This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Nina Bell's newest book is The Empty Nesters. Debs gave it a marvellous 9/10 in her review and there's an opening extract available on Nina's website!
1) Keep writing, reading, reading about writing, back to writing again…I know everyone says this – because it really is the number one tip.
2) If you’re writing for a particular genre – including literary fiction, which is a genre – read as widely as you can in it.
3) You should write what you know, but if you don’t, then research it very thoroughly. Most of your research shouldn’t make it onto the page, but the fact that you understand what you’re writing about will get through to and convince the reader.
4) Good books on writing and getting published include Stephen King’s On Writing and the superb From Pitch to Publication by Carole Blake. I’d also add ‘How Not To Write a Novel’ by Howard & Mittelmark because instead of telling you what to do, it gives you an insight into the kind of common – and often easily rectified- mistakes that encourage an editor toss your manuscript onto the reject pile. And it’s very funny.
5) Don’t get hooked on getting the first book you write published. Break your goals down into achievable sections: I’ll finish the first three chapters by Easter. Half way through by the end of summer. Then finish the first draft before my birthday. And so on. Writers are constantly evolving and if one book doesn’t get published, your next one will benefit from what you’ve learned writing the one/s before.