It’s quite easy writing a novel. Writing a good novel . . . now that’s a whole other thing that I’m still trying to learn.

But the more you practice, the more you learn. Hopefully that also means the better each story will become.

So ten easy steps to writing a novel. Where do you start?

NUMERO UNO

I’ve shared this before, but I’ll share it again.

Pick the idea that you’re dying to write.

If you’re under contract to write a ten-book series involving vampires and nuns, then you’re probably not even reading this blog. But you might be someone reading this who has quite a few ideas. How do you pick one?

Take the idea that you absolutely MUST write. Don’t say that you’re going to wait until next year or until you get better. No. I say take that idea and write it now.

But it’s too ambitious. Doesn’t matter.

It doesn’t fit into a box. Doesn’t matter.

It’s already been done to death and no publisher would ever want to read it? So what?

If you’re really wanting to know how to write a novel in ten easy steps, then it might mean that you’ve never completed one. And in order to complete it, you have to love the idea and love it more than ANY of those other ideas.

Take that idea and go with it. You have nothing to lose. If it doesn’t work, so be it.

But who knows? Perhaps it will work.

So pick your best idea. Got it? Okay.

Step one down.