Are You Sure You Want to Write a Novel?

Writing your first novel-Some things you should know3 Comments

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, a magazine, or even consider a blog. This would not only improve your writing skills but build up the resume 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 completed revisions of my first novel 4-5 times.  I lost count to be honest, and these revisions didn’t include the numerous times I reworked scenes or random sentences that didn’t read quite right. 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. I would recommend you purchase a copy of Eats Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss. I found mine at a used book sale for $1.00.

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. Remember, 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 mean 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. Hopefully you’ll be on the 5 side :-).

Just remember every author had a beginning. Every writer is facing the same challenges that you are. The trick if there is one: Don’t Give Up!

-Jan R

Are You Sure You Want to Write a Novel?

Editing/Where Do I Begin? (Revisited)

Writing your first novel-Some things you should know2 Comments

Being a first time Author, I had no idea how complex the editing process was.  My idea of editing included spell check, making sure punctuation was used appropriately, and everything was in the right tense (past, present…).

As I stated in an earlier blog, my novel was rejected the first time for having grammatical and structural errors, as well as dragging dialogue.  Keep in mind this wasn’t the complete manuscript. The agent would have probably found far worse, if she had read the entire manuscript.

When you begin editing, and you will, you’ll want to take a closer look at everything. You may need to do some research, take classes, or do tutorial type seminars online. Below is a sample of the types of questions you should be asking as you read through your work.

  • How’s the flow of your dialogue? Is it necessary? Does it move your story forward or just sit like a rock taking up space and killing the moment?
  • How is the pacing? I like novels that move at a faster pace, however I know you have to slow them down occasionaly so the reader can catch their breath.
  • Does your plot make sense, does it flow throughout the story with smooth transitions from chapter to chapter?
  • What about your character development? Have you created real, likable Characters? Can your reader identify with them?
  • Word choice-is there a better way to say something?
  • Are you showing and not telling?
  • Have you mastered emotions you are trying to convey? Can you feel the tension rising?

Ask others to read your work as well. If you would prefer not to do that, then join a group online (Scribophile.com) and have fellow writers read and critique what you have written. There is a large community of aspiring authors out there that would love the opportunity to interface and exchange information.

Something to think about.

-Jan R

Editing/Where Do I Begin? (Revisited)

Are Your Words Getting In The Way?

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Write with your reader in mind. You want to keep things simple. Over the top flowery sentences belong in poetry, not in novels. Run on sentences that are a paragraph long, or clumsy writing that is hard to understand, makes your writer aware.

Aware of what you might ask? Your writing. You don’t want your reader cognizant of the fact that they are reading a book. You want them focused on the story to the point that they are walking beside the characters and experiencing their every move.

You want them to continue reading until the end, accepting every coincidence and slightly questionable storyline written. We often refer to this as the suspension of disbelief. If the reader is focused on the story and not the writing, they will accept most of what you throw at them without stopping to question its plausibility.

 Remember: Clumsy writing that’s hard to understand makes readers aware. Don’t let your words get in the way of a great story.

Something to think about.

-Jan R

Are Your Words Getting In The Way?

Does My Novel Have to be Perfect?

Writing your first novel-Some things you should know2 Comments

Yes!!!!!! Especially if this is your first book.  If you’ve already written a best seller, your agent and editor may cut you some slack. If not, that book better be pretty close to perfect, or nobody is going to look at it.  I know you’ve heard this before if you’ve done any type of research, but agents receive hundreds and sometimes thousands of queries a week. They don’t have time to read everyone.  If your manuscript is full of grammatical and structural errors, that’s all the excuse they need to toss it to the side and move on to the next one.

I sent my first manuscript out to five different agents.  I was very excited and a little anxious to hear what they had to say.  I expected some rejections, but not all.  I had put over a year into that novel.  It was my baby. Well, two didn’t respond at all, one said no thanks, and another said it wasn’t what they were looking for. The fifth one responded with a rejection, but also included a why. While she thought I had a really good premise, there were numerous grammatical and structural errors and the dialogue dragged. In short, she said it wasn’t ready for publication.

I was disappointed, but I did take her advice to heart and began the process of editing and correcting structural and grammatical errors, as well as addressing the dragging dialogue. I never really thought about dialogue moving a story before, but I see it now and have a pretty good understanding of what the agent was trying to say.

Truth be known, I was ashamed of myself for sending such poor work to an agent.  I never realized how bad it was until I began the arduous process of making corrections. I definitely didn’t make a good first impression.

-Jan R

Does My Novel Have to be Perfect?

Do You Have a Platform?

Writing your first novel-Some things you should knowLeave a comment

You’ve spent the last year or so writing your first novel.  It may be a great story, but it takes more than a great premise to sell a book.  Great stories with a significant number of structural and grammatical errors get tossed to the side every day.  How’s your dialogue? Does it move your story forward or just sit like a rock slowing things down and encouraging the reader to skip it completely. What about your platform? Do you have one? Great manuscripts of first-time authors get pushed to the side every day because the aspiring author doesn’t have a solid platform.

I was rejected by a literary agent because of my lack of a solid platform. I spent years editing and rewriting major portions of my manuscript to address the issues mentioned above.  I was confident with my work and looked forward to a request for the complete story. Well, what I got wasn’t a request but a rejection.  The reason had nothing to do with my novel. I had focused so much of my attention on preparing it for publication, that I failed to do one of the most important things, build an audience of potential customers.

Is a platform really that important? Unfortunately, yes, especially for first time authors. The agent who rejected me apologized for not giving me better news, but said it was really hard to place new authors and especially those who did not have a solid platform. While she recommended that I send it to other agents, she also emphasized the importance of building a platform.

You may be an introvert, but the good news is building a platform it is a lot easier than you would think.  Google ‘Building a platform’ and you’ll find all kinds of information.  I would personally recommend looking into Michael Hyatt. He is an author, blogger, speaker, and a former chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, so he knows a little bit about what we are trying to accomplish here. I would also recommend his book ‘PLATFORM GET NOTICED IN A NOISY WORLD’. He provides all the information you need to get started, including websites that assist with the creation of your online presence.

I hope this helps someone out there on their quest to being published. I have to admit I was upset and discouraged after receiving the news from the literary agent. I just didn’t know. I could have been working on building my platform all along, while preparing my novel for publishing.

Maybe you’re not looking for an agent but self-publishing. You still have to have a platform. Who is your customer base?

Something to think about.

-Jan R

Do You Have a Platform?