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Do you want to write a novel but haven’t got started or haven’t got very far before grinding to a halt? Considering how long it takes to write a novel, especially when you also have a job, it seems wise to start sooner rather than later, so what’s stopping you? And how do you overcome these obstacles to novel writing?
I had an idea for my first novel for many years before I started writing—and when I did begin, I discovered that I had a series not a single book! But what stopped me from beginning my novel was, more than anything, a lack of confidence in myself and in my idea. Only when I shared my idea with a publisher friend and she said she thought my idea was worth writing did I seriously consider going ahead with it, but I still faced the hurdle of not being sure if I could write a good book or not.
Lack of confidence
If I can do it, you can too. Why? Because I knew nothing about writing when I started, and I had no confidence, but I learned both. What I didn’t realise was that I did have the grounding of an author—a love of books and an imagination—and since you’re reading this you probably have it too, so allow that to give you confidence. It may not seem like much, but if you don’t have a love of the written word and a vibrant imagination, writing is not the hobby for you. If you do have those qualities along with an idea, then why not give it a whirl?
I didn’t have writing skills, and that was a major cause of my lack of confidence, but I was willing to learn. If you really do want to write a good novel, and you’re willing to study the craft of writing, you will be able to write a decent novel, and your confidence will grow as you learn.
Of course, anyone can write a book, but not everyone can write a good book, at least not by themselves. With professional guidance, though, the likelihood of writing a quality book is greatly increased. I was lucky in finding the right mentors at the right time, and I had a beta reader who pulled me up on everything that didn’t quite hang together and an editor who didn’t miss a thing. And you can find people who will do the same for you.
So don’t think you can’t do it, or even doubt yourself, or you’ll certainly never manage it. Instead tell yourself you can do it. Say to yourself, “If Tahlia wrote a novel, then so can I.” I even became an editor. Yes, it took many years, but I learned the skills needed, and I loved every moment of the journey.
Say it now. “I can write a novel. I do have what it takes.”
Think like that and if you don’t have what it takes now, you will develop it. Remember that we write a novel one step at a time, and the first draft doesn’t require any writing skills apart from being able to use a computer and word processor. Truly anyone with an idea and the desire to write it down can write a first draft.
Why you might have stopped
If you’ve started and then stopped writing for lack of confidence, it might be because you know or someone has pointed out that your story isn’t working. Perhaps you have received feedback that makes you look at your story and think that you couldn’t possibly fix all the problems. But you can if you want to.
We are motivated by desire, and if our desire is strong enough it will drive us to carry on. So if you feel unsure of your ability to finish a book, reaffirm your desire to do so. Remind yourself why you wanted to write it in the first place. In your imagination, enter your world and talk to your characters; I bet you love them, and I bet they want their story told!
And take it step by step. Get a developmental edit or manuscript appraisal, and if the editor you choose is good they will break your tasks down into manageable steps. My Novel Revision Checklist will help too. It’ll give you new insight and inspiration and it’s FREE. DOWNLOAD IT NOW.
The idea is too vague
You may not have started on that novel or you may have got stuck with it because your idea was too vague. Mine was. All I knew was that I wanted the protagonist to climb a mountain and have to battle demons to get there. The idea was for the story to be a metaphor for the journey to spiritual accomplishment. My idea didn’t flesh out until I began to write, but I did have a protagonist with an aim and antagonists who would try to stop her from achieving her aim. If you have those three things—protagonist, aim and antagonist—you have a story. Your task then is to flesh it out.
So take your idea and make sure you have those basic plot elements, then in your imagination create your world and characters, enter that world and start writing. So long as you write while immersed in the world of your story, and in the mind of your protagonist, the details will come to you as you write. Trust that.
Your first draft might be a mess, but that doesn’t matter, because you will shape it later.
You don’t know how to begin
Once I’d decided that I wanted to write my story and that I had as good a chance as anyone to write a decent novel, the reason I didn’t start was because I didn’t know how to begin. What I didn’t realise at the time was that I needed to decide on something called point of view (POV). I discovered the point of view from which I wanted to write when I read a book that had that POV—Sabriel by Garth Nix inspired me to actually put pen to paper.
In a nutshell, you can write a novel using ‘I’ (first person) or using ‘he’, ‘she’ and ‘they’ (third person) point of view to refer to your central character (protagonist). First person is the easiest and most personal, but you are stuck with only one point of view, unless you have different chapters narrated by different first person characters.
Using third person allows you to show the point of view of more than one character, and you can write third person POV in intimate-third person where you write as if you are in the mind of the character, or omniscient where you write as if you are a narrator outside of all the characters and able to know the mind of all characters. Omniscient is the hardest to write and the least likely to engage modern readers, so I’d steer clear of it for a beginner. If you choose third person intimate, you need to make sure that you always know whose mind you are in, have clear changes between points of view and change only when absolutely necessary.
The need to earn money
Only a few authors earn enough to quit their day job, some don’t make back what they invest in editing, though most will eventually if they put some effort into marketing, and many do make a profit, even if it isn’t much. Since you don’t know which category you’ll be in, I suggest that you think of your writing as a hobby. A golfer will spend a lot of money on their golf clubs and never expect to get the money back, but they get the satisfaction of using a nice set of clubs and improving their game. In the same way, an author will spend money on editing for the satisfaction of creating a quality book. Sales are desirable, of course, but can’t be guaranteed. Marketing is required.
As a teenager I thought I might like to be a novelist, but when I enquired with my careers advisor on what I needed to do, I discovered had two options—do an English Literature degree (there was no such thing as a creative writing degree back then) and become a teacher, or do a journalism degree and be a journalist. Neither involved writing novels, so I gave up the idea until at the age of 52, I had an idea that wouldn’t go away and an income from another source. Writing started out as a hobby and led me to a new career. But don’t write with the idea of earning money because you may be disappointed, write because you love to write and because the idea in your imagination is so seductive that you simply cannot not write it.
Time management
You have a day job, and maybe a family, so when do you write? The answer is when you are most likely to be inspired. Some write early in the morning. They get up at 5.30 am to write before going to work. Some write instead of watching television in the evening. Others write mornings in the weekend while their family is sleeping in. I sometimes wrote at 3 am because I woke with a scene in my head that I had to get down. I did suffer for it the next day, but if at all possible write when the inspiration hits because that’s when you will do your best writing.
Lack of support
If you have a family, then you want their support, so talk to them about it. Tell them how important it is for you to write your novel and ask them to help you by not interrupting during writing time and encouraging you when you’re feeling down about your project. Your loved ones will likely support you if you ask for it.
Have a question about writing? The internet has a wealth of information to support you. Just do a search.
Need more personal support? You might not have a publisher friend to run your idea past, but you do have me. Not only can I support you and your project but also I can teach you the skills you need and guide you through the emotional minefield of becoming an author.
This series of blog posts is aimed at guiding authors step by step through the process of writing a novel, and if you click hereto download my Novel Revision Checklist you can then join my Story Sculpting Facebook Group where you can run your idea past me, and I can support you no matter where you’re up to in your writing journey.
The key to overcoming all obstacles to novel writing
At the age of fifty-two I had such a strong idea that I simply had to write it down. I was so inspired that I wrote before work, after work, at lunchtimes and even sometimes in the middle of the night. If your inspiration is strong enough, you will find the time.
If your inspiration is a little shaky, it may be due to lack of confidence or lack of support. But I can help with those, and the next post will be on how to strengthen your inspiration.
Do you want to write a novel? Do you have an idea?
This is part of a series of blog posts on how to write a novel. It won’t just cover the technical details, but also the emotional journey we take and the personal challenges we meet on the road from potential author to author. Join the journey now, and don’t miss a post, click here
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You’ll also find my book on writing, The Elements of Active Prose: WritingTips to Make Your Prose Shine, very helpful.
Writing a novel? Feeling overwhelmed? Get new insight and inspiration with my FREE Novel Revision Checklist.
DOWNLOAD IT NOW.
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