Unleash Your Creativity: 20+ Essential Writing Tips
“You can make anything by writing.” –C.S. Lewis
One of the best and simplest novel writing tips out there is: write.
That’s it. One word.
But that’s not as easy as it is simple. Many things make what you write more likely to get read.
I believe that everyone has a story within them. Some people have many stories in them. Not everyone is driven to tell the story. I think maybe you are. That’s why you’re here.
But, to tell a story that people will read, you have to understand a few essential things.
Ready? Let’s dive in.
Understanding Story Structure
To start with, your story needs to have a basic structure. You know that books are divided into chapters. So, where do you go from there?
1. Writing a Novel Outline
How do you ensure the information follows a logical order?
Again, the simple answer is outline.
Or blueprint. Or roadmap.
Your preference.
And again, this is much simpler than it is easy.
2. Learning the Three-Act Structure
You also need to understand the three-act structure. Many novels follow some variation of it.
Sometimes referred to as the novel writing formula, it’s the beginning, the middle, and the end.
But what scenes go in each section?
How many chapters does it take to finish the beginning?
These answers depend on your story and require a solid understanding of the structure.
3. Balancing the Main Plot and Subplots
Every good novel tells not just one but multiple stories. The plot is your primary story.
This plot follows the action from introduction through conflict to a final resolution.
Romances, friendships, and betrayals revealed through subplots add to the tensions in your main plot.
Don’t forget to resolve your sub-plot. Otherwise, they’re simply rabbit holes.
Mastering Character Development
“When writing a novel, a writer should create living people, people, not characters. A character is a caricature.” ― Ernest Hemingway, Death in the Afternoon
4. Bringing Characters to Life
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You may not need to write it in the novel, but each central character needs a backstory that informs their motivations.
What are their goals in life? Why do they do things a certain way?
Another good novel writing tip is to make your characters real people: show their personalities through actions and interactions; provide roadblocks. Their hardships make the ultimate victory so much sweeter.
5. Creating Characters from Real People
Base your characters on an amalgamation of real people that you know.
If your Aunt Mary is a champion triathlete, use what you know to create a similar character.
You know someone with characteristics that would fit each individual in your novel.
Just don’t make them too recognizable.
6. Embracing Character Flaws
Readers want to hate your villain, but the bad guy is rarely completely bad. Maybe he’s got a soft spot for animals.
And generally, your hero isn’t an angel, either. Is there a heart of gold hidden underneath an obnoxious exterior?
Consider Mary Shannon, U.S. Marshall from the TV series In Plain Sight. You get the picture.
Realistic and relatable characters are flawed, just like real people.
Developing a Writing Practice
Here, the rubber meets the road. Remember, at the beginning, I said one of the best novel writing tips is simply to write.
7. Writing Every Day
You’ll never write a novel if you don’t put pen to paper, literally or digitally.
Don’t wait for the perfect time. It won’t happen.
Set a writing schedule. And stick to it!
8. Setting and Meeting Writing Goals
Set milestones from your outline, or whatever you call your planning document. Celebrate meeting them.
Set daily or weekly word count goals. How ever you choose to schedule.
Write fast, and don’t spend time correcting things as you go. Write it first, and then go back to edit.
9. Dealing with Resistance in Writing
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Another word for resistance is procrastination, which is doing anything else but writing.
I’m not a big fan of housework, but I will start laundry, do dishes, and almost anything else to convince myself I don’t have time to write.
Recognizing what your resistance looks like will make it easier to overcome.
Editing and Revising
“Somewhere I put it this way: first drafts are for learning what one’s fiction wants him to say. Revision works with that knowledge to enlarge and enhance an idea, to reform it. Revision is one of the exquisite pleasures of writing.” – Bernard Malamud.
10. Practicing Self-Editing Techniques
Some authors view editing with trepidation or outright dread.
Try considering it as reviewing passes instead of drafts or revisions. Begin with a structural review: is it a logical progression from one scene to another? Then, move on to copy editing and proofreading.
This method reduces the stress of thinking you must edit or revise everything simultaneously.
Each pass has more focus, making you more effective in your editing.
The important thing is to finish the book before you start editing.
11. Proofreading: Why It’s Important
Keeping readers glued to the story is what copy editing is all about.
But don’t forget that correcting grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors is crucial.
If you don’t, you appear amateurish at best or downright lazy at worst.
12. Seeking and Utilizing Feedback
Feedback can be tricky. Family and friends may not want to hurt your feelings.
If you must ask family, ask them to be honest and specific about what works and what doesn’t.
Failing that, consider joining a writing group or a fiction workshop. You can come away with some fantastic novel writing tips.
The feedback I got in my first writing class was brutal but necessary.
Navigating the Publishing Process
You’ve written your Great American Novel. Now you want to get it published.
13. Understanding Publishing Options
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Consider the genre and audience to find the best publisher for your novel.
There are options:
- large publishers,
- small publishers and
- self-publishing.
Most publishing houses do not want unsolicited manuscripts. It’s a good idea to get a literary agent. They know which publishers would be interested in your work.
14. Refining Your Draft Before Sharing
This category is like the editing process.
Once you’ve chosen a publisher, learn what that publisher wants from a manuscript. Make yours the best version possible.
Understand that editors at the publishing house will make changes.
Expect it.
Ultimately, it helps the book. That’s the goal.
15. Preparing for Publication and Marketing Strategy
Before you write your novel, read at least one book in that genre, preferably more.
Read with a critical eye toward what the market accepts.
Try to understand what, about a particular book, made it marketable to readers. This will inform your writing and help your book stand out.
The Art of Crafting Dialogue
You’ve created characters, and now you must make them speak.
16. Writing Realistic Dialogue
While it’s tempting to use current slang when writing, don’t.
It is far better to keep the language timeless to appeal to audiences years in the future.
Still, give your characters a unique way of speaking that helps define them in your reader’s mind.
17. Balancing Dialogue and Description
Take any writing class, and you’ll be told, “Show, don’t tell.”
In a few well-chosen words, dialogue can convey the relationships between characters and move the action along.
Description, on the other hand, is also necessary.
It envelops your reader in the scene’s sights, scents, and sounds, where dialogue about these features would be cumbersome.
Overcoming Writer’s Block
Actual writer’s block is different than mere resistance. And it can be harder to overcome.
18. Identifying Causes of Writer’s Block
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It can stem from several sources, including insufficient research, lack of inspiration, or overthinking a topic.
Distractions, perfectionism, insufficient time, or skill deficiency can exacerbate it.
Determine what it is that keeps you from putting words on a page.
Then, address that issue.
19. Strategies for Overcoming Writer’s Block
Once you figure out your writer’s block, you can effectively deal with it.
If you’re not inspired, try something different. Painting or drawing could help get the creative juices flowing.
Take a break, go for a walk, talk to a friend.
Do more research. Learn a new skill in novel writing.
Write about something that excites you. Freewrite anything at all.
Understanding Copyrights and Legalities
When you put your heart and soul into writing your novel, you want to know how to protect your precious work.
20. Protecting Your Work: Copyright Basics
Technically, your work is copyrighted as soon as you write it down.
Registering your work, in final form, provides a public record of your ownership and confers additional legal benefits.
Keep in mind that copyright regulations and final product ownership are entirely different in work-for-hire situations.
21. Decoding Publishing Contracts
A publisher will send you a contract if you get an offer from a publishing house.
Recognize that this usually means a contract for the sale of specific rights.
You need to understand precisely what your rights and responsibilities are.
The contract defines terms, states your rights, including ownership, provides information about royalties, etc.
It also identifies the author’s obligations concerning marketing, promotions, and confidentiality.
Promotion and Marketing Your Novel
Some novel writing tips have very little to do with actual writing. A novel is only as good as readers think it is. You must get people to read it.
22. Building an Author Platform
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What is an Author Platform? Good question.
Participation in workshops and conferences, awards and accolades, and bookstore readings contribute to your platform.
As do endorsements from other award-winning authors and a high rate of sales from self-publishing.
It’s anything that evidences public awareness of you as an author.
23. Utilizing Social Media for Book Promotion
Another part of your author platform is social media.
You should have a Facebook page. Don’t forget Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube.
Create a website. If your publisher allows, post an excerpt of the book online.
Encourage your visitors to leave reviews.
24. Harnessing the Power of Book Reviews/Word-of-Mouth
As with most kinds of products, books are often recommended by word-of-mouth between friends and colleagues.
Reviews are another form of word-of-mouth recommendation, just from strangers.
Your book must be recommendation-worthy, or your reviews won’t help sales.
Share your story and ask your readers to share it, too.
Your Novel Awaits, Let’s Get Writing
“A word after a word after a word is power.” –Margaret Atwood
With this compendium of novel writing tips, you are ready to start your book. Open your laptop and your word processing program. Or grab your favorite pen and a pad of paper.
You’ve done your technical research. You’ve created your roadmap.
You have made friends, or enemies, with your characters, as the case may be.
It’s time to envision the opening scene. Where are you? Who’s with you? What’s happening?
Now – Write!