No matter if you’ve just started writing your novel or muddling though the middle of it, the thought of finally typing “The End” might very well feel like some far-off fantasy that’ll never materialize. The good news is that if you start to treat your writing just as you would your exercise routine, you may cross that proverbial finish line a lot sooner than you think.
Equip Yourself with the “Right Tools”
Whether you’re participating in a writer’s group, taking classes, or lone-wolfing it, make sure to equip yourself with the right tools. Like a marathon runner who properly trains for an upcoming race, you can save yourself a lot of time and “injury” by also utilizing the proper techniques.
First-time novelists, especially, can save a substantial amount of revision time if they prepare themselves long before their manuscripts are finished. For example, it’s considered cliché for an opening scene to start with the protagonist having just woken up. If a new writer isn’t aware of this, she won’t know that no matter how well-written her manuscript is, potential agents may not read past page one if it starts with a character rolling over to the morning buzz of an alarm clock.
To avoid this and other mistakes, attend as many writing classes and conferences you can—and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Also, stock your shelves with books about writing. And don’t just passively read these publications: study and highlight them with your specific novel in mind. Books I highly recommend include 179 Ways to Save a Novel by Peter Selgin, Fiction Writer’s Workshop by Jossip Novakovich, The Mind of Your Story by Lisa Lenard-Cook, The Portable MFA in Creative Writing by New York Writers Workshop, and Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass. Researching writing classes and books that specifically fit your genre will also help you stay on the right path.
Mindset a Daily Word Count
Just like daily exercise is beneficial for your body, daily writing is conducive to your creativity. And like exercise, writing is oftentimes the last thing you feel like doing. Yet, the more often you engage in your writing practice, the more skilled and even faster you’ll eventually become. So make sure to work on your manuscript at least six, if not seven days a week.
Similar to setting a 30-minute daily exercise goal, decide on a daily word count, and diligently work toward that target. From my own experience, I aimed toward a 1,000 words a day or more —and I did not quit until I had them down on paper—no matter how burned-out I became. Sure, I had more revising to do the next day, but after adhering to this word count, I found that I was able to reach the end of my novel a lot sooner than I had in earlier drafts.
Make Sure to Get Feedback
When people hire personal trainers, they not only get help with form, but are also coached on techniques that they may have thought they’d been doing right—but were not. In the same vein, make sure to get the proper feedback on your novel. Feedback may come from other writers, reader friends, class instructors, paid editors, or all the above. Just make sure that no matter what suggestions you receive during your writing process, you get a final set of “eyes” on your manuscript before you query any agents. Because writers are so close to their work, even the most experienced authors are often unable to see their own mistakes.
Motivating yourself to write, just like motivating yourself to exercise, can be challenging at best. Yet if you take the time to train, practice your craft daily, and listen to the right feedback, your manuscript may just become “fit” enough to withstand the scrutiny of potential agents and publishers!
Tracy Shawn lives and writes on the Central Coast of California. Her debut novel, “The Grace of Crows” (Amazon link: http://amzn.to/19mA6r1), is about what happens after a woman with debilitating anxiety reconnects with a childhood friend who has become homeless and living under a pier in Malibu. (Amazon Author Page Link:https://www.amazon.com/author/tracyshawn).
