Five Good Novel Writing Habits | The Odyssey Online
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.
Adulting

18 Things I Want To Do Now That I'm 18

I'm technically an adult, so I'm legally required to live a little, right?

452
Happy Birthday Cake

For the entirety of my high school career, I was always seen as the goody-two-shoes. I never got in trouble with a teacher, I kept stellar grades, and when I wasn't doing extracurricular activities, I was at home studying. Even when I did go out, it was usually with a bunch of fellow band geeks. The night would end before 11:00 PM and the only controversial activity would be a fight based on who unfairly won a round of Apples-to-Apples when someone else clearly had a better card (I promise I'm not still holding a grudge).

Now that I'm officially an adult, I want to pursue some new things. I want to experience life in a way that I never allowed myself to do prior to entering college. These are the years that I'm supposed to embark on a journey of self-discovery, so what better way to do that than to create a bucket list?

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

10 Life Lessons from Christmas Classics

The holiday classics that shaped my life

283
10 Life Lessons from Christmas Classics
Flickr

The holiday season is full of stress, debt, and forced conversation. While we rush through the month of December, it's important to take a step back and enjoy the moments before they're gone. Most families love to watch Christmas movies, but these beloved films provide more than entertainment. Here are 10 life lessons that I've learned from the holiday classics we watch every year.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

199217
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

20275
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments