“I have the idea of my book in my mind, but I simply don’t have time to pen it down.”
“Oh! Really?” I would say… “I would run for prime minister if I had the time.”
There are millions of writers who have the concept of their first novel in their mind, but hardly a few of them actually manage to complete their first novel. Writing doesn’t require any license or special training… to become a writer you have to write.
Even John Grisham and Tom Clancy had their first novels turned down by all the publishers! But they did become bestselling authors, didn’t they? What does this tell you? For me it’s plain and simple – the best authors are not necessarily the most talented ones, but they are most dogged ones… they don’t give up. If you want to have your first novel completed, you need some obsession inside you.
So, here are some very useful tips to consider when writing your first novel.
1. Write it
As Joseph Finder says, “Just write the damn book already!”… that is what you should be aiming to do. The concept of a novel is the most brilliant in your mind. Unfortunately no one can read it. So, write it down – don’t worry about grammar or vocabulary and so on. Just get the thing on paper. Editing can be done later on.
2. Take it as your job
Writing is not your hobby, it is your job and you should treat it like one. Sit down to write at 9 in the morning and continue writing till 5 in the evening. Take breaks as you would normally do at work and let others not interrupt you while you are writing.
3. Set interim targets
A full-length novel is at least 75,000 words. Sounds a lot doesn’t it? Don’t even think about 75,000 words. Set yourself a target of completing 1,000 words a day. This way your first draft should be completed in about 3 months. Not bad for a first timer, shouldn’t you think?
4. Keep a deadline
99.9% writers cannot adhere to deadlines, but most of them try. As a first time author, you have to have set deadlines for completing your novel. Get into the habit of finishing within time right now so that you don’t have issues later on.
5. Reward yourself for a good job done
Writing throughout the week can be an arduous task. You can try a simple reward strategy – promise yourself a movie during the weekend if you complete 5,000 words during the week (remember the small target of 1,000 words a day?). This is bound to motivate you. Of course, keep changing the reward every now and then so that the motivation keeps on going.
Have you seen mothers make dosa at home? The first one always comes out of the frying pan as a lump? Do they give up? No, they don’t. They move on to the next one and it comes out perfectly. And then they dish out dosa after dosa to feed the entire family. So, even if your first draft comes out as nonsense, there is nothing to worry… you can edit or revise it. But make sure that you get that first draft of your novel out of your mind onto paper.
Image credit: Eduardo Quagliato on flickr and reproduced under Creative Commons 2.0
Moumita Goswami is a full-time homemaker and a passionate writer. She stays in Pune with her husband and daughter. After giving up working, she started writing about five years ago and can now be seen using her computer keyboard almost all the time. An MA in Psychology from Calcutta University, Moumita has spent time in Kolkata, Delhi and now Pune. For Moumita, writing started as a sudden chance but she soon discovered her likeness for it. And now she has developed a passion for writing and hardly any day passes without her scribbling a few lines. She dreams of publishing her own book one day and is working towards it.