Are you ready to begin writing your first novel and need a few guidelines? Here are 5 tips to get you started writing with confidence.
1.
Use dialect sparingly.
Too much is like adding too much salt to your food.
Unappealing to say the least.
Don't overuse terms like "y'all" and "youse.
" If your character is one who overuses the word "aint," you only need to show this once or twice and you have established him as an "aint" user.
Less is more.
Be careful about using regional expressions because some readers won't know what it means.
2.
If you don't know what to write about, start keeping a journal and make an entry every night.
Make a daily exercise to write about something interesting you saw or heard from that day.
If you can't think of anything interesting, just write anything that comes to mind.
The point is to get your pen moving or your fingers tapping on the keyboard.
It is amazing what you end up with from some of this babbling.
Often ideas come to you right then and there.
3.
Set priorities.
That means you need to write every day and make it a priority.
If you have to get up a bit earlier or write during your lunch or break time, so be it.
Just get that writing done every day.
4.
Remember to keep suspense in your novel.
Your reader needs to constantly be wondering, "What will happen next?" If the reader already knows what is going to happen or, even worse, doesn't care what happens, they are not going to want to continue reading.
So don't give away everything right away.
5.
Know how you want your story to end before you start writing.
Yes, there are authors who wing it, but that is not a good idea.
You'll paint yourself into a tiny corner and end up having to do a lot of rewriting.
That doesn't mean you can't change it later if you want to, but do have your ending in mind as you write your novel.