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One of the best hobbies anyone could try their hand at is creative writing. Storytelling is innate to human nature. And throughout history male and female figures have fulfilled key roles in society for their ability to tell a good tale.
If you’ve sparked this desire to write a novel and tell stories, this guide will help.
Writing a novel is perhaps one of the toughest writing challenges you could undertake. But below, you can find truly helpful writing tips on everything from practicing as much as you can to seeking the feedback of others.
Let’s jump in.
Understand The Type Of Story You Want To Tell
This may sound like an obvious piece of writing advice, but the reality is that some writers dive into a project without much of an idea of who they’re writing for.
It’s all well and good writing for yourself—I do it too. But if you want to share your stories for others to enjoy, you need to understand who those “others” are.
So, take a step back from your story. Think about the genre it fits into and also where in that genre it could slot.
For example, fantasy fiction has dozens of subgenres and readers of each have their own expectations.
Once you have an idea of your subgenre, research popular books in that area, study the reviews and see what readers value most.
Do Your Research
This point is very much linked to the above. Just as you need to research where your story fits into the world of readers, you’ll more than likely need to conduct some research for the story itself.
Sometimes we decide to write stories about things that have never happened, fictional worlds or earthly places we’ve never visited. We may also decide to write about subjects and topics that may have complexities. Unless you’re an expert, you may find the writing process tricky.
Spending time researching how cannons work, for example, if you’re writing a Civil War drama, will help you tremendously. You’ll not only feature cannons in consistent ways, but you can enrich your tale with details and descriptions, like how it smells after firing.
If Unsure About Female Perspectives, Ask
This is a writing tip aimed at men.
In the last few years, there have been plenty of examples of bad attempts by men to write female characters. In fairness, the same applies in reverse with women writing men, but some fellas are still guilty.
A lot of the bad examples are celebrated on a dedicated thread over on Reddit.
In short, avoid the obvious faux pas like a female character describing the shape of her own boobs in detail, and in the worst cases, objectifying female characters. If you were writing a male character you wouldn’t reflect on the shape of their body or genitalia in such a way.
If you’re at all unsure, get a female friend, writer or editor to check your work. Their insights will prove invaluable.
An Obvious Writing Tip: Practice As Much As You Can
This point may seem an obvious one but it’s also one of the most important. That’s why guides offering creative writing tips for beginners always include references to practising.
Writing is tough. There’s a lot to know and you can’t expect to learn it all at once. A lot of the work spent improving your writing craft is done by studying, researching, and then putting what you’ve learned into practice.
Some people say that you need to practice every day in order to become a good writer. However, this is impractical for many people. Many beginners start writing as a hobby. That hobby turns into a passion.
But sometimes we don’t always have the time we’d like to take things further. So the best thing to do is to set aside time to write each day or as many days as you can, even if it’s for 20 or 30 minutes. Every word is progress.
Learn As Much As You Can About Creative Writing
One of the best ways to help you finish your novel or writing project is to empower yourself with knowledge of storytelling.
Many elements make up a story. You have the creation of characters, plot, and theme. Then there are more technical things like writing prose, dialogue and structuring your story in a way that keeps leaders hooked and wanting to find out what happens next.
Some of the most effective methods of learning about creative writing are to attend workshops, lectures, seminars, courses and online classes. It also helps to buy books on creative writing, ideally from a range of authors so that you benefit from a varied set of perspectives and approaches.
If you can create a mindset of growth, of always seeking to improve, to learn something new, there won’t be much to stop you in the world of writing.
In Summary
Writing a novel is tough and depending upon the type of story you wish to tell, and the perspectives you wish to explore, getting help from others can make a massive difference to your success.
For example, if you’re a man writing about a woman or an issue relating to women such as sexual harassment, then it can prove vital to get feedback from women to ensure you hit the right points and don’t cause offence.
The bottom line, however, is that you need to study, practice and work hard to finish your writing project.
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