How to Write a Novel Others Want to Read
There is a lot to consider as a writer. And with self-publishing, there are many more things on a writer’s plate.
Getting bogged down in the mundane is perhaps the biggest issue facing most writers.
The exhilaration of creating a story from scratch can easily succumb to a flood of endless questions.
What is the best writing software? Where can I find a good cover designer? What are the best self-publishing platforms? How do I write a query letter? Does anyone know a good beta reader? How much is a good price for a professional edit? How many chapters, pages, books in a series, characters, etc. should I have?
Yes, this stuff is important… later. Much later.
But during the writing process, it just piles on until it squishes out every bit of enthusiasm, and you feel like tossing the laptop into the river. Or is that just me?
The other danger of spending too much time on these things is it can affect the quality of your writing.
So… here is a (thankfully) short list of the things you should focus on writing the books others want to read.
1) Read your genre
This one is important. So much so that I will say it again.
2) Read your genre
If you want to really understand what your readers want… study the books they read.
You need to know what tropes are hot. You need to know which tropes have become cliché. You need to know how to present something classic, yet still fresh.
It doesn’t matter if you are interested in an alien here on Earth to find romance, a vampire who found her soulmate, special ops soldiers trying to stop a coup, or an elderly detective solving the murder that has a small town upset.
Know your audience. Know your formats and formulas. Know what works. Then, and only then, can you create something new … something yours.
Your reader has expectations. You simply may not violate those expectations completely. You can approach them from a new angle or in a fun new way…. But you must respect them.
Fantasy novels must have endearing sidekicks. Science fiction works must have a technology that cuts both ways. Urban Fantasy has strong female leads who don’t shy away from sarcasm. Mystery readers expect a bit of the macabre... and if there is no twist at the end, they will be offended. The lead in a romance always lives happily ever after.
You have permission to bend (or even break the rules) only after you have established that you are changing things to serve the story (not to show how clever you are.) And that the novel is still recognizable for its genre. The reader will still get what they came for… with a few new things added for fun.
3) Write every day, no matter the length
Drive down a busy street in your city. Pay attention to every restaurant. When you reach the end of the street, pull over and write all the restaurants you can recall.
If you tried this experiment one week after you drove down that street, how many could you recall? What if it were two weeks, a month, a few months?
You get my point.
It is easier to keep up with storylines, character arcs, pacing, personality traits, and new ideas if you revisit your book every day. Even if only for a few minutes. Go over the main storyline. Plan a scene. Make a few adjustments to a character. Write a couple of lines of dialogue. Describe a new location. Contemplate how your hero might react to a situation.
Even if it is only ten or twenty minutes a day, your progress will be much faster than if you wrote in larger blocks of time but spaced days apart.
Writing every day allows the subconscious to work to its fullest.
If you stimulate your mind and pose a handful of questions, those questions will get answered even as you go about the rest of your day.
A daily writing habit has this effect. You get productive use of your creative mind all day long…
4) Don’t force action and excitement onto every page
Someone once said, and someone else repeated a horrible myth about writing. This goof said that every page must be exciting.
Many new writers have ingested this mistruth and tried to follow it.
Remember instead this simplified way to look at things. If EVERY page is exciting, then NOTHING is exciting.
If authors constantly bombard the reader with ACTION, ACTION, ACTION... or exposed to inner pain, insightful dialogue, or mesmerizing narrative, they can soon grow numb.
Let the pace of the novel ebb and flow. Let there be moments of quiet introspection. A few lines of scene-connecting information. A paragraph or two of backstory. A brief and mild character interaction that sets up future tension.
You can’t have only fun stuff. It's necessary for you to organize the fun stuff. Decompress after the fun stuff. You must process the action and give time to form a reaction. Ups and downs, ebbs and flows, tense and loose. That keeps readers hooked.
5) Don’t write a book to please every reader.
We want to justify our career choice. And we all must eat and pay bills. The fantasy is to write a book that has mass appeal and makes us millions.
I pray you write the next Star Wars, Harry Potter. or Game of Thrones…
But you are far more likely to have continual success if you find your niche, build a select following, and create an endless series of books to satisfy your fan base.
Don’t write to sell … write to make your fans happy.
6) Perhaps this should be number one. If you don’t agree with this advice, then ignore it.
This is an art form first. Yes, we also wear a businessperson’s hat. But this is an art form, and we are all artists.
The advice I offer appeals to the businessperson. How to sell and make a living in this profession.
But it might very well irritate the artist who decided a long time ago to create according to their vision.
If that is you, then chase down that dragon and slay it.
If you want to break the rules. Go ahead. If you want to avoid outlines and plotting. Sure… why not? If you want to ignore the advice of people who see sales as a measure of success, then that is your right as an artist.
The reason this might be a good thing is it keeps alive your passion, your energy, and your drive to finish.
Those emotions come across. And in the end, those emotions also sell books.
Eric Myers
Send a sample of your work for a free editing and critique. Submit One Thousand words to:
submissions@warpspeedediting.com
Responses are usually within twenty-four hours.
