• By Winston Kuwada
• Published 01/4/2012
• Writing

Many people have a dream of writing a novel and becoming famous. Lots of people have some great ideas in their heads for stories and characters that will entertain many people, and will earn them a lot of money. However, many people don’t start off with much of a plan. Rather, they begin with a lot of enthusiasm and a vague dream of the future. If you want to write a best selling novel, then you’ve got to follow a plan. In this article, you’ll learn the basics of novel writing, so you can get going. First of all, you must think of it like a business. If you treat it like a hobby, you will only do it when you are inspired. Think about your job. Do you only get up and go to work when you feel like it? Of course not. You get up every day, and put in your eight hours. With writing, it’s got to be the same. You need a workspace, and some time every day dedicated to writing.

When you are working, (and you should think of it as working, not writing) you should have a minimum of distractions. No TV in the background. No kids running around. And avoid the cliche of writing your novel in Sta

rbucks. There’s just too much there to distract you. Also, try and avoid the Internet while you are writing. Of course, you will need the Internet to do your research. One thing that can really help is Google maps, or any equivalent mapping program. That way, if you are describing a certain area, you can find out the exact names of the streets and describe the area like you are really there. Wikipedia is also a good resource for researching pretty much anything you need to know. Networking is a great way to stay motivated. Joining writers groups that meet once in a while will be a great way to share stories, and find out how other people get over some of the hurdles involved in writing. You definitely need a schedule. Every day at the same time, for the same length of time, you need to write. Regardless if you have a cold or the flu, or if you are hung over. No matter what, drag yourself to your keyboard and write, every day. Rain or shine.

When you set your novel writing up as a business, you will have a much higher chance of succeeding. And that means people out there will have a much higher chance of reading your masterpiece. Now get going.