If you're a writer, you're probably very familiar with how difficult writing can be. When it's going well, and your muse has decided to bless you with inspiration at two in the morning, then writing can be one of the most fun things in the world. When your muse is on vacation, though, and you've been abandoned in a sea of jumbled ideas and words you can't remember, then writing can be a real pain. I've learned recently that this is especially true when it comes to novels.
During my last semester in college, I decided I wanted my senior project to be a novel. I'd been planning this puppy for over five years, and it was about time I actually sat down and wrote the damn thing. Now, there was no way I'd be able to churn out an entire novel in the midst of all my other schoolwork, but a handful of chapters seemed like a worthy goal. I knew how to write short stories-- a novel was just a long version of that, right? No big deal.
Turns out, it's a pretty big deal. Writing your first novel can be intimidating, even if you've already got a lot of writing experience under your belt. There's so much to plan, so much to learn, and so much to write. I've been trying to figure it out as I go, and while it's not easy, it's certainly been a fun ride. So, as someone still struggling to get that first novel done, I'd like to share some tips I've picked up with you, lovely reader, that might make your novel-writing life a little less difficult.
1. Have a Routine
There are tons of ways you could go about setting up a writing routine for yourself. I've heard that some writers set aside certain blocks of time every day just for writing. Others might give themselves a word count goal for each day, and simply write whenever they have free time in their schedule. I tried to do it by pages over the summer-- I decided I would write at least a page of my novel a day, since I actually had the time for it. That lasted about three days total.
When the school year started, what I did instead was set up a routine of "daily novel updates." At some point every day, I sent my girlfriend an update about something related to my novel-- character development, plot ideas, world-building, or anything else I was making progress on. That way, even though I didn't always have the chance to write something new, I was constantly thinking about my novel, and I had someone to hold me accountable to it. Having some kind of routine, even if it involves simply plotting instead of actual writing, will help you stay in the groove and always keep your story in the back of your mind.
2. Deadlines, Deadlines, Deadlines
If there's one fact I've learned from my life as a college student, it's that deadlines are the best motivators. Like many people, I have a very close relationship with procrastination. We go way back. As such, if I don't have a deadline for something, the odds of me putting it off forever are very high. Working on my novel in the constraints of a school semester has been a blessing for me, as I've had deadlines every week to make sure I stay on track. Even if you don't have formal deadlines to meet, setting informal ones for yourself might be a good motivator for getting your writing done. Give yourself some kind of consequence in case you don't meet your deadlines-- cutting yourself off from Netflix for a day, for instance, or foregoing that chocolate cake you really wanted. That way you'll actually be held responsible for sticking to them.
3. Do Some Research
There's two kinds of research I've found helpful for my writing-- content stuff and process stuff. Content stuff is anything related to the plot, characters, settings, magical powers, or any other bits of information that are actually included in the novel's storyline. Process stuff is advice pertaining to writing itself, which can include how to format a novel, how to handle pacing, how to world-build, and other structural parts like that. Both kinds of research are essentials in your writer's toolbox. Abuse the heck out of Google and websites like WriteWorld. You can never do too much research as a writer.
4. Make Outlines Your Friend
Not every writer works well with outlines. Some prefer to just dive straight into a story and let it develop as it's being written. I tried to do that with mine. Right around chapter three, I realized I had no idea what I was doing, and a rather ugly panic attack followed. So, I had to take a step back and make an outline. After that, I actually had a direction to go in, and it was much easier to get back into writing the story. If you do make an outline, keep in mind that it doesn't have to be set in stone. Odds are, your story will change and move in unexpected directions as you're writing it, and that's okay. You can adjust it and your outline accordingly. Regardless, I know having even a draft of an outline has helped me immensely, so I would strongly recommend one, especially if you're stuck.
5. Let the First Draft be Terrible
I know one of my biggest stumbling blocks as a writer is trying to keep myself from rewriting my first draft before it's done. Inspiration is a hard thing to come by sometimes, and I often work on my novel simply because I know I need to do it, even if I'm not feeling all that up to writing on a particular day. As a result, I tend to feel like my first draft of anything is completely awful. Like, the worst piece of writing to ever exist. I glance over the paragraph I've just written and want to change everything right away. What I've been trying to learn, though, is that first drafts are meant to be bad. That's why they're the first draft. It's important to just get the words out there, let them start to take shape and form a story, before you go back and try to rearrange them all. You have plenty of time for editing later. Give your story a chance to grow first, and then later you can trim it up however you like.
6. Ask for Feedback
One of the scariest things about being a writer-- for me, at least-- is when people ask to see my work. Of course, the whole point of writing a novel is to hopefully share it with the world someday. Every published author wants to be read. Even so, it can be hard to handle critique sometimes. The key to this, I've found, is relying on people that you trust to read through your drafts and give you honest feedback. This probably won't be someone like your mother, unless she's really good at being blunt, or you're the opposite of me, and you can handle your mom giving you constructive criticism without wanting to cry. You want to find someone who can read your stuff through an objective mindset, who can find places for you where they got confused or wanted to know more about your characters or plot. I have a professor who is my main go-to right now, but my girlfriend has also been a huge help in picking apart my chapter drafts for me. It can be hard to find weak points in your own writing, so getting some extra pairs of eyes on it is invaluable.
7. Just Keep Writing
There will be days when it feels like the world is against you. There will be days when nothing comes out right, and when you seriously consider throwing in the towel and giving up writing all together. Writing, like any other art, takes practice, patience, and effort. If you have to take a break from it for a little bit, that's fine, but don't abandon it completely. The only way to get better and create something you really love is to keep trying. It might feel like an uphill battle, but the results will be worth it in the end.
Good luck out there, my fellow novelists. I look forward to seeing your work on my future bookshelves.
