Tips to Become a Successful Novelist

A Master Guide to Success!

by Bhashwati Pyne

Starting Out

• Find a time To write that Is productive

When you begin writing, you should do so at a time when you are able to think more productively and creatively without being interrupted. In the morning, some authors feel more confident, clear-headed, and intelligent. You will wake up with a clear mind and be able to think more productively if you develop the practice of getting up early. It isn't true for all titles.

Whether you prefer the morning or the evening, choose whatever works best for you and allows you to write without interruption. When you're running out of time and have a brilliant idea, you can create a rough manuscript by recording it using a voice recorder.

• As much as possible, read

It is a universal truth that in order to become a great writer, you must first consume great books. While practically every author has given this advice at some point, our favourite quotation comes from Samuel Johnson: "A writer spends the majority of his time reading... a man will turn over half a library to compose one book."

The good news is that you're probably ahead of the game - reading is almost certainly what inspired you to pursue a career as an author in the first place! However, if you're serious about writing your own novel, you should begin reading more selectively.

• As a starting point, draw on your previous experience.

Though it worked for Ephron, you don't have to write exactly what you know to create a good novel (as the cliché goes). You can take bits and pieces from real life, as most novelists do. However, the concept stays the same: writing a novel based on your own experiences is far more meaningful (and typically easier!) than writing one that isn't.

For your first novel, you may already have specific experiences/emotions in mind. Even so, it's never a bad idea to go out and get more information! Try new things, meet new people, and keep track of everything that piques your curiosity.

• Find a place that allows you to be more imaginative and creative

Some authors choose a special area to write their novel, a place where they can be more inventive and creative. To become a successful novelist, you must think strategically. Some authors believe that changing their environment encourages them to think more creatively and imaginatively.

• Invest in a lot of practise time

You must practise in order to improve at anything. Writing is one of the most valuable talents you can develop because it teaches you something that no one else can: how to think. It's no surprise that some of history's most enduring figures have been novelists and it's also not unusual to find that the most articulate individuals have written substantially over the course of their lives.

At least half an hour of practice every day is recommended. It is crucial to write even if no one else sees it. Whether you're writing for yourself, a blog, a class, or a profession, you should always be practicing.

• Personal branding is an art form

Writing isn't something that people buy, they purchase the writer.

The single most valuable thing you can establish for yourself in the internet age is a brand around who you are and what you write about.

You could be the world's greatest wordsmith, but without having an audience, no one will read it—and even if you choose to take the traditional publishing path, a publisher will view you and your work as a risk. On the internet, you don't have a following, you don't have an email list of people who are eager to read your future work.

Nobody recognises you, which is a problem.

As much as writers would love to hide away and not have to "throw themselves out there," we don't have that option anymore. You are up against YouTubers, Instagram celebrities, and viral cat videos now. People are either reading your work or looking up at two cats swinging from a ceiling lamp.

You must give folks something to feel loyal to in order to grab (and hold) their attention—and that something is you.

Storytelling

• Make sure your contribution is advantageous to you

Even if an author's piece is intended for a specific audience, if the author does not benefit from it, it is all for nothing.

Think about the topic before you start writing. Make certain you are aware of your personal viewpoints on the subject.

People often believe the first few words that come to mind when they hear a topic are what they think of it, but that is only the beginning. To truly comprehend what you believe, in you must challenge your position from every possible angle, only then will you have a firm grasp on the subject.

I recommend that you think carefully about what you want to write so that you don't come to regret it later. Not only will you be able to express yourself more effectively, but you will also be able to construct a compelling argument that will hold up to scrutiny.

• Say something meaningful

Writing is an important process because it forces you to consider what you truly want to express. That is a strong instrument, but you must have something worth saying in order to use it effectively. You can fine-tune your writing to your heart's content, but if what you write isn't effective, all of your hard work will be for nothing.

If you want to know if what you're writing has any meaning, ask yourself, "Would I be better off having read this if I were someone else?" If you answered yes, then it's something worth writing about. Even when writing for classes, this is true.

• The ability to present in multiple voices

The ability to write in a variety of voices will be your most valuable (and easiest to monetize) skill as an independent writer.

A writer should develop dozens of voices over his or her career, including all of the writing voices that are required to properly advertise yourself as a writer.

There's an art to writing sales copy, e-mail sequences, and social media postings that can leave a lasting impression on a reader in three or four phrases. Crafting articles that gently promote your business, as well as writing e-books that readers will want to download, is an art. And the reason why nurturing these business-focused voices is so crucial is because you'll either have to learn how to do it yourself or employ someone (like me) to do it for you.

Being more than a writer in the digital era is an important part of being a successful writer. You must be the creative director, marketer, and social media strategist all at the same time.

• Revise, Revise and revise

It is critical to revise because it allows you to identify the greatest possible method to writing a sentence, revision is an essential element of the writing process.

Revision aids in the organization and clarification of your thoughts, making it an essential element of the writing process.

All three lines above essentially state the same thing, but it was only via rewriting that I was able to get the sentence I wanted rather than the barebones sentence I started with.

When I revise, I write the first sentence in plain text, then italicize the first altered sentence, and then bold it.

Then I pick the finest sentence, convert it to plain text, and continue the process until I've found the sentence form that best delivers my intended meaning in the clearest, most concise manner.

This strategy is really helpful in determining which option is the greatest. It allows you to see where you started and where you are now. You can then evaluate whether or not this is how you planned to structure your sentence, and if not, repeat the process.

It's time to move on to the more general parts of writing now that we've covered the mechanics.

• Don't lose hope

Writing takes time, and developing the skills required to do it properly takes even longer. It is critical not to become discouraged. I understand what it's like to be a beginner. I understand how frightening it can be to try to improve one's talents, but it's well worth the effort. Writing is one of the most valuable abilities one can acquire, and we should all aim to develop our writing skills on a daily basis.

Concluding Tips

• The ability to play the long game with patience.

There are two forms of writing: the one which is shared and the one which is sold.

99% of artists, whether they're writers, musicians, filmmakers, or painters, want to come out of the gate and have someone (they don't know who, but someone) pay them to make whatever it is they want to make.

People only buy two things: things they like and things they require. We overlook anything else, no matter how "great" someone else claims it is.

That means it's our obligation as artists to adopt a similar mindset: here are the things I do for myself (that others might love), and here are the things I make to meet a consumer demand (and turn a nice profit, which allows me to spend more time creating things I enjoy).

What about the poetry that I maintain in my journal? There's probably only a sliver of a market for it.

Is there a book out there that teaches prospective authors how to succeed in the digital age? A far broader market exists.

This isn't to say that I should never create poetry. However, this does not imply that I should limit myself to writing poetry and hope to make a fortune.

• The ability to rehearse in front of an audience

Nothing has helped my writing more than posting it on the internet on a regular basis.

When you publish something in the open, or as I like to call it, "practice in public," you get quick feedback. You're feeling exposed. You're afraid of being judged. You're more aware of your job and reading your sentences ("I can't believe I didn't spot that earlier..."). Most importantly, you exercise the most crucial underlying habit of all: the confidence to declare, "This is what I wrote today—in all its flaws."

All artists worry that what they've created today isn't good enough and that if they share it, what will happen when they look back in five or ten years? Isn't it going to make everyone giggle at how awful it is? Isn't it going to be a disgrace?

In fact, nothing makes me happier than going back and reading something I wrote years ago to see where my writing style was at the time. It's as if I'm seeing a younger version of myself, and I can see how far I've come since then with infinitely more clarity.

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