STOP! Don’t write!

The best way to be a writer is to stop writing right away. Here’s why…

You will see all manner of advice over the internet on how to become a great writer. And one of the common themes is to just start writing.

And that’s all well and good.

But it doesn’t give you a crafted novel at the end of the process.

There are a few things you need to consider before you start tapping away at the keys on your laptop.

The laptop isn’t the first place to visit when writing a novel.

What makes a great novel?

The long and the short of it is that you will face a lot of competition for your finished novel if you want to get it published. Even self-publishing means that you have a massive number of other books that will be competing for the attention of the readership of the world.

You need to have a basic idea of the characters involved in the novel

You need a location for the story.

You need a basic plot idea.

So, take the time to think about these basics before you type a single word. This isn’t a set up of planning for weeks and weeks on end, but means you should take a day or two to sketch out an overall view of what the novel might feel like.

Take some time to plan — ideally where you can come back to it.

Stephen King says that you should imagine your characters and location and then just work with that to craft a novel. I agree totally — but only if you know your characters and location first.

Take your time and you will come up with a much better result…