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Saturday, April 9, 2011

"How to Finally Write Your Novel This Year" by Wendy Bailey

So many of us have fantastic ideas for a new novel. When a creative and unique idea strikes us, we become consumed with the possibilities and promises that are offered by writing a book. By writing a profound novel, you can change the way your reader thinks, influence the world around you, spread your personal values and ideals, and of course earn a bit of well-earned money for your efforts.

So why is it that most of these fantastic ideas never evolve into physical books? In truth, most people are simply too busy with the tasks of their everyday lives to worry about writing a novel. Although some people are able to accomplish some light writing in their spare time, most of us need dedicated work time in order to accomplish our literary masterpieces. It can be nearly impossible to squeeze such time into our busy schedules.

Thankfully, by following a few rules of thumb, you can help yourself to locate the time and the motivation that you need in order to complete your novel. The ideas are already there in your head; it is simply a matter of transferring them to your computer. To finally write your novel, you must simply:

• Create an outline
• Make a work schedule and stick to it
• Power through frustration and difficulties

Outlining Your Piece Helps You Visualize Your Goals


Some writers prefer to have their entire stories mapped out before they begin the writing process, while others like to just barge ahead and see where their characters take them. However, whatever your writing style, you need to have some sort of physical idea of where you want your story to lead the reader. Perhaps you want your main character to accomplish a certain goal or learn a valuable lesson. Even if your outline is very vague, it will be beneficial in managing your time and preventing you from becoming stalled during the writing process.

Creating a Work Schedule


Many writers find it beneficial to have a designated time every day that is devoted solely to their novel. This does not have to be a major commitment. You could choose to write for just fifteen minutes when you wake up in the morning, at your lunch hour, or before you go to bed. Even if you are not able to make time for more than a few minutes of writing, some progress is better than none at all, and sticking to a set schedule will ensure that you never drop the writing process.

Stick to It!


In addition, you should always ensure that you accomplish something palpable during your writing time. Even if you are completely drained of ideas, you should not simply stare at your computer screen while you should be writing. Give your characters actions and thoughts despite the fact that you are not sure where they will lead. You never know; what seemed to be an unimportant exchange between two characters could later evolve into an important component of your story. You can always edit out irrelevant text later on.

Read more from Wendy Bailey on the Adderall Side Effects website

2 comments:

Shah Wharton said...

I needed this today - Seems my blogging life, moving to Dubai and setting up home, visitors and visiting (A few weeks ago for a week - and from tonight right through to 3rd May)are restricting my writing hugely. My ideas keep teasing me, desperate to find the page, but instead they sit there becoming forgotten in a huge pile of notes.

When I get back from visiting UK i WILL follow these steps! I will finish my first novel this year and it WILL get published. There - now there's positive think! ;D Thanks Wendy, and Erin for having her post here. Happy weekend. Shah. X

Magaly Guerrero said...

Creating a schedule and sticking to it is the best guidance anyone can receive. I can't tell you how many times I've been sitting in front of my computer thinking "My brain is fried. I can't write a word today." Usually if I sit there long enough, I do write or revise or something... and at the end I feel great because I stuck to my guns ;-)