This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Have your writing desk facing the wall. If you’re nosy like me or have a short attention span, anything will distract you from the task in hand. Facing a blank wall forces me to concentrate my thoughts and conjure up all sorts of things.
Don’t be afraid to get rid of stuff. Just because you spent a whole day slaving over it doesn’t mean it’s any good. Learn to be ruthless and take out stuff that isn’t working.
The following banner is an affiliate one. That means Writing Tips Oasis receive a small % of the sale if you purchase The Novel Factory, but at no extra cost to you:
Know your audience. If someone asks who is the book for, who would you say? What would the blurb say on the back cover? You need to totally nail your market.
Factor writing into your day. It should be in your routine as much as brushing your teeth or going to work. I wrote my first book COUNTRY PURSUITS whilst still at heat and every night I would come home, scoff some dinner down and write 7.30- 10pm. Yes it’s tough, but how much do you want it?
Have fun! Writing should be a lovely, joyous experience and not something that feels forced or tortuous (wait for that until the third or fourth book :-)) There’s no guarantee you’re going to get published at the end, so you should write it for you because you have a story to tell and want to put it out there.