Writing fiction can be fun. You get to create your own world with your own characters and you can take your story anywhere you want to go. Right?

Well that statement is true to a certain degree. You do have a lot of leeway
but keep in mind your story has to make sense. It has to be believable to your readers. That’s were research comes in. Your plot may be fictitious but your details had better be correct.

Anachronisms-details out of place and time-can break a readers suspension of disbelief if they notice the error. If for example a character in ancient Egypt consults his watch, a reader would instantly be drawn out of the story and roll his eyes. That is an extreme example but I think it helps you get the point.

There’s no excuse for anachronisms or lack of detail.  Once you know what you are writing about, immerse yourself in the subject. If you want to write about police, you do a ride along or shadow a precinct. If your novel takes place in a school, interview teachers or volunteer.

You can also use social media to learn about people and places, by watching videos or listening to interviews.  My novel is set primarily in the Carolinas but my main character is deployed to Iraq for a short period of time. I’ve never been to Iraq and have no intention of ever going there.  For that short but important segment of my book, I watched a documentary and actual footage. I also read pages set up on the internet by marines returning from the area describing what it was like for them. I found the information I needed to make that portion of my story believable through research.

It is always best to set your novels in cities that you know.  A good example of this would be Nicholas Sparks. His books are set in North Carolina. That’s where he lives. He understands the culture and can provide the details his readers expect.

One word of caution is to remember your research and detail are the seasoning for the story, don’t make them centerstage. Resist the urge to show off how much research you have done. You don’t want to overwhelm your readers with unnecessary information.

-Jan R

 

Are you afraid to start your platform because you’re not sure of yourself? You might mess up? What if it’s not perfect? What will people think when they read?  You don’t want to fail.

I felt the same way.  As a matter of fact I’m still not totally in. I’ve started this blog but have yet to expand my reach to Twitter and Facebook.  I personally wanted to wait until my blog was up and running before I invited my friends to join.  Needless to say the first month has been slow but I have had some activity and I am becoming more comfortable with writing.  It is my goal to interface with Twitter and Facebook by the end of the month.

You may think it would be better to hire out your blog set up.  You could get somebody who knows what they are doing to do the work for you. While the expert could probably set up a really good page, there are some very good arguments for doing it yourself according to Michael Hyatt.

1. No one knows your product better than you.
2. No one is more passionate about your product than you.
3. No one has more skin in the game than you.
4. No one is likely to do it if you don’t.

Take responsibility for your success and invite others to join in.  Things may start out a little shaky but they will get better as you build confidence in your abilities.

– Jan R

We all need motivation and encouragement to write sometimes.  Especially when it feels like we’re spinning our wheels and not getting anywhere. Are you worried about taking too long? I’ve been at this for five years.  I feel like a pro but I still don’t have a published novel to show for it. I recently ran across an article that made me feel a little better about my situation. Thought it might offer some encouragement to my readers as well. It listed  best selling Authors who took more than five years to publish their work.

1. Margaret Mitchell took 10 years to write Gone With the Wind.
2. Maya Angelou took 15 years to write the final volume of her autobiography.
3. J.K. Rawling took 5 years to just plan the story of Harry Potter-her extensive notes included biographies of each character and plot diagrams.
4. J R R Tolkein took 7 years to release the Hobbit and another 16 to release the sequel.

For those of you who may be a little shocked at these numbers, the average amount of time it takes to get a novel written and published is 7 years.  Don’t beat yourself up for slow progress.  Just keep typing one word after another and you will get there. And for those of you that get your book finished and published in less than 7 years, I say good for you!

Suggestions that may  help keep you motivated.

• Create a writing schedule that really works for you. If there’s a time you’re naturally more creative, like when you first get up or when everyone has gone to bed, then that’s when you should be writing.
• Remove all distractions. Switch off your electronic devices.  Remember you are writing not socializing on face book or twitter.  All it takes is one good distraction to make you lose your train of thought and that great idea you had a few minutes ago.
• You need an accountability partner.  It could be your spouse or friend.  Share your writing dreams with them.  A real friend will support you in your venture.  We all need a cheerleader or two to keep us motivated and writing. Mine is my husband.  Everyday he asks me how my writing is going.  That’s all I need to keep me moving forward.
• Write! Write! Write! even if you don’t feel like it.
• Remember the first draft is the first draft.  Give yourself permission to err. Don’t bog yourself down with editing.  Get it down then get it good.  Just make sure it’s great before you submit it.

I hope this post was helpful and would like to ask you to consider following me.  If you have any thoughts on this post or anything else I have written, I would love to hear from you.

-Jan R.

You may be a natural.  Maybe you studied Creative Writing or English Composition in College.  Don’t use that degree as a crutch or allow it to lull you into a false sense of security.

Competition is fierce.  Learn how to write like a professional before you submit a mediocre manuscript. Just because it sounds good to you doesn’t mean it’s right.  You should not be figuring out how to write by trial and error. That’s what I did. I completed a manuscript and prepared it for submission.  At least I thought I was finished.  It looked and read good to me. I even had a friend read it to make sure it was a good story.

My first feedback from a Literary Agent stated that my manuscript was full of grammatical and structural errors and the dialogue dragged.  I read through the manuscript several times before submitting it and thought it was good to go. I never realized how bad it really was.  I followed up on the constructive criticism I received and was appalled.  How could I have missed so much?

My take from the incident-Before you even start writing seriously, you need to research and learn your craft. If you’ve already started writing a novel, consider a pause to backtrack and gather the tools necessary to complete your task in a satisfactory manner.

You don’t have to put a lot of money into writing if you have a computer and the internet.  There is a world of information right at your fingertips.  When I go online I stick with writers who have been published that I recognize and respect. One of my favorites as mentioned in previous blogs is Jerry Jenkins.  He will also direct you to other bloggers who are in the publishing business that can help you navigate this journey.

I would also recommend taking classes and of course reading. One of the most recommended books out there for writers, new and published, is “The Element of Style” by William Shrunk and E.B. White. I was able to get this book through ebooks on Amazon for free. It’s an excellent resource providing information on how to use punctuation in novels, words and expressions commonly misused, frequently misspelled words, elementary principles of composition, and much more. There is a newer revised version available for purchase, but I don’t think that’s necessary.  That would be your call.

You can also get samples of many of the books relevant to what you are doing through Amazon at no cost.  These sample books range from 25-50 pages and are packed with very useful information.  I have gotten several on creative writing-a weakness of mine. Last but not least, check out your local library.

Do your homework! Learn how to write then write that novel. Don’t put the cart before the horse. If it’s too late because your novel is already written, that’s ok. You got it done now get it good. Just means you are in the same boat I was in. A little more work but it will get there.

I would like to ask you to consider becoming a follower of my blog.  My promise to you is that I will provide information that you can use on your journey to becoming published.

I am open to any comments that will help me to become a better blogger and would like to know what you think.

-Jan R

 

I really enjoy reading Jerry Jenkin’s blog.  Some of you may know him and others may not. He has published more novels than any author in history and was the co-author of the Left Behind series. Needless to say, he knows what he is talking about and is more than willing to share that with you, me, or anyone who chooses to visit his site.

Jerry Jenkins says you are a writer when you say you are a writer. It all comes down to  mindset.  Do you have the mindset of a writer? Do you take your writing seriously? Are you investing time and energy into learning your craft? Are you doing what professional writers do even when you don’t feel like it and haven’t been published? I hope your answer to all of these questions was yes.  If you’re planning on writing a novel and succeeding in your venture, you are going to have to develop a writer’s mindset.

How Do I Develop a Writer’s Mindset?

• Read books specific to your genre.  That’s what authors do.  It helps them to know their competition and keep up with what’s selling in the industry.
• Read blogs. Research and learn your craft.  I really like Michael Hyatt and Jerry Jenkins. These people are in the industry and can help you to get up to speed. I also subscribe to Writers Digest magazine.  They have great articles as well as information that will help you in your journey.
• Build your platform. Start that Blog. Michael Hyatt said he sat at many board publication meetings at Thomas Nelson. When reviewing a potential author one question always came up. “What’s the authors platform?” If the answer was there is none then the book was usually rejected. They pushed it to the side and moved on to the next one. The publisher doesn’t have the resources to market your book.  You need an audience-period. As I stated in a previous blog, my Novel was rejected not because of content, but because of my lack of a platform.
• Attend writing conferences if possible. You will get the opportunity to connect with literary Agents, Publishers and other aspiring Authors as well as attend classes that will help you improve your writing skills.
• Write! Write! Write!
• Consider joining writing critique groups (WritersWrite.com).
• Have fun and DON’T GIVE UP!

-Jan R

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If all you want to do is write, go for it.  You don’t have to get permission or a license.  All you need is a pencil and paper or maybe a computer depending on how serious you take your endeavor. If writing a novel is a future goal then this is one way to hone your skills.  Many professionals recommend that you start out small.  You could write an article for the local paper or a magazine, and even consider a blog. This not only improves your writing skills, but it also builds up the resume that you will need later when approaching an agent/publisher.

If you do want to write a novel, you should know it’s hard work. Those people who say, “Anybody can write a book, how hard can it be?” They’ve never written a novel and most definitely never had one published. You have to research, outline, draft and redraft, not to mention the countless revisions.  I have probably done a complete revision of my book 4-5 times.  I’ve lost count to be honest and these revisions don’t include the numerous times I have reworked scenes or randon sentences that didn’t read well. Did I mention combing it for grammatical and structural errors. That’s a lot of fun, especially if you aren’t an English major.  I can’t count the number of times I’ve had to stop writing to google simple questions on grammar.

Another thing to keep in mind, your first novel probably won’t be a masterpiece. This is true of every writer of every first novel. That does include Nicholas Spark and J.K. Rowling. Keep in mind you are learning the craft as your write. You will need to understand how to work dialogue, pace your book, construct a plot that is plausible and cohesive, build tension and create characters that your reader likes and can relate to. Experts say it takes about 10,000 hours of writing to prepare you to write a publishable novel.

I don’t meant to discourage anyone. I just want to make sure you know what you are getting in to.  Most books take 5-10 years to get published.  I’m on year 5 so maybe I’m approaching the finish line.  I sure hope I was a fast learner. If this is what you want to do, improve your skills by reading and writing. Yes you need to read. I would also recomment that you take classes, attend seminars, research, and join writing groups (WritersWrite.com). You will get there. The biggy is DON’T GIVE UP!

-Jan R