Writing A First Novel

Now that we're in the month of August, it marks an entire year and a half that I've been writing my first novel. And while it is practically finished, I've been taking some time to do some final draft editing before sending it off to my publishers. If you also have the desire to write a story but don't know where to start, here are a few tips I'm happy to share!

• Pick a topic you're passionate about, be it romance, mystery, drama, horror, etc.
• Don't worry about it making sense at first. Just write down all of your ideas, feelings, thoughts and freestyle!
• After you scribbled down notes sporadically, the next step is to start getting your thoughts in order by actually creating a system. 
• Get a new notebook. At the top of each page, write the name of each character with a list of their characteristics below. Include their gender, age, ethnicity, occupation, and be specific about their physical appearances. Does one woman have a visible mole on her face like Marilyn Monroe? Another have a short, boy hair cut like Halle Berry? Write the details. 
• Give each character a phrase that they repeatedly say in their dialogue such as, "Trust Me," or "I A'int the one," or like Carrie always says from Sex in The City, "I couldn't help but wonder."
• In the middle of your notebook, put a yellow post-it sticky to mark the next section where you're going to doodle conflicts between your main characters. Play with your imagination and don't think that anything is too crazy! In fact, the crazier, the better! 

Hopefully, these tips helped. I know that writing is key to completing a novel but many times a lot of us get stuck day dreaming about it because we're not sure of how to do it correctly. It's normal to be fearful but don't let it paralyze you into non-action. It's also good to read books such as, "Writing A Novel for Dummies", etc. But you should be writing first and then reading afterwards, just to see how closely you're matching the format of story telling in a way that makes sense.

Okay well, Phew! I must say, it feels really good to finally finish my first story. Ladies & Gents, writing a book is not simple and yet it is simple. Why? Because it all starts with writing! If you can write an article, a letter - anything at all, then you can write a book. So start writing and the rest will come naturally. Also, make sure to hang out with other writers; it's imperative that you do! Your social circle will feed your motivation and continue to remind you of who you want to become and how you're going to do it. Good luck!