Nail Your Novel - Why Writers Abandon Books and how you can Draft, Fix and Finish with Confidence
Are you writing a novel? Do you want to make sure you finish? Will you get lost and fizzle out? Will you spend more time reading about how to write than actually getting the words down?
Most books on novel-writing will make you read hundreds of pages about character arcs, inciting incidents, heroes’ journeys. It’s great to know that – but while you’re reading about it you’re not writing your book.
And what these books don’t tell you is how to use this learning and get the job done.
Nail Your Novel is a writing buddy – and mentor - in a book.
In 10 easy steps it will tell you:
*how to shape your big idea and make a novel out of it
*how to do your research and how to use it
*how to organise your time.
*how to plot and build characters
*when you’re going to hit problems and what to do about them
*how to write on the days you don’t feel inspired
*how to reread what you’ve written and polish it.
Along the way, Thumbnail Notes give tutorials about storytelling and storycraft – strictly when you need them. The author has written nearly a dozen novels that have made it into print – and this is how she did it.
You don’t even need to read the whole book before you get started. You read a section, then do as it says. And, once you’re finally satisfied, Nail Your Novel will tell you how to sell it to publishers and agents.
You’ve dreamed of writing a novel. Don’t procrastinate with another theory book. Don’t launch in, get stuck and throw your hard work in a drawer. Nail your novel.
The Story Behind This Book
I've completed more than a dozen novels and I've helped other novelists find their way. I noticed time and time again that a lot of them were making the job of writing a lot harder for themselves than it needed to be - even experienced authors. For instance, many writers paint themselves into a corner because they are tackling the wrong problem at the wrong time. They get blocked because the critical parts of their brain are inhibiting their creativity. Or their overactive imagination is preventing them seeing a straightforward solution. Or they need to step back and see the whole structure instead of worrying about the detail. Over the years I've developed a method that that helps to make the whole writing process a lot more creative and fun. It draws on techniques from Hollywood scriptwriting, improvisational drama, sports psychology and project management - because experts in these fields have already solved some of the problems that novel-writers encounter. And not only will it help you finish the novel, it will help you write a book that is properly planned and polished - and more likely to succeed in today's market.