Mistakes To Avoid When Writing A Novel

Posted On // Leave a Comment
By Ronald Martin


Some novels are excruciating to read with a price tag that feels like daylight robbery. Others only exist as wonderful stories in the minds of peoples who never began to write. Writing a novel is one of the easiest tasks you will ever engage in if you avoid some of the errors that have ended promising careers or even stopped others from taking off.

Many of the people with the most brilliant ideas on novels are waiting for a perfect moment to begin writing. This perfect moment is usually regarded as inspiration or a long holiday in a quiet place. This is a perfect way never to write. Writing takes decision, dedication and action. Commit to write a few paragraphs or lines every day. Always carry a notebook to record your thoughts and ideas. No one ever wrote out of a powerful and magical inspirational moment.

Looking over your shoulder ensures that nothing gets done. Looking back includes worrying about how good or bad your work will be. Focusing too much on the doubts creates fear which limits your creativity. To avoid these doubts you may choose to write whatever comes to mind for five non-stop minutes. The other trick is to brainstorm and pick the best idea. You may also consider the exercise of describing something in a page-long sentence.

Promising authors have imploded by ignoring and despising the advice given by experienced authors. The best approach is to understand the basic rules and later break them to develop your style. Arrogance manifested in insulting veterans and ignoring their advice will only lead to failure. The secret is to analyze the works of successful writers and craft your own based on your findings.

The work of editing committees and publishers is to critique your work. The best novels you have read were edited tens of times before publishing. To fail as a writer, you only need to take the corrections negatively or personally. Success comes from wallowing for a while and overcoming the setback to make corrections. The critique provided should help you improve on your craft.

Focusing on the market will only make you a copy cat. Unsuccessful would-have-been writers analyze the works of renowned authors with the aim of copying their style and delivery. Understand that the industry is looking for a fresh voice. This cannot be delivered by an amateur hell-bent on copying. Read different materials and develop a unique voice that you will be identified by.

Many other writers got lost in shortcuts. The shortcuts include e-book platforms and self publishing. Traveling down this route has made many writers to turn rogue. They ignore rules and critique from experts and instead consider the words of social media followers and friends who cannot provide an objective assessment. A great novel must be acceptable across traditions, generations and in the intellectual circles.

Many would-have-been authors never made it because they quit. They could not handle the many hours, revisions, research and dedication required to produce a book. This is the best reason why many great ideas never become books.




About the Author:




0 comments:

Post a Comment