The Novel in Your Soul

Motivation and pointers from a noob writer to myself.

-Write down everything you can that pertains to your novel or may not involve your novel (notes can be used for a different novel). Keep a notebook close or have a notepad app on your phone. Use inspiration from any aspects of your life or others' lives.

-Write what you know or do research.

-Always know the skeleton of your story and in what direction/ tone you want it to be in.

-Read a lot and write a lot.

-Just write.

-Write a lot when you're most passionate about it.

-Avoid cliche. If it absolutely has to have a certain form of cliche, put a unique twist.

-Write with a certain level of sympathy to all your characters.

-Make each character's voice unique, if not slightly nuanced.

-Tone is everything. Without it, your novel won't express what had passionately set this novel off in the first place.

-Multiple revisions. Let family, friends, and strangers express their opinions on it. With an open mind, take into account of all criticisms and determine if it does in fact improve your novel.

-After it's written, take a break from it for a month or so and re-read it with a fresh eye.

-Experience what had originally gotten you motivated in the first place.

-It won't write itself.

-Don't like the novel anymore? Just scrap it but don't completely abandon the parts of the dead novel that you once liked. It may come in handy for future novels.

-Take a break and empty your mind from it for a bit.

-If the novel went of course, re-write it from the start of its deviation in a radical way that may be out of your comfort zone.