Five Good Novel Writing Habits
Start writing a post
Entertainment

Five Good Novel Writing Habits

Writing is hard enough without bad habits.

13
Five Good Novel Writing Habits
Poetic Fool

Writing a novel is tough; but the idea of a story is plenty motivating. Even the most experienced authors can get tripped up, though. Here are five habits you may find helpful to write effectively and efficiently. Note that every writer is different; you may find advice contrary to be more helpful. But these have worked for me, so I hope they might serve you well.

1. Practice

Writing short stories are a great way to start off. Focusing on particular elements of writing in each story will help you tie them all together in the end. Dialogue, plot and structure; characters with emotion and viewpoint; descriptions and settings; plot and structure, revisions...there are countless "elements" to a novel, making mastering all of them difficult with only one project. I quickly got hung up on my big writing project. Far too often, I would have to switch gears between these elements that I had not become accustomed to. When I started to write short stories, or even short scenes, that were focused strictly on mastering a particular element of writing, my larger project seemed less overwhelming.

Here's a website with a complete list of books that will greatly boost your writing capabilities.

2. Commit

Many sites help you commit to writing often. Getting that word count up is like running a marathon, but for a quick sprint, try NaNoWriMo (National November Writing Month). This site offers rewards, motivation, and feedback from other authors as you scramble to reach a word count. The only problem is that it's held in November, which for many students is a poor time to commit to writing every day. Camp NaNoWriMo offers April and June sessions which are more manageable for me. Writing every day for a month forms a habit, which will prove to be invaluable in your journey to publishing.

3. Remember

Some of the greatest ideas come to me at inconvenient times; in class, the middle of the night, even driving. Nothing is worse than failing to remember later what that idea was, so recording every idea is essential. Some writers keep an idea journal where they scribble concepts down. This journal doesn't have to be anything fancy; just something that is readily available on the go.

I personally use Microsoft OneNote. It's free to use, and is basically a virtual journal with tabs to keep all your ideas organized. Keeping organized is always important—especially considering the wealth of information you as an author must keep track of. OneNote is available on most devices for free.

4. Writing by scenes

It would make sense to write the story as it happens, right? That's what I thought, and I quickly discovered, for me, writing scene by scene is much easier. Just as your novel has a purpose to express, so too do "scenes." The entirety of any story can be broken up into scenes, where a character develops the plot, and himself. Every scene must contribute to the plot and character development. It's these scenes that provide a purposeful building block to the larger picture; the better you can construct and weave together these scenes, the better the novel will present itself. Scenes can highlight your novel's purpose through themes, tones and symbolism.

Scenes are just easier to manage. When writing chronologically, it's easy to get caught in a writer's block. Scenes are more easily edited, and gives you a picture of where your novel is heading.

Scenes also give you a goal. You can tell yourself, "I'm going to write one scene this week, where my protagonist will resolve the main conflict with the antagonist." This strays away from the word and page count, and rather on the substance of the scene.

5. Complete, not perfect

What is most frustrating in writing is deciding that the sentence you just wrote is awful, deleting it, then spending up to five minutes constructing a perfect sentence. Though you may be proud of your work, it most likely will be edited at the revision state anyway. Who knows? You may remove that page entirely after having a plot revelation. The point is, focus on completing your story. Then you can worry about the quality in the rough draft. The writing process works, because it saves time and worry. Writing a compelling story is hard enough without being caught up in grammar and style and all the horribly complicated situations the English language can create.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
the beatles
Wikipedia Commons

For as long as I can remember, I have been listening to The Beatles. Every year, my mom would appropriately blast “Birthday” on anyone’s birthday. I knew all of the words to “Back In The U.S.S.R” by the time I was 5 (Even though I had no idea what or where the U.S.S.R was). I grew up with John, Paul, George, and Ringo instead Justin, JC, Joey, Chris and Lance (I had to google N*SYNC to remember their names). The highlight of my short life was Paul McCartney in concert twice. I’m not someone to “fangirl” but those days I fangirled hard. The music of The Beatles has gotten me through everything. Their songs have brought me more joy, peace, and comfort. I can listen to them in any situation and find what I need. Here are the best lyrics from The Beatles for every and any occasion.

Keep Reading...Show less
Being Invisible The Best Super Power

The best superpower ever? Being invisible of course. Imagine just being able to go from seen to unseen on a dime. Who wouldn't want to have the opportunity to be invisible? Superman and Batman have nothing on being invisible with their superhero abilities. Here are some things that you could do while being invisible, because being invisible can benefit your social life too.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

19 Lessons I'll Never Forget from Growing Up In a Small Town

There have been many lessons learned.

70917
houses under green sky
Photo by Alev Takil on Unsplash

Small towns certainly have their pros and cons. Many people who grow up in small towns find themselves counting the days until they get to escape their roots and plant new ones in bigger, "better" places. And that's fine. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought those same thoughts before too. We all have, but they say it's important to remember where you came from. When I think about where I come from, I can't help having an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for my roots. Being from a small town has taught me so many important lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

Keep Reading...Show less
​a woman sitting at a table having a coffee
nappy.co

I can't say "thank you" enough to express how grateful I am for you coming into my life. You have made such a huge impact on my life. I would not be the person I am today without you and I know that you will keep inspiring me to become an even better version of myself.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

132495
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments