Most writers want to pen a novel.
The song is called “After You’ve Gone” and it’s played by yours truly on the saxophone. I thought you might want some nice instrumental music if you choose to read this. 🙂 It was composed by Turner Layton, Phil Soussan, and Steve Lukather.
We just don’t get to it.
Or we try and fail. Then we give up.
If you want to start and finish a novel, you will need one key ingredient: tenacity.
The Diary of a Submissive is the first novel I wrote and it is under a pen name.
It took me about four years to actually write it and then finish it.
I thoroughly enjoyed the process, but it was also scary, and even dark at times.
Writing a novel is not an easy task, but it is an important one.
With a few steps, you can craft the Next Great American Novel, or at least a piece of work that you are proud of.
Decide on Your Genre
Deciding on your genre is daunting: Will you write mystery, romance, science-fiction, or a wonderfully bizarre version of all three?
Here’s my advice: Stick to one genre for your first book, but don’t let that put you in a box.
For instance, my first novel is romance/erotica. I know, I didn’t exactly mean for it to be erotica but…I just love writing about sex! 😉
It has some very dark elements, but it doesn’t go outside of the genre. I myself thought there were parts of it that were closer to a thriller but no one agreed with that, so it is what it is.
The point is this: If you end up writing a romance/thriller, that’s just fine, but it’s important to set out to write in only one genre. This is easier for your readers—and you—to keep track of.
Now, how to actually decide what to write.
Well, what do you like to read?
Are you a romance enthusiast?
Are you a fan of the macabre?
Do you enjoy solving puzzles in literature?
Whatever the case may be, it’s important to read more in your chosen genre so that you can get a feel for the style.
You might also want to consider your own preferences:
Do you prefer creating unlikable characters or are you fine with staying on the surface?
Are romances too predictable for you?
Are mysteries too unnerving for you?
Do you enjoy crafting characters, dialogue, or setting more?
Admittedly, this might take some experimentation. I know it did for me. That said, you have to start somewhere.
If you begin, you will get a feel for what works, and what doesn’t. You might want to get your feet wet by publishing a short story—or fifty—to see what your audience likes best. This is usually what will work for longer-form projects as well.
In my case, my audience enjoyed horror/mystery/suspense the most, along with romance, so I’ve written two romance novels and decided I prefer mysteries.
I’m now working on a mystery novel, but it’s a different beast, I have to admit: It’s longer, the characters are more complicated, and you have to create a suspenseful plot with just enough clues along the way.
Come Up with an Idea
This is perhaps the most difficult part of writing your own novel.
After all, pretty much everything has been done before, but nothing has been done the way you would do it.
You can come up with ideas from literally anything in this world, but I’ve found the following the most helpful:
Other novels in your genre—and sometimes even outside of your genre
Music
Movies
Plays
Conversations you overhear in real life
People you know from real life—just change the names!
Characters from other novels
Writers—We are often very eccentric creatures.
Hobbies—if your sinful antagonist is an English professor, it makes things a bit more interesting.
In short, you can find inspiration everywhere, so don’t be afraid to explore your curiosities.
You might have a few ideas that fall short, and that’s fine. Stephen King says good ideas stick with you for months, begging you to let them out, and I have to agree with him.
On the other hand, you could carry a notebook along with you and jot down thoughts for your upcoming novel.
I’ll let you in on a secret: It’s not about the idea; it’s about the way you execute it.
Create an Outline
Finally, it’s time to craft an outline.
I know that some people are adamantly against this, and Stephen King—one of my favorite authors—is one of them.
Nonetheless, there are others who write detailed, extravagant, and inordinately entertaining plots due to their attention to creating a blueprint for their work.
J.K. Rowling—my other favorite author—outlines her work meticulously.
Ultimately, it’s up to you, but I will say this: An outline can save you an enormous headache—you won’t get lost in the middle of your novel, wondering which character is which, where the plot is heading, and if the dialogue makes any sense before having to reread each chapter.
Maybe you aren’t prone to this and have an exceptionally good memory, in which case I commend you. I am not like you, however, and I have to outline every detail of my work so I know where my book is heading.
Take as long as you need to on your outline. Outline every chapter. Come up with characters. You might even want to sketch them out so you get a full picture of who they are, if that’s your thing.
As far as I’m concerned, outlining is part of the writing process.
It will save you a lot of time and energy in the upcoming months—maybe years—so it’s important to be attentive to this portion of the process.
Write Every Day Until Your Novel Is Finished
WRITE. IN. PRIVATE.
Too many times I’ve made the mistake of posting tidbits of chapters online to get that lovely immediate gratification from readers.
Inevitably, I delete everything because I can’t edit the full manuscript and I never get to finishing it without all of the eyeballs on it before it’s actually time to share the book.
Don’t share your work until you are actually finished with it. That could be 50,000 words later or 100,000, depending on the genre you’ve chosen.
In fact, I’d go as far as to say that you shouldn’t share your novel in progress at all, even in a writing group—it can be discouraging, and it’s like asking for a critique for a painting that is unfinished, so it’s tough for readers to actually get the full picture.
Write every day. You could do this by the hour or by the word count.
I prefer by the hour myself: I don’t end up writing long into the night—which isn’t good for my mental health—and I am still able to chip away at my book every single day.
Edit Your Work
When you’re finished, don’t be afraid to workshop your project if people are willing to read it all the way through. That said, it’s probably a better idea to hire a professional editor.
If you wish to share your work with family and friends by asking for feedback, good for you.
I feel that it could affect my relationships poorly for more reasons than one, so I opt for a professional editor whenever possible.
That said, this requires a budget so, if you don’t have extra money to spend, you might want to consider asking for feedback from meta readers on the internet through social media: These are people who are willing to read your novel for free and provide you with their thoughts, knowing full well that this is a WIP—Work in Progress.
I recommend Writer’s Digest editing services if you choose to go the professional editing route.
Their editors are quite helpful—they are usually writers too so they are sensitive if you struggle to receive constructive criticism—and the turnaround time is quick.
Publish Your Work
Finally, it’s time to publish your novel.
This is scary.
Terrifying really.
You are not alone if you have your doubts: I’ve self-published my latest novel a few times now…It will be out by soon, thankfully. Finally.
I received some poor ratings and negative feedback from someone I know, so it was tough for me because I was already nervous about it.
I’m not saying they’re wrong or right honestly, but I also got one five-star review. Art is subjective. That’s all.
All of this is to say that your novel may meet negative reception, but it’s important to publish it anyway, because some readers might like it, and you’ve worked really hard on this project.
As long as it’s ready—truly ready—to share with the world, you should publish your novel.
You can use a pen name and I’d honestly recommend doing so: this allows you to maintain at least some anonymity while sharing your bleeding heart through your words with literally everyone.
I prefer self-publishing myself, but you could also choose to submit your work to traditional presses. If you choose the latter, you are looking at at least a six month wait time. If you self-publish, your work will be out there within 72 hours.
My first novel was published through a hybrid press—Atmosphere Press. I thought the design and editing services were wonderful, and I paid $3,000.
Depending on your budget, you might want to pay for such services because you likely would even if you published your own book.
Traditional publishers will perform all of these services for you free of charge. You might even get an advance as well.
It’s good to know the pros and cons of publishing before you commit to one process or the other.
Leave Your Book Online Despite Criticism
Trolls incoming.
Well, not always.
Seriously though, some people might hate your work with a vengeance and tell you all about it.
This is painful.
I have to admit I haven’t yet grown a thick enough skin to truly be immune to it, but it’s part of the game. It’s part of sharing your art with the world.
Don’t let them win like I did.
Leave your book up and see what happens.
You just never know.
You might have a bestseller on your hands.
Writing a novel is TOUGH.
If it wasn’t, everyone would be an author.
Nonetheless, this is your personal art project, so it’s pretty cool to be able to exercise this literary muscle and see what you come up with.
While penning a novel is one of the most difficult experiences in life, it is also one of the most gratifying.