This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Helen Chandler’s debut novel Two for Joy is released as a paperback next Thursday. Here’s her top tips for writing.
1. Write what you want to write, and in the style you feel comfortable with.
2. Read as much as you can, in your chosen genre, but more widely as well. Not just books either, I find you can get a lot of inspiration from magazines, newspapers and blogs.
3. If at all possible, allocate a time for writing, and write at that time. Write even if you don’t feel inspired at all. Nine times out of ten I found that within half an hour the words would be flowing, even if I was convinced that I was too tired/stressed/bored to concentrate. I remember reading an interview with Jane Green in which she said that her background as a journalist was very good training, because she was used to having to produce a set number of words, whether or not she felt her muse was visiting that day, and it helped to bring that approach to her creative writing.
4. Be judicious about who you allow to read your work in progress. Be prepared to take criticism and suggestion, but if you feel strongly about something then don’t change it, it’s your book after all.
5. Be positive – everyone talks about what a difficult market it is, and how few books get published, but at the end of the day, some have to, and there’s no reason why it couldn’t be yours!