Greetings! Firstly, a big thank you for tuning into my debut blog post, I appreciate you stopping by. Put down your pen, pour yourself a coffee, and forget your WIP for a moment (yeah right, like you could).
This blog is going to explore all things writing. There’ll be tips, reviews and interviews. So whether you’re a promising young prose-poet or an accomplished author, there’ll be something for everyone. Be sure to sign up to my mailing list to be notified of new posts.
That said, let’s get into it!
So you want to write a novel, eh? We’ve all thought about doing it. Less of us have put pen to paper. Fewer have stuck it out to the end of the first draft. Then there’s editing, querying agents, building a brand. Honestly, what have you got yourself in for? Anyway, here’s my 5 top tips for those of you trying to navigate this rather novel situation (see what I did there).
1. Compare yourself to who you were yesterday
I hear this a lot whenever I descend into my YouTube self-help rabbit hole. Usually by men with shiny heads (Joe Rogan) or shiny pectorals (David Goggins). But it’s so true!
Case in point: a successful writer friend of mine was recently lamenting the fact that other authors we know are more prolific than him. As we spoke, I realised that I frequently compared myself to my author friend. He is close to publishing his fifth book whereas I am nowhere near publishing my third. When I told him this, we realised that we were both chasing external ideals of success and in doing so it was depressing the hell out of us.
On the flip side, when you compare yourself to who you were yesterday, you are not viewing yourself from a place of deficit, but from a place of accumulation. Resentment is replaced with pride, and that is a great motivator.
2. Understand why you write
Okay so you really, really want to be a writer. But why? Honestly, it’s not that fun a lot of the time. So you better have a good reason. As Nietzsche said, “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how”. Knowing your why will motivate you to get up and write.
There are too many reasons to list, and many of them are deeply personal and unique to the individual, but I would group them under two overarching categories:
a. Money (aka: you’re doing it to make a living)
THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH WRITING FOR MONEY! There. I said it. In fact, there is a real skill to writing formulaic genre fiction to market spec, and great enjoyment to be had. In many ways it’s like solving a puzzle. It’s a science. Not only that, you have lots of resources and examples to follow. What’s more, whether you choose steampunk sci-fi or reverse-harem romance, there’s a whole community of super fans already waiting for you.
There is money, routine and community when you write to market. In many ways, it is the healthy option.
b. Art (aka: you’re doing it for the authenticity)
It’s important to recognise if you are a writer that is driven by an inner quest for authenticity. If you find yourself burdened by huge existential questions - Why are we here? Where are we going? What is the meaning of life? - then chances are you are one of these types of writers.
Now there’s something you need to know if you’re this type of idealistic individual: you’re not very likely to make a lot of money writing your personal truth. It could happen. It does happen. But success is far more likely if you write what readers already want.
What’s more, the disparate pulls of staying true to yourself versus commercialising are going to stretch you to breaking point. Many times you will think, “I’m just going to cash in”. But here’s the thing: as someone who derives energy and meaning in life from pursuing authenticity, writing what other people want will slowly kill your soul. In time, you will start to hate writing, it will become just another oppressive bind.
Considering this, you need to recalibrate your metrics of success. For you success should not be about making money (sigh). Success for you should be the very act of writing something that resonates with your inner truth. Treat writing as a means to better understand yourself and your place in the universe.
And if your truth is writing formulaic romance novels… you win… you win at life.
3. It’s all about turning up to the fight
You need to know, going in, that writing a novel is a war, not a battle. You’re not going to be sucking sausages in Berlin by teatime (okay, enough with the war analogies).
Seriously though, you are going to have to turn up time after time, even when you don’t want to, if you want to see it through to the end. It is important to understand this at the start so that you can plan for burnout and set realistic expectations.
But on a positive note, every time you sit down to write, it gets easier. You’ll have hard days for sure. But if you zoom out, you should see an upward trend in your performance. It’s like exercise in that you don’t see the results overnight. It might not feel like it, but every moment you dedicate to writing you are building your mental strength, honing your skill, and toning your body (of work).
Looking for a no-nonsense guide on setting up a healthy writing routine, one that will keep you turning up to the fight? I'd recommend checking out my post How to Create a Healthy Writing Routine: 5 Easy to Follow Steps.
There are only three guarantees in life: death, taxes and second drafts.
4. Shoot from the hip
Personally, this is something that I really struggle with, but it is something I am trying to incorporate into my writing practice, because shooting from the hip is massively conducive to productivity. By shooting from the hip I mean just going for it. Pick a target, but don’t overthink it. (NB: this is a good tip for life in general!)
We have been misled as a society into believing that we need to acquire the skills and experience necessary before we attempt anything. It’s probably because today people are so quick to tarnish those that have come up short. So, in order to avoid shame and humiliation, we think we need to be good at something before we do it. This is a paradox. A paradox that leads to inaction.
We must recognise that we are not born with wisdom. Rather, it arrives gradually through the doing of deeds. We grow through our failures. So just go for it. Fire off a few shots and see what you hit.
Remember, there’s only three guarantees in this life: death, taxes and second drafts.
5. Physical exercise
I’d like to end with a practical tip, and that is, before you write, do some physical exercise. Cardio especially. It doesn’t need to be much. Just getting your blood pumping boosts your energy levels, clears your mind, and helps reduce negative feelings, making it easier to sit with your thoughts for an extended period of time - which, as a writer, you’re going to have to do… a lot.
Plus, jogging is a great time to play out scenes in your head. Allowing you to arrive at your desk bursting with ideas.
Tell me your top tip!
Thanks for reading my five top tips on how to write a novel. I hope you found them useful. To recap, they are:
1. Compare yourself to who you were yesterday (not who someone else is today)
2. Understand why you write
3. Turn up to the fight
4. Shoot from the hip
5. Physical exercise
I’m always looking for ways to grow as an author, so let me know your top tips in the comments below!
Happy writing!
Rick x
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