This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
1. Make the time. I know that’s hard when we’re all so busy, but a few pages a day eventually add up to a book.
2. Study your craft. Read books on writing, study other authors. As with any skill, writing improves with practice so write, write, write.
3. Make sure you really know your characters before you plunge into writing your novel. Nail down their back stories, know their personalities and what motivates them. Plot really does grow out of character (the decisions we make determine the direction our lives take), and your plot will ring so much more true if you know your characters and their motivations.
4. Think visually. As you’re writing each scene try to imagine what it would look like on the big screen or on TV. This will help you avoid writing “talking heads” scenes where nothing much is happening.
5. Brush off failure. We all fail, we all struggle, but that’s what makes our own life stories so interesting. (After all, every character has to survive conflict to grow!) I love this saying: it’s not about how many times you fall, it’s about how many times you get up. Keep getting up, keep working. In the end you’ll be glad you did.
Sheila’s latest festive novels, Nine Lives of Christmas, On Strike for Christmas and The Snow Globe, are out now.