Make this week the week you… write a novel
- Write about what you love instead of being swayed by trendy genres
- Get the help of a course such as Penguin Random House’s Writers’ Academy
- Try using an app to collate a storyboard and to organise your research
WRITE WHAT YOU WANT
Don’t be swayed by trendy genres or what other people might think. Novelists agree you should write about what you love.
COMPOSE A BLURB
Write a summary of your tale as though it were on the back of a book cover. It will help you identify key elements of your story.
Mandy Francis suggests taking an Open University course for help on writing a novel (file image)
STUDY, STUDY, STUDY
Sites such as jerichowriters.com and writersdigest.com are helpful. Or think about taking an Open University course. Penguin Random House’s Writers’ Academy (thewritersacademy.co.uk) offers advice and courses.
THERE’S AN APP FOR IT
There are of web-based apps for budding novelists. Scrivener helps you collate a storyboard, organise your research, and write a first draft. Evernote allows you to capture all those spur-of-the-moment ideas.
JUST DO IT
Don’t wait! Sit down and write something — anything — daily. Silence your inner critic and let the words flow on to the page.
Advertisement