Write A Novel II

11. Establish a writing routine

We won’t go on about the importance of this step — we all know that to make
progress on any kind of goal, working on it must become a part of our regular routine.
Since we’re all on the same page here, we’ll jump straight to our tips for making that
happen:

 Set up Non-Negotiable Writing Time. Or, as Kevin Johns calls it, NNWT. The
keywords here are “non-negotiable.” This is a period of time, whether it’s once a day
or once a week, that you commit to writing, and only writing. Unless there is an
emergency, you do not schedule anything else during your NNWT.
 Quantify Your Progress. Set realistic goals (maybe a word count or number of pages
to hit) that you can achieve and then celebrate those “little wins.” Breaking up the task
of writing a novel into bite-sized steps, and then acknowledging when you take those
steps, will not only make the process more manageable — but also just more fun.
 Brag. If you received a promotion at work, you would celebrate it, or at the very least
share the good news with others. As you make progress on your novel, talk about it
with others. This will help keep you accountable — if you share with others, they’re
more likely to ask for updates.

If you’ve just finished your first draft, your next step should absolutely involve party
poppers and cake — or some kind of celebratory treat, because that’s a huge
accomplishment. But of course, the work is far from over.

Writing the first iteration of your manuscript is all about just getting the words down
on paper. Now it’s time to start turning those words into a memorable story.

12. Consider literary devices and techniques

Sometimes it’s hard to really pinpoint why a certain novel stays with you, there’s
just something about it. You can add a certain je ne sais quoi to your own writing by
 employing literary devices such as Chekhov’s Gun, irony, and foreshadowing —
which all serve to build tension throughout your story.

There are countless other literary devices that authors use to add creative depth to
their writing. Find a list of some of our favorites here.

13. Revise your story

Editing your own story is not a one-time deal. Each time you read your story, you will
likely end up rewriting parts, which will require another read-through, which might
lead to more rewrites — so on and so forth. To ensure you don’t get caught in an
endless cycle of editing, don’t edit everything at once. Go through your novel looking
for a specific issue and only fix those. If you spot other things in the meantime, make
a note of them to come back and fix later, but stay laser-focused on the task at hand.
Here are a few things you might want to keep an eye out for:

 Show, don’t tell. Sometimes, you just need to state something matter-of-factly in
your novel, that’s fine. But, as much as you can, try to illustrate a point instead of
just stating it. Keep in mind the words of Anton Chekhov: “Don’t tell me the moon is
shining. Show me the glint of light on broken glass." Learn more here.
 “Said” is your friend. When it comes to dialogue, there can be the temptation to
spice things up a bit by using tags like “exclaimed,” “asserted,” or “remarked.” And
while there might be a time and place for these, 90% of the time “said” is the best tag
to use because anything else can feel distracting or forced. Learn more here.
 Stay away from purple prose. Purple prose is overly embellished language that
doesn’t add much to the story. It convolutes the intended message and can be a real
turn-off for readers. Learn more here.

To become a bonafide self-editing expert, check out our repertoire of free online
courses — all about editing, written by professional editors.

14. Work with beta readers

 A beta reader is someone who reads a manuscript before it’s published, with the sole
purpose of giving the author feedback from a reader’s point of view. Typically, a beta
reader is a friend, family member, or perhaps someone you met through the writing
community.

Working with readers is important, because during the writing process authors can
often become blind to certain issues like plot holes, lack of continuity, exposition
dumps, etc. Beta readers can help you iron these things out before you publish your
novel — and you get the exact same feedback, only in a negative user review on
Amazon which everyone can see.

For more information on where to find beta readers and tips for getting the most out of
working with them, head here. And if you're curious about sensitivity readers and
what they do, go here.

15. Hire a professional editor

One of the most important parts of getting a novel ready for publication is to: hire an
editor. It might not be the cheapest investment, but when you think of the many hours
you’ve spent getting your novel to this point, the cost of getting an expert to fine-tune
and polish your story is likely worth it.

Here are a few types of editors you might want to consider working with:

 Developmental Editor. If you’re planning to hire multiple editors once you finish
your manuscript, it’s best to start with a developmental one. They will provide a
holistic and in-depth review of your novel, giving you feedback on everything from
problematic characterization to sentence structure.
 Copyediting. A copyeditor has a more zero’d-in approach than developmental editor.
They will make sure that the “copy” — the actual language used in your novel — is
 perfect, keeping an eye out for things like bad grammar, repetition of certain words, or
spelling mistakes.
 Proofreading. Typically the last stage of editing, proofing provides your manuscript
with a final polish, making sure it puts its best foot forward when it hits the presses. A
proofreader will ensure that every word in your novel is spelt correctly and that every
sentence is grammatically correct, clearly marking any errors they find.

Learn more about what each type of editing consists of here.

Now, how about that price tag we mentioned? Well, the cost of professional editing
will depend on a number of variables: the type of editing you need, the specific editor
you hire, and your books length, to start.

But to give you a general idea, here are the potential costs of editing a 60,000-word
manuscript:

 Developmental Editing: $1,440

 Copy Editing: $1,020
 Proofreading: $600

Check out our post for more information on the costs of editing — and even try out
our pricing calculator by entering the word count for your novel and genre.

Step by step: tackle writing a novel in bite-sized pieces #amwriting

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And there you have it, 15 steps that will take you from “one day I’ll write a novel” to
“today I finished writing my first novel.” During the process, the perfect title for your
book may have come to you. If not, finding the perfect moniker for your story will
likely be a last — and important! — step. But don’t worry, we’re not going to leave
you hanging. Check out our book title generator and generate titles based on your
genre until you find the one.
What step of the process do you typically get stuck on? What advice might you
have for other writers currently struggling to get their novel going? Leave any
thoughts or questions in the comments below!