Looking to put all your ideas into a book and tell a great story worth sharing? Here are the best tips you’ll need to become a fiction writer and how to get your first novel ready for publishing.
Telling fascinating stories to one another is in our nature, whether it’s through books, conversations, or even social media clips, there’s nothing more engaging than investing in some form of narrative.
Now that we have the capability of quickly sharing our ideas with the world, with the likes of online publishing, here are some of the best ways for you to improve your fiction novel writing with these simple guidelines.
How to improve my fiction writing?
Read books in your favorite genre
Writers can fall into the trap of avoiding reading books for fear of being similar to others in the genre. But, it is argued that you will still run that risk, just without being aware of doing so. Learning from other books in the same genre can be as much about knowing what not to do, as what works for other writers.
Picking up on the best style and techniques used for unique moments like action scenes, conveying tension or even just descriptive writing is always a good idea. It can be extremely helpful to see how other great writers approach tackling these challenges in their narratives.
Whether you do it to be inspired, to learn strong techniques, or simply to avoid similarities between your novel and others, reading books in the genre you’re interested in is a great first step when planning on crafting your own fiction narrative.
Write every single day!
Even if you only spend 5 or 10 minutes a day, sit down each day and get some narrative or descriptive writing done. It will build up the habit and get you used to the creative process. Before long, articulating your thoughts and ideas into words will become second nature and your writing will improve each day.
Writing every day also helps to overcome issues like writer’s block and lack of momentum. It will also be easier to stay motivated and productive. By writing every day, writers can experiment with different techniques, and find a unique style that matches them.
Additionally, writing regularly allows writers to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and work on improving areas that need more attention. Using this time to hone your craft will give you all the tools to churn out a novel worth recognition.
Create unique complex characters
One mantra many writers subscribe to is the idea of having a “simple story, but complex characters.” This should be treated as a loose guideline but holistically, many of the greatest stories, even in modern media like The Last of Us, use this clever narrative approach.
Developing complex characters requires careful consideration of their backstory, personality traits, values, and relationships with other characters. It involves going beyond traditional archetypes to create characters that are truly believable and relatable to an audience.
Having characters who are driven by unique motivations and inner conflicts can create a real sense of authenticity and depth in your plot. Through the process of crafting complex characters, writers can learn to convey the nuances of human behavior and can get a deep understanding of the human psyche. This will only benefit you in coming up with intriguing personalities for your next story.
Revise your writing multiple times
Revising your writing multiple times is an essential part of the writing process for fiction writers. It involves re-reading and refining your work multiple times to improve its structure, plot, characters, dialogue, pacing, and other elements.
Editing your work can help to refine your ideas, fix any mistakes or inconsistencies, and make your story more compelling and engaging for readers. It allows you to identify weaknesses in your writing and make the necessary adjustments to improve it.
Nowadays, there are many unique writing tools you can use to supplement your work. The goal in this should be to improve the quality of your writing, refine your narrative structure and make it more engaging and emotionally impactful for readers. Improving sentence structure and removing unnecessary words also helps to better your story.
Don’t let rejection stop you
If you set out on becoming a writer and reach a stage where you have a full draft of a novel. You will already have more experience in fiction writing than most who attempt the pursuit. You would be surprised how an extra or some plot point tweaks could be all that’s needed to get you over the hump.
Once you reach a level where you are truly confident in the writing, and the characters and feel you have an intriguing plot, it should only be a matter of time before you get published. Until then, keep trying and revise your work. Sending your book to others for feedback on what to improve could boost your odds as well.
The same goes if are self-publishing. While there is less of a barrier to releasing your book to the masses, convincing consumers of your book is much more difficult. You could face a ton of rejection in the form of sales in the early days. But, if you feel your book is polished and intriguing, you have to keep up your efforts after launch.