This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Charlotte Betts is the author of The Apothecary's Daughter – winner of the 2013 Romantic Novelists' Association RoNA for Historical Romantic Novel - as well as her latest book, The Painter's Apprentice, recently gave us her top writing tips.
1) I always go for long solitary walks, while I’m working on the plot. The rhythmic pace seems to unlock the creative side of the brain.
2) Write every day – even if it’s only a sentence. That way the story is always in your mind and it’s not hard to start again.
3) Write an outline. I prefer an outline as a writing tool to a synopsis. You can write the whole novel in miniature and it makes it easier to see where it doesn’t work. You can make changes here without losing chapters of work.
- 4) Join a writing group. My own excellent group, WordWatchers, will give me truthful feedback and cheer me on when I can’t see the way forward.
5) Keep a notebook with you at all times. If you don’t write a brilliant idea down immediately, you’ll have forgotten it by teatime. I keep old notebooks and find them a useful source of inspiration.