10 Tips for Writing a Novel... from an Unpublished Author
Are you a young writer about to go on the adventure of writing your first novel and looking for super helpful advice from a professional author?
Well, too bad.
Because today, I’ve got for you a tips article that - from a professional standpoint - I have no business writing.
Here are my 10 tips for writing a novel... from an unpublished author.
No Character is the Same
Just like how no person speaks, looks, acts, or thinks the same exact way, neither do characters. Because your characters are people, too, right? Unless they're animals or objects or vampires, to which this tip still applies.
They’re called characteristics for a reason. Give each character a specific word only they would use or a certain color they would never wear. Letting each character speak the same way and wear the same clothes isn’t just boring, but it’s unrealistic.
Just don’t pile it all on at once. Be sure to let the details of your characters’ personalities trickle in throughout your story, rather than telling me every detail of their looks or wardrobe and backstory at once.
Dialogue Tags
"This is one I had to learn the hard way," she said.
For real, when I wrote my first draft, every. Single. Sentence. Had a dialogue tag. And it didn't matter if it was said, asked, whispered, or yelled, it was there. And sure, they added to the word count, but boy were they unnecessary.
What I’ve learned to do is use action instead. Putting some action between your dialogue will not only break the monotony of dialogue tags, but will add to the feeling behind what your characters are saying.
But of course, sometimes dialogue tags are necessary, and I always say when in doubt, just use said. Because I promise, no one exclaims and questions that much.
Balance Narrative and Dialogue
I was once told by one person that my story had too much narrative and told by another that it had too much dialogue. Well... which is it? It wasn't until an Instagram follower commented that it simply must have been a good balance that I realized it just had to be that.
But ever since receiving that criticism, I've made sure to really focus on balancing out my dialogue with my narrative. As someone who loves writing dialogue, I’m guilty of getting lost behind quotation mark after quotation mark, and something that’s helped me add to the narrative is digging deeper into the meanings behind my characters’ dialogue.
Let the character say it, but let the narrative say more.
Allude to Pop Culture
Instead of risking a whole lot of copyright issues, whenever my characters mention TV, film, or music, for the majority of the time, I don't mention it by name. I also don't make up fake bands or TV shows.
Instead, I'll allude to them, describing them in a way that true fans might just pick up on. Can you figure out these popular TV shows and bands alluded to in my story?
- Melody lay across her bed, her legs dangling off the side and her texting fingers on her phone while earbuds blasted songs about infinite love and New York City streets by her favorite Indie pop band of brothers. -
- Noah flipped through the channels until something caught his attention. It was a daytime soap opera where two, young guys — a gay couple — were kissing on the screen. He was sure he was the only person in Henderson watching this right now. -
- Noah and Ronan and the entire audience around them enjoyed the sweet, Irish love songs as the sun went down behind the big stage.
A band member introduced the next song and as they began to sing, Noah remembered a fun fact he’d learned.
He leaned over to whisper in Ronan’s ear. “I did some research, and it turns out that this song is actually about them wanting to go back home to Ireland.”
“Really?” Ronan said.
“I thought maybe you could relate a little,” Noah said.
Ronan thought for a moment while he continued listening to the band sing about the fields of green and skies of blue. “I definitely want to go back to Ireland someday, but only if you’re right by my side.” -
Adverbs
Personally, I truly believe it's perfectly, positively, absolutely fine to use adverbs.
See what I did there? But in all seriousness, while I wouldn’t use an adverb in every single sentence, sometimes they’re necessary, and are perfectly fine to use... see?
It’s about balance, in my opinion. Sometimes, an adverb will fit where no other word will, and it’s all about knowing when and when not to use it.
Reread, Rewrite, Reread, Rewrite
I’m sorry in advance because this is a daunting one. But the only way to perfect your writing and see your improvement is to reread, and then rewrite. I’ve done this several times with my novel and it gets better and better every time I do a rewrite. It’s another one I had to learn the hard way, that even when you think you’re done... you’re not.
Don't Be Afraid to Scrap the Whole Thing
I had probably half a WIP done once when I decided to scrap the entire thing.
I had to. It wasn't flowing, my characters weren't in-character and it was far too dramatic for my liking.
But after I took a step away and went back to it, I was able to write the story even better, not forgetting about its past issues, but learning from them.
Forget About Word Count
So many writers get caught up in their word count, pushing themselves to write a certain amount of words each day and trying to get to that 100,000-word novel.
Relax! The best decision I ever made as a writer was to forget about word count. I let myself write until the story is complete, and if it ends up being the preferred 60,000 word count of a novel, then yay! And if it falls short by 1,300 words like my novel, that's okay too!
Don’t let the numbers distract you from the words. In my experience, your story will let you know when it’s finished.
Travel to Your Setting (If Possible)
I got to do something some writers can only dream of doing: I traveled to my book’s setting.
Almost my entire story takes place in Ireland, yet for the majority of writing it, I’d never been. I simply wrote based on common knowledge and pictures online.
But the second I stepped foot on that Dublin pavement, it hit me that my characters live there, and I was able to take in the sights, sounds, scents, and tastes, unlike any other tourists. Because I wasn’t just experiencing it for myself, I was experiencing it for my characters.
So, if your story takes place somewhere that’s possible to travel to, I highly suggest doing it. It will change your writing forever.
Honorable Mention: Read Your Dialogue Out Loud
I've gotten plenty of strange looks from those around me when I'm in the middle of proofreading and start mouthing my dialogue, using facial expressions, and throwing around hand motions.
The only way to write the truest scenes is to act them out… fully. You’ll look absolutely ridiculous, but your writing will thank you for it.
Do Lots of Reading
The only way to become a better writer is to do plenty of reading. In fact, I discovered my talent for writing after doing some reading and deciding to give writing a try.
But it wasn’t some huge, award-winning novel that struck something in me. Nope, not even a short story or a newspaper article.
It was fanfiction.
See, when 14-year-old me discovered fanfiction, I probably did more reading than I have in my entire life, and it left me wanting to write something of my own. I had no idea that the very first little fanfic I wrote about American Idol contestants would lead me to one day writing my own novels.
Reading others’ writing will guide your own, inspiring the ideas and building the vocabulary, and showing you good dialogue and sentence structure. So, if you're struggling to begin your own story, read someone else’s, whether it's a 400-page book or a one-page fanfic about your favorite boy band.
So, which of my tips was your favorite? Any you already knew? Or maybe you have some tips of your own.
Because after all, what do I know? I'm still unpublished.