Author Sophie Hart's novel The Naughty Girls Book Club has just been released and you can read our review here.
1. Everyone has to start somewhere.
If you have an idea for a scene in the middle of your book, just write it! You
don’t have to start with the first word of the first sentence of the first
page.
2. It doesn’t matter if it’s rubbish.
Sometimes you put pressure on yourself by believing that what comes out of your
head has to be perfect, first time, on the page. It doesn’t. That’s what
drafting, re-drafting and editing are for.
3. Be passionate about your writing.
It takes a long time to write a book, and the publishing process can be even
longer. You want a project that you’re excited about, that you’re prepared to
go the distance with.
4. Work hard. There will be times
when it doesn’t come easily, when you hate the manuscript you’re working on,
when you’re convinced that the 90,000 words you’ve been slogging away at for
the last six months are a pile of utter poo. The good news is, this is
completely normal! Dig deep, work through it and breathe a sigh of relief when
you come out the other side.
5. Get on Twitter and Facebook. And
then get off Twitter and Facebook! Social media is great for meeting
like-minded, supportive people, chatting with your favourite authors, and even
networking with agents and publishers. You just have to remember to log out
once in a while and actually do some writing. Good luck!