. Setting a private completion date, (deadline), is a good idea but is not absolutely necessary, especially for the first time writer who will be learning as he/she goes along. You may not have control over any professional or personal crisis which may come your way, but, barring those, you must have the will and discipline to commence writing page one and not stop until book’s completion. 

Step 3:

Beginning the novel:  As stated in Step 2, it will take a minimum of several weeks to write a quality story of any length at all. Before writing page one, have a writing plan. Have a general idea of how many hours in a day or week you will commit to writing your novel and how many words you wish to complete in any writing session and do not deviate unless you have to.

Step 4:

Writing your novel: You have your writing plan. Execute it and, as stated, do not deviate more than necessary. It is best to write when you have ample time, your mind is relaxed and you are not unduly physically tired. If you find any of these things to be an unexpected stumbling block, you may wish to modify your plan after you start writing. If you do, commit to Plan B as much as you did Plan A. 

Step 5:

Finishing your novel: As with the decision to write, the completion of a weeks -- often months -- long project can be highly emotional. As you near completion, you will feel the anticipation and emotion. Do not let it affect the quality of your writing or the ending of your book. The mood and atmosphere in your story must come from the fiction characters, not from you.

Step 6:

NOTES:  1) You need not be an expert in grammar or spelling to write. Most modern day word processing programs contain spellchecker and dictionary options. 2) If you are writing with an eye to getting your work published, know your options. In today’s world one can self publish in several different ways. Personal website, internet free publishing sites and subsidy print presses are a few of the ways one may share his/her work with the world other than with the traditional print publishers. 3) If you are writing a novel, you have crossed the line from casual writing for fun to serious, applied writing over an extended period of time. Do not be surprised if your writing hobby now feels like a job, because in many ways it is, especially if you wish to be published.

Tips:

From Step 2:  Be honest with yourself. Do not attempt to write a novel unless you possess adequate writing skills.

From Step 4:  Do not attempt to write when fatigued or emotionally distressed. Both conditions can cause writer’s block and may, at the very minimum, affect the quality of your writing.

From Step 5: The decision to write a novel is a huge emotional hurdle to overcome. The time and effort it takes to write a book intimidates many people with excellent story ideas.

Warnings:

From Step 3:  Stay focused. There are many things which will distract you away from your writing, especially if you hit a place in your story which is not coming easily to you. 

Comments (1)

roseanne09 said:

	... I have recently started writing short stories. Excellent article on how to author a novel. Thanks for sharing.
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July 24, 2010
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