How to Write a Great Novel
Introduction
Over the past couple of weeks since I released my memoir I’ve been asked on a few occasions on how to do this. Fans, friends and contemporaries impressed by the book and impacted by my art have asked me for my secret formula.
I could have told them that it’s merely sugared, spice and everything nice but what’s the fun in that?
They say if God gave you a talent you should help others with it, right? So that’s why today I decided to sit down and share with the world a few tips on how to write a good book.
Writing could be so fun if you add the right amount of inspiration and you add ingredients like dedication and consistency.
But what would that lead to if you aren’t having fun during the whole thing?
Won’t it lead to a lackluster effort and an uninspired piece?
It is my job (well since you let me) to guide you on your new writing journey and maximise your talent because let’s be honest, we truly rise by lifting others.
So without further ado here are the tips on how to write a good book:
The Plot
Have a clear idea about your plot (researching and talking to artistic friends
Before you even think about putting own to paper or even typing your first word on your desktop computer you have to possess a clear idea of the plot.
What is a plot? A plot is your war plan, it is that scheme that you devise to capture the audience’s mind and that should be done from the first word on the opening page up till the last sentence in the closing page.
A book is your legacy and as such you should treat it with respect and the biggest amount of skill you can muster.
Depending on the subject matter you are writing on there is a plethora of ideas that could end up forming the crux of your plot.
These days it is easier as you can research from the comfort of your couch and travel to so many different countries simply by reading tons of books available on the World Wide Web.
Also as a writer you will be sure to have artistic friends, don’t be standoffish or proud.
Pay them a visit, buy them lunch, talk over drinks and get inspired by their war tales and develop on them to create a masterpiece.
The Characters
Breathe life into your characters
The sanctity of the character, the sacredness of your created masterpiece and the cynosure of a reader’s eye.
Character creation and development is one of the major understated works these days in writing.
What a few upcoming writers do not know is that proper character development is one of the only ways that a reader will make it past the first chapter of your book.
Take a few minutes and check out books by Sidney Sheldon, Danielle Steele and Nora Roberts.
These illustrious authors take the reader on a journey with the most interesting characters of their novels and before a reader knows it he is so interested in the rest of the book that he can hardly do anything else.
Developing quality characters is an art form in itself as it opens the writer to an array of opportunities.
The better the character, the more a chance of a character centered sequel to the book.
The better the character, the longer you hold a reader’s attention span.
So take your time and develop your characters, give them a life of their own, make them add value to the book and you will definitely get emails asking for a sequel just like I’m getting right now ha-ha.
Consistency
The soul of your craft, write every day.
The life of a writer usually entails three Cs which are Creativity, Consistency and Correspondence.
Of benefit to this short essay is consistency.
Consistency is the soul of your craft as without that you won’t finish your book and you’ll just end up as on of the many struggling writers that specialize in medium posts or Instagram captions.
To create a career off your art you have to be consistent. Set a target, I must write at least ten pages worth of material before I go to bed.
Once you do this for ten days you now have a hundred pages worth of intellectual property.
Do it for a whole month and you have a sequel to your novel, it’s that easy!
Writing is like a machine, you need to oil it frequently to get the best out of it.
Live Life
Go out, live life and get inspired
Some writers claim to get the best form of inspiration when they are holed up in a room without the interference of others or the interaction with fellow human beings.
O well, because it works for them doesn’t necessarily mean it works for me.
After you’ve gotten your 300 pages worth of material to a sequel now it’s time to edit and add some colour.
How would you add colour if all you know is the colour of your stuffed Teddy and the inside of your fridge.
Go out live life!
Take a stroll and talk to a pretty stranger that visits the park after work.
Get inspired and use the inspiration to turn your book from a mere diary to a potential bestseller.
Proofreading
Complete the book and contact a professional proofreader
Now you are done creating your art and you’ve gone through the whole book, page by page searching for errors and the best ways to improve.
It’s almost your deadline and you are tempted to tender it to your local publishing house.
Just wait a minute, do not submit it just yet.
The book needs one last test, the test of a professional editor/ proofreader.
Submit your book to a person with experience in your kind of writing, make sure the person does not know you personally as this might lead to a bias in appraisal.
Ensure you give him a suitable deadline and good pay as this is the last test as regards the readability of your book.
Conclusion
There is nothing more beautiful than telling your story and sharing it with the world.
Literature has given us a medium of expressing our passions and making a living out of it.
However they say a writer is only as good as the last book she published.
As such ensure that you take out your time and develop yourself as a writer.
Read up books authored by writers in similar fields, make the online book store your best friend, download free books and buy first editions to bring the library to your study room.
Ensure that you surround yourself with inspiration and it would be only natural that you create masterpiece after masterpiece.
That is how to write a good book!
Signing off,
Jade
