Novel Writing
This novel writing page, is the conclusion to 'How To Write A Book', and part of;
If you haven’t already done so, please read pages one and two first, by clicking the icon below.  Novel Writing StyleI’ve recently noticed in passing, that many of the websites out there offering novel writing info, are just too darn academic. And not being an academic myself I find them very hard to follow and also quite boring. For anything to stick with me it must be both interesting, and entertaining, or I find my mind wanders and I don’t absorb any of the information.
 Humblest apologies to all boring-site owners!I mention this, as it has everything to do with our novel writing style.Being creative and having the gift of imagination, far out-way the importance of punctuation and grammar. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not condoning total illiteracy. I’m just saying, get your pen on that paper and get down to writing a book. Academia and creativity simply don’t go hand in hand. In most cases anyway! In fact, many of our top authors freely admit to this and use the services of a professional editor before submitting their manuscript to their agent or publisher. So, unless you’re planning on writing a book on astrophysics, don’t place too much emphasis on getting it just right. Making it entertaining is far more important. There are a million academics out there just waiting for the chance to edit for you.  I’m actually the world’s worst speller and my punctuation’s lousy. No sooner do I learn a rule or how to spell a word, I forget it again. I’m completely at the mercy of Microsoft Word’s spelling and grammar checker, which as we all know isn’t always perfect. But then I’ve got my brother in law Steve to back me up. He’s a Godsend when it comes to the final draft.  Choosing the right novel writing style for youOkay, maybe the green suit with the red tie is a little loud, but it serves to illustrate that every successful writer has their own unique style and that it follows on into most everything they ever write.So, what is writing style?Style is basically how we form sentences, how we use grammar, the choice of words we make to express what we’re saying, and how we string it all together to form the finished product.Like we discussed on page two, I originally quite fancied myself as a master of fantasy fiction, but after having had a go and failing miserably, discovered it just wasn’t for me. I think that our background and vocabulary ultimately dictate what we’re actually able to write about. Take John Grisham for example. His background is law and everything he writes falls within that genre. Take Steven King as another, he lives in Maine U.S.A. and nearly all his stories are based there. Everyone uses the knowledge they have as a base for what they write; it just makes life so much easier. How do we find which style suits us best?Finding our style comes hand and hand with finding our subject matter. Simply through trial and error. It’s just a case of getting your butt in that seat and starting to write.I mentioned earlier that several sites are offering bulletproof formulas for writing bestsellers in ten minutes. This is just not practical or realistic, and if you choose to believe it, it will only set you up for the long fall.  There are NO shortcuts!My recommendation would be simply this. Don’t set your sights too high. Don't start with novel writing, try a short story first. Think of something you’re passionate about then try writing about it. If it doesn’t work out, try something else. Don’t try to emulate your favorite authors. That’s where I went wrong. But by all means use them for ideas.I find it truly astonishing that we search for clues on how to write a book, when all we really need to do is read a few. All the answers are right there, right there in BLACK and WHITE. Experiment with descriptive and creative writingI love writing descriptively; you can really let go. But, descriptive writing in novel writing takes many forms.I originally thought I couldn’t do it because I’d chosen the wrong subjects to write about. For instance, I couldn’t describe a summer’s day to save my life, but when it comes to describing emotions or playing on words to make things amusing, I think I’ve got that off to a tee. During my journey of novel writing discovery, I’ve tried everything from, fantasy fiction and crime comedy, to lyric writing, poetry and kid's books. My most recent effort; being in the form of a comedy screenplay. But, because I persevered, I’ve now discovered my real passions. Writing kid's books and screenplays. My point. It’s taken me fifteen years to find my real passions, and only time will tell if I’m really any good. So, when you're next out there searching for tips on how to write a book, novel writing or how to write a child book, Just use your own thoughts and feelings and simply have a go, you've really nothing to lose. One final point in closing Anyone, given time to learn the rules of novel writing, could write the perfectly punctuated and grammatically correct piece. But, would anyone want to read it? If indeed you do decide to sit down and write, your time would be far better spent experimenting with different themes and genres. It takes time, effort and patience to produce anything worth reading, and anyone telling you anything different is simply a salesman trying to sell you their services! Thanks for reading and the very best of luck See ya!
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