If you are reading this, you are probably contemplating
strategies to actualize your aspiration to write a novel. Writing a novel may
seem daunting for a beginner but the rudimentary reason for doing it is rather
full of creativity and inspiration. If you are wondering how you can be a
self-taught novelist like Jane Austen or Mark Twain, keep reading for a
step-by-step guide on how to teach yourself to write a novel.
How to Teach Yourself to Write a Novel.
First things first, it is worth noting
that writing, as a medium of expression, is a tool to utilize a writer's
freedom. That being said, there is no single rigid way to write a novel. You
should personalize your writing experience to suit your writing style and
processes, but as a guide, we have compiled a general method on how to teach
yourself to write a novel.
Step 1: Broaden your knowledge.
The juxtaposition is that reading is a
writer's best friend. To prepare yourself to write a novel, you must first, be
acquainted with the waves and the silent innuendos of writing. When you
constantly read books, particularly in a theme or genre that you are interested
in, you would subconsciously pick up another writer's tips of mastery in their
writing. Not only that, when you read books about writing especially from
authors who inspire you, you will find avenues to continuously learn.
Step 2: Collect inspirations.
Inspirations for writing can present
themselves in unpredictable and unprecedented times and spaces. The most
articulate virtuoso of writing finds sparks of creativity at the nook of the
most mundane place. Start carrying a pen and a notepad with you or use a
digital alternative to capture the essences in life that could direct the path
of your novel. Furthermore, these bits of imaginativeness will not just
approach you externally, but can also emerge internally. So, in the event, a
splurge of ideas and plots arises, be ready to write them down.
Step 3: Brainstorm the seed of your
novel.
When you are finally committed to writing
a novel, you need to delve into further aspects of writing. Set aside a regular
time for writing and respect the commitment you have made even when you face a
difficult slog. To begin with, you should entertain the development of the core
of your book. If you have come this far to write a novel, you may have
encountered events or developed messages you want to put forth. Focus on the
'Why's' behind your desire to write and explore the theme that will underscore
the whole story.
Step 4: Determine novel's point of view.
Writing a novel is essentially a form of
storytelling. From that perspective, it is vital to decide on elements such as
the novel's point of view and how you wish to communicate with your audiences
as an author. Plots and storylines evolve with bias, thoughts, and standpoints
and the development of a story will similarly be altered from your novel's
point of view.
Here are the options of points of view
you can use in your novel
• First Person: The story is presented
from the writer's standpoint, making frequent use of the pronoun "I".
• Second Person: The story is presented from the perspective of the reader. •
Third Person Limited: The story is presented from somebody else's point of view
with limited access to other characters' thoughts. • Third Person, Omniscient:
The story is presented from somebody else's point of view with full access to
other characters' thoughts. Step 5: Establish setting and genre.
The setting and genre of your novel will
work in conjunction with the theme you have assigned. Ask yourselves, what world
would your creativity and imagination thrive in while having symbolic police to
bring your message alive. Similarly, you would need to decide on the genre of
your novel. Here is a list of genres you can opt for :
• Historical fiction • Young adult fiction
• Mystery fiction • Fantasy fiction • Science Fiction • Biography Step 6:
Create characters to orchestrate your ideas and setting.
You may have the most engaging theme to
put forth, but a novel requires purposeful characters to act on the premises of
the novel. Decide on a strong main character with a detailed origin and
backstory that will effectively bring your story to life. Allocate who you
design as a protagonist or antagonist of the novel.
As a writer, it is a good practice to
compile a character fact file or a mood board to learn about their reactions
and voices. Put yourselves in these characters' shoes instead of vice versa so
they will be more than passive chess pieces on a board.
Step 7: Choose plot structure.
Every novel is different. A typical plot
structure of any writing comprises an introduction, body, and a conclusion. A
typical plot story comprises the 5 following elements:
• Exposition • Rising action • Climax •
Falling action • Resolution Step 8: Choose how you write.
When you begin your first draft, you will
realize what makes your writing style unique. Are you a writer who expresses
their mind on pen and paper or Google Docs? Will you look at supportive
features of a novel-writing software or a formatting tool to create a novel
design you like best? You will also confront your limitations as a writer,
including how much you can write in a week. Irrespective of which route you
choose, you should think of a timeframe and tools that would make you an
efficient writer.
Step 9: Prepare drafts and editing.
There will be drafts after drafts. Plus,
a series of editing. Be rest assured that this is a normal step in writing a
novel. You may experiment with a target audience to acquire the best genuine
feedback for your written drafts before deciding on further recruiting it
again. These readers could be friends or fellow novelists.
Step 10: Consider professionally editing.
You may want to consider having your book
professionally appraised and edited, especially if you consider publishing it.
A trained person at the task would be more sensitive to necessary adjustments
in a novel. If you choose to publish your craft, you can either have it
self-published or via an agent.
And there you have it, a 10 step-by-step
guide to help you to become the novelist you aspire to be. Get inspired and
start writing the novel of your dreams today.
If you want to go beyond being just a
beginner at this or any other skill, and work toward developing a real mastery,
then you are going to need a deeper and more powerful strategy. What you need
is a way to hack your brain so
you can develop a winning mindset.
A winning mindset is a state of mind that
allows you to enter a flow state at will. You do this by programming your subconscious mind.
Believe it or not, most of what you do
throughout an average day is NOT freely chosen by your normal waking
consciousness even though it may seem that way. The truth is that most of what
you do on a day-to-day basis is done on autopilot. An example of this would be
when you’re driving your car and as you do so you get bored and begin
daydreaming. Before you know it, you find yourself several miles further down
the road with absolutely NO memory of having driven those last several miles.
So, who exactly was driving while your
waking consciousness was in la-la land, and how exactly did you manage to avoid
an accident? Your subconscious mind was in control. You already spent years
programming your subconscious with how to deal with a broad range of possible
driving scenarios and thus it had no trouble taking the wheel while your waking
consciousness took a little break. In other words, you were able to take
effective actions without having to THINK about them.
The same way you programmed your
subconscious to drive, you can also program it to automatically take successful
actions toward mastering any other skill you decide that you want to
learn. CLICK HERE to
learn a proven, step-by-step formula to help you attain mastery at any skill you choose and achieve everything in life.
Source: https://www.amazines.com/Books/article_detail.cfm/6263309?articleid=6263309
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