• By Winston Kuwada
• Published 02/29/2012
• Writing

Have you ever walked into a book store, and wondered what it would be like to be one of the authors prominently displayed on the shelves? Of course you have, or else you wouldn’t be here. Many people would love to write a novel. Well, many people would to have written a novel, without having gone through the process of writing one. This is true of any endeavor that takes a large amount of dedication and effort. However, since you’ve read this far, then you know that writing novel isn’t something you dash off in a weekend while watching TV. It takes hard work, and lots of time. Not only that, but you’ll need to sacrifice quite a bit in order eventually become successful. In this article, you’ll learn some tips that will help you do that. You have to think of writing a novel just like you would any other business. And since you are writing a novel at home, you’ve got to think of it like a home business. You wouldn’t sit around in your pajamas and try to create some kind of product that you hoped other people would buy? Most people wouldn’t. You’ve got to put some serious dedication and effort into this. Imagine that you’ve been given an advance, and if you don’t produce, then you are going to have to repay the advance.

One thing that can really he

lp is if you avoid distractions. These can be deadly, because you need all the focus you can get. Distractions include things like the TV, the telephone, or the Internet. If you have a family, either try to write when nobody else is home, or let them know how seriously you take your novel writing. You need absolute silence when you are writing. If you simply can’t avoid outside noise, then you can get some of those noise canceling headphones and listen to some classical music or something. Your workspace is very important. Try and create a space that you only use for novel writing, and nothing else. If you can, get a separate computer that you only use for writing and nothing else, not even surfing the Internet. Sure, the Internet is a useful tool when doing research, but it can only be a distraction when it’s time to write. Of course, you need a schedule. If you try to write only when you feel inspired, then you’ll never finish. Choose at least two or three hours every day, five or six days a week, and do nothing but write during that time. This will help more than anything when you get that dreaded “writers block.” Just keep on writing, no matter the quality, until the time is up. You can go back and fix it all later.

When you follow these tips, you’ll have a much better chance of being successful when writing your novel. Good luck.