There are lots of facets to writing a novel. Plot, character, mood, setting, and for those learning to write novels it can sometimes seem overwhelming. There are a number of very good publications that can help you and even some useful software for structuring your ideas, but one of the best places to start to learn how to write a good novel is with your own favourite writers.
I’ve haven’t met a single successful writer who isn’t also a great reader. I’m pretty sure you’ll be the same. You’ll almost certainly be wanting to write in the same genre as your preferred authors.
So if you want to write a romance novel, study your favourite romance author. If you want to write a historical novel, a thriller, whatever style of writing you want to emulate, study the best in the business first.
How does your favourite book begin? How does the writer suck you in? How are the characters developed? Read your favourite books again but this time have a notepad handy. Examine the book in detail. Just exactly how are they doing things?
Now I don’t in any way mean you should copy. Never, ever copy. That’s not how to write a good novel, that’s how to fail. Plagiarism is nothing more than theft.
However, if you want to know how to write a romance novel you’ll find there are structures which are more successful than others. How the main characters are fleshed out, how they are drawn to each other. Read a selection of romance novels and you’re likely to find similarities in the way they’re put together. Same if you want learn how to write a horror novel - there are ways to draw you in, to build tension, to shock.
If you study a dozen Stephen King novels you’ll find patterns. A dozen Barbara Taylor Bradford books will give you different patterns but definable structure nonetheless. I’m not in any way saying that they’re all the same but every successful author has a “style”. You can recognise it in their writing and it’s that “style” that you can learn from to help create your own best-seller.
I’m not suggesting it’s easy. For every best-selling author there are hundreds who didn’t make it. It takes dedication, perseverance, practice and determination but if you have those things, and if you study and learn from the best, the rewards are both achievable and more than worth the effort.
With the new demand for ebooks it has never been easier to self publish your novel and instead of getting perhaps 10% of the cover price you could get as much as 90%. That’s a different subject though which I’ll cover in detail another time.
How to write a good novel is a combination of things. Natural ability and passion are invaluable places to start but great success requires more. You also need to observe your market, realize what works. Study it and see if you can incorporate it in your own novel. You might also want to take advantage of one or two books that are available about the writing process. A few dollars invested at the start could dramatically shorten your learning curve.
I have a couple of recommendations that you might find useful:
Andrea Rains Waggener lives the kind of life a lot of people dream of. From here seaside home she can often be found walking her dog along the beach.
It’s one of the perks of being someone who knows how to write a good novel.
In this ebook Andrea shares her well-proven system for writing books that sell. I won’t go into detail here, I’ll let Andrea do that on her website. Click here for details.
One of the biggest challenges a lot of people have when learning to write a novel is keeping everything organized.
You have all kinds of character descriptions, plot situations, odd ideas you’ve jotted down to expand on later… it can all get very confusing.
The New Novelist software can not only help you do that but so much more. It helps you plan, it helps you structure, it’s a bit like having a writing coach at your shoulder as you write.
It is based on the course first started by best selling author Malcolm Bradbury at the University of East Anglia - the UK’s top creative writing institution - and is also supplied to UK schools.
The benefits to your writing are too numerous to cover here. See the site for full details.
.jpg)
