You love reading, you may as well have its own library for the sheer number of books you own! But when you're faced with a blank page you freeze. There was so much you wanted to say but how do you even begin?
Writing a novel is no mean feat. The average bestseller is 80,000 words and more, so it's a long way to go. And rather than those words tumbling out in the order you want them, you'll need to edit to get your work in shape.
There are some well-trodden tips any writer can follow to begin a phenomenal writing journey.
Switch off the inner critic
We all have it. That voice in our head that tells we're not good enough, that our writing is terrible, that we're foolish to think we have what it takes. And if you don't have that voice, you're either naturally brilliant or you're unlikely to be able to look at your work objectively when it comes to the edit. So you're going to need some techniques to put that voice at bay.
Write. Just write!
A good way of getting into writing when you're new to it is something called free writing, where you write without overthinking. Set a timer for 5 minutes and either give yourself a prompt, or just write what comes to mind, and see what happens. Don't hesitate, don't edit, just write. It'll loosen your mind and subdue that critic so you can let the words flow onto the page.
Be disciplined
You are never going to write a 300-page book if you write only when inspiration strikes or when everything else in your life has been neatly sewn up. So set yourself a goal, eg you'll write 1,000 words a day. But even committing to 10 minutes a day can be just as useful as you're less likely to procrastinate. And often that 10 minutes can turn into half an hour, or even a few.
Carry a notebook
Have a notebook or journal with you and certainly by your bed, or at least use the notes app on your phone. So if you are struck by inspiration/overhear an interesting conversation/have a writing an epiphany, you can record it. Most writers have a stack of notebooks with jottings and phrases . And there's something delicious about stationery if writing is your thing!
Anything goes
When writing fiction, don't be restricted by what's currently selling (in three years when your book finally makes it to print that trend may be long gone). You don't need to keep everything hugely realistic, depending on your genre, but it all has to tie up in your book's universe. Characters should never disappoint us by doing something you know they'd never do.
Don't worry about anyone else
Write without thinking what your mum would say if she read it. Unless she's hugely permissive that thinking is restrictive. In fact, if you're embarrassed - good - you're letting go and that's what you need to do to write good fiction. Great writers need to be raw and real. We need to put down on paper all our deepest, darkest thoughts and ideas.
Believe
Nobody is anointed as author. For years I thought you had to be given permission to write, that writers must be special as if someone else had to tell them to go forth and be published. But if it's what you love, then believe that you can craft the very best novel, that your stories are worth telling.
Other than your time, and what would you do that could make you feel this alive, you literally have nothing to lose.
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