Writing your first novel doesn’t require you to spend years writing. By developing a proper plan, you can finish your first novel without wasting your time and effort. Here are thirteen proven tips that will allow you to create a plan to achieve your writing goals faster.
1. Identify Your Target Audience
Writing a single word without knowing the preferences of your target readers will not help you write something persuasive. You need to be fully aware of the preferences of your readers to ensure that people read your novel from the first page till the end.
Start by exploring different online forums to read reviews of famous novels. Doing so will help you identify the elements that make a novel good for the readers. Discuss the reviews you find with fellow writers so you can find different perspectives to ensure that what you write is loved by people.
2. Explore Different Subgenres
All the famous literary genres have several subgenres that appeal to niche audiences. When you choose a genre for writing a novel, you need to ensure that you know about all its subgenres.
The good thing about having a deep understanding of the subgenres is that it allows you to present your story persuasively.
For example, if you are interested in writing a fiction novel, you should start exploring fiction subgenres like:
- Fantasy fiction
- Science fiction
- Realistic fiction
and the list goes on…
3. Boost Your Reading Skills
Reading more is the only way you can sharpen your writing skills. The better you can write, the easier it will be for you to win recognition as a writer.
Many people think they need to spend all their time reading books to sharpen their writing. But contrary to the popular misconception, you can read more without having to disturb your daily routine.
Optimizing your reading routine, following good reading practices, and improving your reading space will help you read faster and comprehend the topics. For example, you should try turning your phone off, so you are not constantly disturbed when reading.
4. Follow a Writing Routine
Writing requires you to create and follow a routine that is personalized according to your needs. Instead of writing haphazardly, following a routine helps you ensure that you can focus all your thoughts on what you write.
Building a writing routine is not a difficult process. To get started, you should allocate a couple of hours in your daily routine solely for writing. Make sure you turn off all the distractions when writing so you can let your creativity shine through your words.
5. Get Help from Professionals
It won’t be easy for you to complete your first novel faster if you try doing all things by yourself. Instead of being a “sole warrior,” you should be willing to ask for help when needed to ensure that you don’t waste your time and effort.
For example, if you want to write a graphic novel but don’t know how to draw, you should consider hiring graphic novel illustrators instead of trying to draw illustrations yourself.
6. Avoid All the Distractions
Being constantly disturbed when writing won’t help you write better and faster. Unless you have a lot of free time, you need to find ways to curb distractions and stay laser-focused when writing. Here are some tips to help you get rid of distractions:
- Try writing in a quiet place.
- Put your phone on “Airplane mode.”
- Avoid listening to music if songs distract you.
If controlling your surroundings isn’t helping you focus properly, you should consider asking for advice from fellow writers to learn how to concentrate your thoughts on writing.
7. Start With an Outline
Following an outline is the best way you can achieve your writing goals faster. An outline will give you a rough idea of how you should weave your story and which things will help you make your novel stand out.
You don’t need to let “perfectionism” overcome you when writing an outline. It’s better to leave some room for “final touches” so you can add or remove topics from your outline as you deem fit.
8. Develop Memorable Characters
Character development is the most important thing you need to focus on when writing your novel. If you don’t have memorable characters, you won’t be able to convince your readers to read your novel from the start till the end.
Make sure you choose the characters for your novel carefully so you can sell more copies of your novel faster.
9. Finish Your First Draft
Completing your first draft according to your outline is something that will help you feel confident as a writer.
Make sure you complete your first draft as soon as you can. When writing, avoid thinking about writing perfect sentences, as it will only hold you back. Focus on your goals according to your outline so you can get things done faster.
10. Ask for Feedback
You won’t be able to identify the mistakes in your writing without the help of a professional editor. Only a skilled editor has the knowledge and experience to improve your writing so your readers find your novel interesting to read.
Reach out to editors in your network so you can get feedback before getting your novel published. You can rely on social channels like LinkedIn in case you don’t know any editors.
11. Create Your Marketing Plan
Marketing is the most important thing you need to sell more copies of your novel. Make sure you create a personalized marketing plan that suits your needs and help you achieve the goals you set for yourself. You can reach out to established writers to get their feedback on how to create a marketing plan.
12. Explore Your Publication Options
You can either get your book “self-published” or sign a deal with a publishing house. The path you should take can determine the success or failure of your first novel. Make sure you compare your options to choose the approach which suits you most.
13. Focus on Your Health
Trying to achieve your writing goals faster can take a toll on your body. Instead of forcing yourself to get things done, you should separate some time from your daily routine to ensure that you can exercise, take care of your diet, and get adequate sleep.
