A novel is a big task for new writers and old. If you are fresh to the game, completing a publishable novel can be an intimidating goal to say the least; many authors can even become discouraged and give up entirely. Here are some tips on how to keep on track and beat the blank page.

Draft a storyboard 

Once you have an idea ready it can be difficult to proceed, especially when you’re only a few pages into your story. Filling out a storyboard means that you already have your important points on the page in front of you. It’s surprising how encouraging it can be just to look down at a page full of structured plot points! With your storyboard ready you already know the main events that link sections of your novel together and this makes it much easier to fill in the blanks inbetween.

Set mini goals 

Initially, your goal is to, well… write a novel. To some, this sounds pretty simple, until you’ve been writing for a few hours and you’ve only got half a chapter drafted. Whilst keeping your main goal in sight is a good motivator; it’s far off and it can be disheartening to feel like you’re getting no closer to achieving it day by day. If you come up with smaller goals that are easy to accomplish you’ll wind up feeling much more positive about your progress. Try setting yourself the task of re-drafting Chapter One, or completing two pages of writing that you can read through happily for the time being. Maybe having a goal of one thousand words per day, or per week depending on your schedule. Completing this smaller aims will make you feel far more proficient and keep pushing you to end.

Don’t be afraid to scrap! 

If you hit a block, don’t let it phase you. The most successful authors will readily tell you that they’ve thrown away hundreds of drafts of their bestseller before they hit the final version. Flexibility is key when you’re writing a novel and you can’t become too attached to the beginning of a book if it means that you cannot complete the end. For some, it can be heart breaking to toss out that paragraph that was so perfect just two days ago, but if it worked yesterday and not today it needs to be updated.

With these tips in mind, we wish you the very best of luck! Once your manuscript is completed, make sure to drop it by us at submissions@austinmacauley.com.