Whether or not an author is writing his first or his tenth book, there are many important rules that he should keep in mind. These rules should act as guidelines for the author to tell a consistently good story, stay motivated, and see his work through. Any writer working on a novel should keep the following tips in mind.
Never be in awe of your style: Confidence in your abilities helps you to write a fantastic story. However, you should avoid being too confident. If you do so, you will make more mistakes and it will be very difficult to realize they exist.
Writers block is just another excuse for indecision: Although there are times that you feel like you have absolutely nothing to write, you should take a step back and evaluate the reasons why you feel that way. More often than not, there are two or more conflicting options in your head and you have subconsciously decided not to make a choice.
Write anything when starting: Many great authors agree that any first draft should not be expected to be any good. However, if you don’t write, you cannot get your creative juices flowing.
Forget about the money: In the words of Mark Twain, you should work like you don’t need the money. An author should not think about the money because these thoughts will impede his imagination.
Your first page is the most important: As an author, it is difficult to get started on a book because you have so many thoughts running through your mind about how you want to develop the story. However, when you write your first page, the thoughts automatically start to flow and to organize themselves. Your first page is therefore the most important page you have ever written.
Don’t think about the Booker Prize: Hilary Mantel has won this coveted prize and you are definitely not her. Many authors write books thinking about topping the New York Times bestseller list. However, it makes a world of difference if an author has realistic expectations.
Word choice is crucial: Sometimes authors struggle to find the perfect words to use in their books. However, you should know that sometimes the words you choose not to use could be the most important ones.
Adverbs dilute: Enough said.
Raise efforts, lower expectations: You can never know how well a book will sell or if it will even sell at all. However, you should not let this uncertainty affect your writing. Always make every book your best one and let the industry decide how your efforts deserve to be rewarded. Great books rarely fail to sell.
Ignore discouragement: One of the things that writers should expect is to get discouraged. Sometimes even close friends will try to discourage you when you tell them that you are writing a novel. However, ignore people that try to discourage you because they might be jealous that you might become a bestselling author while they continue doing their dead-end jobs. Discouragement from people should only strengthen your resolve to write the best book anybody has ever read.
