Hello, I'm Katie and I'm an Alcoho... whoops, sorry—wrong speech!
(clears throat)
How many of you find yourself being inspired to make your own novel after reading a really great book? Any one? Wow, I see a lot of hands.
Okay, so how many of you here have stopped writing after a few good chapters?
In that case, we need to get rid of WB.
Don't you just hate it when you come to that point? Believe me, you are not alone. We encounter writer's block all the time. It's that pesky big wall that blocks the door towards your imaginary world, your creative juices seem to stop flowing, and all of a sudden your body is just completely dehydrated. You seriously need the writing mojo back.
ASAP!
So what do you do?
My friend, I've been there. It's quite a sad place, to be honest. It's like you're locked up in a dark room without anything to do.
I remember when I first started my very first novel. It was my first attempt to write an urban fantasy novel about Angels. After reading countless YA novels about Angels, I knew I had to make one myself. So I sat down on the computer and started writing. The flow was doing good the first few chapters. I've earned a small fan base around that novel but after chapter 8 that's when I stopped.
Every time I would sit down in front of the computer, I couldn't make myself start another chapter. I waited months for the inspiration to come back, unfortunately it didn't. So I had no choice but to scrap it, hoping one day I'll have the mojo to continue writing it again. I just realized then I had hit the writer's block. But I found ways to keep myself interested by writing another story, this time the genre was Romance. I also realized what my first novel lacked.
Character development and a solid plot.
A lot of people kept asking me in the past, what do I do to get rid of writer's block? How do I come up with so many stories and not get bored with it? Well, it can be a bit tricky. I already have two completed romance novels and another ongoing one, so maybe it's time I share some helpful hints to wonderful budding authors out there.
First things first. Almost Every one can write a novel. People who write for fun (like me) and people who want to make a living out of it. The writing world can be a nasty place. There are people who will take you down and grind you to the pulp. These people are called critics. Relax, there are two kinds of critics. One who points out what is wrong with your story (eg. Typos, grammar errors) this is called constructive criticism. You must not take it to heart. They are only here to help you; therefore every positive criticism must be accepted wholeheartedly. They're there basically to mold you into a great writer. The other kind of critic, well... they are basically called the scums of the writing world. If you picture Wattpad for example, it's basically like New York City to me. My first writing home (and still is) was booksie.com, it's a small town to me. All these writing sites have these so called "critics" or trolls. They put you down as a writer. They leave negative comments that don't help you out at all. They're just there to tell you how awful your story is. I've had my share of negative reviews, more of the trolls, actually. Remember, you must NOT mind them. Just ignore and keep on doing what you love: writing.
These are all the basic things you need to know before diving into the writing world. It's a tough place. If you think you can handle it, then please proceed.
First, think of a story. There are countless ideas you can think of. Look around your room or when you go shopping at the mall. Find something that can give you that instant spark of inspiration. You could just look at a gold fish in a bowl and all of a sudden you find yourself writing a story about a girl working in a pet shop and meets a hot guy there. Believe me; anything can trigger your imagination. You just have to focus, you know. Or perhaps, you want to do a clichéd story. I write cliché's myself, BUT... It has to be interesting. Don't just make a story that is too obvious. Try to add in some of your own secret ingredients, add twists and turns to the story that way people will keep coming back for more.
Yes, make them hungry for more.
You want your story to be addictive, and later on people will tell you how your story is like a drug to them.
Pick out the best genre that you really like. Later on, you can dive into other genres. If your strong point is romance you can always explore other genres later on. You can always write out of your comfort zone when time permits.
My head swirls with endless ideas wherever I go. Sometimes it can be very tiring especially when I don't jot it down on paper, or else I'll go insane if I don't let it out. You'd find yourself wanting to unplug your brain for a few minutes just to rest.
Now, once you have your story idea, it's time to lay it all out. Like a story board, for example. Before I start out a novel, I release a story idea. That story idea is basically just an idea. It's just a skeleton at first. You need to create characters and list down their positions in the story. Give them descriptions that way when you write your story, you don't end up mixing up their features. Like for example, in the first chapter you mentioned the main female character has green eyes but in the fourth chapter she has blue eyes. You need to be specific at all times.
It's very important to have a solid plot for your story. You need a target, a place to go. You need a beginning, a middle and an ending. You need to develop complications in the story.
Now that you have the plot and you seriously know how to end it, then start outlining your chapters. I do this all the time. Each chapter holds scenes of what's about to happen next. See, I don't write in advance, I only write on a weekly basis or it depends on my mood. Only write when you feel inspired. Don't let people pressure you too much. Remember, when you write in an icky mood, chances are that it will scream "Boring". Although, you can't judge how every chapter is made. Sure, some can be very dragging but that's a part of writing a novel. Every chapter can't be peaches and cream all the time.
So yeah, it's all up to you whether you want to write on a weekly basis or you want to write the chapters in advance. Most people complete a novel before releasing it because they often get bored with it. Not in my case, it goes the opposite for me. I get bored while writing them all in advance. We are all different so we stick what's best for us.
Outlining your chapter is very helpful. It will prevent you from having writer's block. But I can't guarantee that you will be WB free. There will be moments when you write your next chapter you'll be stuck somewhere in the lines and you don't know what else to write. Dialogue is my big problem sometimes so I stop writing for a certain period of time and get back to it later.
Massive writer's block.
Sometimes, being online all the time takes a toll on you. Writing is supposed to be fun, not as a chore. Write for yourself and not for others. Once in a while I go for a walk around the neighborhood or at the beach, I go shopping, I read some romance books, watch romance movies. Taking a break from writing helps a lot. Before you know it, you'll be back in the writing route in no time.
Writing your very first novel is really special. Especially when you've completed it. Treat your stories as if they're your babies.
Always remember the key to writing: NEVER EVER GIVE UP.
