A NOVEL APPROACH
WRITING A BESTSELLER
by Paul Hollis ( TopShelf Columnist ) Twitter @ HollowManSeries | TheHollowManSeries . com
In this issue , we focus on just a few of the fundamentals that I believe every writer needs to rely on as they progress in their journey to becoming a bestselling author . I ’ ll take a leap of faith and say that the reason you ’ re reading this right now is because you want to become a bestselling author . Well , I believe you can do it . After all , if I managed to pull it off , you sure as hell can !
Let ’ s step back for a moment and start at the beginning . So many writers fall victim to selfdoubt , getting themselves trapped in an often relentless rut before they have even left the gate . So , for those of you reading this who have become caught in this rut , let ’ s talk about why you haven ’ t started writing your story yet . For most , it isn ’ t the fear of starting the book at all ; rather , it is the fear of criticism when the work is finished .
The first thing one must do is find the courage to write . No matter what , you just have to do it . Pick up the pen , or start typing at your keyboard , and never look back . Write that book you ’ ve been thinking about for years . I know , you have a thousand concerns –– countless “ what if ’ s .” What if my novel is poorly written ? What if no one likes it ? What if it doesn ’ t sell ? But , think about this : what if it does sell ? In fact , what if you become the next huge breakout New York Times bestseller ? The only –– and do I mean , the only –– question that matters , is “ what if I never start at all ?” If you never pick up that pen , never start tapping at that keyboard , you can forget about every other “ what if ” that has ever come between you and writing your book . How many people can say , “ You know what ? I have written and published a book !” Trust yourself . And trust your novel .
So , let ’ s discuss some key fundamentals –– foundations you will need as you write .
COLUMNS
First , prepare yourself to become a great writer . 1 . That means , first and foremost , you are a great reader . 2 . Know the genre you ’ ve selected for your novel and study it ( by reading it ).
3 . Understand that some level of talent is required . However , this is not some freakishly unique talent dispensed to the chosen few . No , I ’ m talking about the type of talent most reasonably intelligent and creative people already possess . Keep this Stephen King quote in mind ; " Talent is cheaper than table salt . What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work .” In the end , it ’ s going to be your commitment , dedication , and love of writing , which will set you apart from the millions who never start and never finish their bestselling novel .
4 . Find and nurture strong self-belief , courage , motivation , determination , and 2-inch thick rhino skin –– believe me , you ’ re going to need it .
5 . Have knowledge of your subject matter ( or , and this is key , you can learn it ).
6 . Become knowledgeable in the craft of writing . Merely learning the “ rules ” of novel writing isn ' t enough . Sure , knowing the rules is a must . However , you ultimately need to become proficient at your craft , just like every other successful novelist . You must know and understand the rules , and –– over time –– develop the sensibility for how to effectively break them . This is the key to mastering the craft of writing a bestselling novel . Where do you gain this knowledge ? From endlessly reading great books and relentlessly writing . The more you read , the more what you read translates into how you write . Then , practice , practice , practice !
7 . And finally , preparing yourself as a writer means that you understand how long it will take to write a novel . It depends on your style ( i . e ., fast and furious or slow and steady ), whether you ’ ll be able to write every day , how much description you will include , and whether your novel will be long and complicated like War and Peace , or short and easy like Love Story . A typical novel is between 80K and 100K words but can be as few as 40K or as much as 250K . If that scares you , look at it this way . Write a thousand words a day and your novel will be finished in 3 months . Second , understand the importance of your novel ’ s “ big idea .” 1 . A big idea , in itself , is remarkably simple –– one sentence to be exact . This is your elevator speech . It ’ s what your book is about . Let ’ s take The Hollow Man , for example . “ A U . S . Government field analyst , haunted by the ghost of a dead child , becomes obsessed with finding the terrorist , who columns
murdered her .” But , that one sentence contains the DNA of an entire novel . And that DNA comes to life through the details created when we question our big idea . Who is this little girl ? Why and how is she murdered ? Why does the analyst care about her ? What is her relationship to the terrorist ? Can the analyst stop the terrorist before he kills again ? And so on –– these are the smaller ideas that break the big idea into bite-sized pieces .
2 . And , just because you have found your big unbreakable idea does not mean it is set in concrete . You ’ ll need to accept that your novel idea , or ideas , can and probably will change as you write , at least a little . The next thing you need to do is find a writing routine that works for you . Whether it ’ s an hour every day or all day on Sunday or a thousand words at a time , schedule it , commit to it , and stick with it . The first rule of writing is to keep writing . Don ’ t get distracted , don ’ t give up , and don ’ t stop until your first draft is on paper . And don ’ t worry about how awful it is . All first drafts are so full of holes and suck so bad that the damn things are often barely holding themselves together . That ’ s why they ’ re called drafts .
The last foundation of writing we ’ ll talk about is Research . It ’ s an absolute must . And thanks to the internet , it is incredibly quick and easy to find the information you need . If your novel is nonfiction , then every last little insignificant detail must be as right as humanly possible . That requires a lot of research unless you were there , of course , for every minute of every scene in your book , and you have an excellent memory for details . On the other hand , it doesn ’ t matter much what you say in fiction , especially with Scifi or Romance genres . Under the best of circumstances , love is one crazy ride , difficult to grasp , like nothing else in our known universe , and mostly unbelievable at best . However , fun aside , even fiction has to make sense , within the context of each scene . It must be believable . For example , if your novel takes place in 1935 , don ’ t include a digital watch or diet soda or polyester clothes . My advice is : get comfortable with research , right from the very beginning . Research should be your conscience –– your constant companion –– as you write .
These core fundamentals should help any budding author form the foundation needed , from which they can build a meaningful writing career . Please join me next time when we start diving into ways to slog through and finally complete that first draft .
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