How To Get Started Writing A Novel
This is one of the most blogged about topics within the authors community. Every write up claims to provide useful guidelines of what it takes to get started and how to do it right. So firstly, take all advice with a grain of salt and trust yourself. If you are reading my blog, then you are smart enough to have thoroughly researched the topic. Now, it's time to trust yourself.
I am going to share with you my personal experience and how I focus on getting my manuscript written up fast. There is a popular misconception that authors and writers have the story or article already planned in writing or in their mind. Although, many have a general outline of what they plan to write, everything looks different when the words actually hit the page. Call it Murphy's law or creative magic but somehow when the words hit the page, more likely than not, it will be different to what you planned or envisioned. You will find your writer's voice, that's where the first step of the magic happens. I also truly believe that if you can sit down and plan an "amazing story" with detailed captivating characters, then your story isn't good enough. Why? How dare I make such a claim? Well, like anything in life that's pre-planned it can be good and cater to a certain audience but it can never be magical. By working with a blueprint you may end up with an amazing structure like the One World Trade Center but writing is not supposed to work around physical laws. You are working on an infinite intangible beauty, not bound to the laws of physics, or any laws for that matter. The blueprint will extinguish your natural creative flame, which to a certain degree, exists within every person. We are all unique individuals with our own magical story to tell, so pull up a blank page and spill the beans. Once you get going, your writing voice will scream out at you from the page. Your characters and storyline will develop unexpectedly, the joy and suspense will be riveting as you watch the story unfold. You will not know what's coming next, just like a reader. I believe our main reason for wanting to write comes from the joy of reading. If your writing can emulate that experience for you then you absolutely got it.
Now, just to fire away a few quick tips:
1. Open your laptop and start writing your story. Yes it's as simple as that.
2. Whatever you doing in life, make time to continue your story everyday, including weekends. Your creative juices need to be continuously pumped for the story to captivate properly.
3. Set daily writing goals in words. For example, 500-1000 sounds reasonable if you are employed full time and are writing on the side. STICK TO THEM but more importantly, quality is better than quantity
4. Whatever you do finish the manuscript, never start something in life without finishing it. That rule is applicable to everything.
5. Believe in yourself and your story. Having dreams is great, but they will stay dreams if you don't BELIEVE. No one is going to do this part for you, it's all on you.
6. Your writing should make you feel entranced, swimming in your own creative magic. If that's what it does for you, then keep on soldiering no matter what.
A worthwhile journey is always more exciting than the destination.
Thanks for reading.
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