Nine Steps to Successfully Writing a Novel

Writing a novel is not as difficult as you might think, and completing a novel is one of the most rewarding feelings in the world. However, it’s not without it’s problems.

Many people dream of writing the great American novel, you know the one, the book that gets accepted and published by a traditional publisher, hits the New York Times bestseller list and the author makes loads of money and never has to work a traditional job again. Unfortunately, this can be an unrealistic view of what being a successful writer entails. I don’t mean to say this doesn’t happen but it’s rare. If you are serious about being a writer and successfully writing a novel for publication then there are some steps which may help you along your journey.

1. You should treat your writing as though it were any other job. Now I realize this sounds ominous to those of you who may view your writing as relaxing and fun, but I’ve found if I don’t treat my writing as though it were a job, I don’t write. The main point I’m making here is that you must carve out specified blocks of time each day to work on your writing.

2. Exercise each day. No, I don’t mean go sit on your exercise bike for 30 minutes, I mean practice your writing. You can do this by keeping a journal or diary, writing short articles, or writing poetry. I’m sure if you think about it you can come up with others.

3. Make sure you show and not tell. This was one of the biggest roadblocks for me when I began writing as I had a tendency to “tell” my story rather than “showing” the reader what was happening. Showing is where you use descriptive language to create a picture that the reader can see in his/her mind, whereas telling is where you simply are relating what happens without giving the reader any language that helps them see it in their mind.