How to pen a Novel

When I  inform  people I’m a writer, they are almost always impressed. I can’t imagine why. Anyone can write. It’s a abilitycapability knowledge , like performing the piano or painting. Anyone can learn. Take some classes, read some books, but most importantly, write. The best way to learn to write is to write. When I mention declare  that I’m a novelist and write mysteries, romance, romantic suspense, humor, almost everyone says the same thing! “Oh, I could never write compose author    a novel. How you do that?” I have to admit you write a any novel the same way you eat an elephant, one bite at a time. Or to quote novelist E.L. Doctorow, “Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can never see further than the headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.”

When people still protest avow  that they could never write a novel, it’s such a huge task, it would take too much time! I ask them if they can write one page a day, 250 words. Almost everyone says, that yes, they can do that. Well, 250 pages a day for a year is over 90,000 words, more than enough for a novel. Of course the novel won’t be publishable, you’ll still have to do rewrites, in all likelihood several. If you’re writing a mystery, you might have to add red herrings, or another character. Perhaps you left something…or character hanging. But the main thing is to get those words on paper. You get an idea, maybe noodle around with a character study, perhaps do a rough out crude   quick  outline, but you don’t have to. You can sit right down at the computer or take pen and paper in hand and just write. There is no right or wrong way.

How long does it take to write 250 words? Probably 10 minutes maybe 20. Who doesn’t have 20 minutes to spare everyday? And I’ll bet you a chocolate-covered doughnut that soon you’ll be writing more than a page a day. My goal is 500 words a day, two pages. Sometimes I only write a few paragraphs, but often I will write four or five or six pages. Once I start writing, I enjoy it so much I keep going. Don’t beat yourself up if you miss your goal. The main thing is to have one. When you finish that first draft, leave the manuscript alone for a while, a month or six weeks, as long as you can. Then go back and start re-writing. You’ll be stunned what you find. I always do my final rewrite on paper, not on the computer. You find more mistakes and omissions that way.

So, start now, today. It’s easier than you think believe  and soon you too could be a published novelist.

Happy Writing!