Write a novel

Ask your self these 5 questions:

1. What kind of novel am I writing?
• autobiography
• romance
• travel narative
• science fiction
• fantasy
• comedy
• screen writing
• how to guide
• something else...
2. Who am I writing for?

Picture in your mind the exact person that you are writing for. Describe their face and features, their hair and shape. How old are they? What sort of clothes do they wear? Why those clothes - old baggy clothes that hang off them? Or sharp look good suits?

• What does their appearance tell us about them?
• What motivates them? What do they do? Why?
• What are they frightened of?

What secret will they never tell anyone?

Once you've got a picture of the person you are writing for, then write to please them. Write to make them laugh, to make them sad, to cry, to chortle, to snigger, to think, to ponder, to wonder, to dream, to fear, to be bold, to be cautious.

Imagine your words can make their emotions. Write to evoke them!

3. Describe your book...

... do it in 10 words - yes, just 10 words - do it now. Write down a perfect description of your book - the whole story, the meaning (or the moral), the sensation.

Then cross out your description. Write it again. Cross it out. Write again (watch it evolve - see it germinate, what it spark ideas).

Cross it out and write it again.

Throw that piece of paper away, then write the perfect 10 word description (not 11 words - 10 - only 10 will do) on a single A4 sheet of white paper. Pin it up infront of you.

Come back the next day and look at it!

Now, write the perfect description of your book in 50 words - yes 50, not 39 - not 52 - but 50. (Go on, be hard on yourself - be courage - you do want to be a writer don't you?).

Do the same, pin it on the board, wall or back of the door. Don't look at it until the morning.

Then take them both down. Compare them. Then write the perfect description for you book.

4. Who's story is it anyway?

Decide who's story it is - you probably already know. Is it yours? Then write it as 'I ...'.

Is it his, or hers? Then get into their head, see the world through their eyes, experience their love, pain, glory, triumph, sadness, failure and hurt. Go on - put on their character. Describe their wardrobe, dress like them for the day - put on their clothes - how does it feel? Now, write from there!

5. Now re-read, and write.

   Write your story. Write 1 page every day. At the end of every day, take down your perfect description, and rewrite it. Put it up and leave it until tomorrow.

Need some help? Post a message to the 'write a book' discussion and help board - the first 50 messages are guaranteed a reply from JoJaffa (for better or worse!).
Write a book discussion and help board

Check out JoJaffa's guide to getting started on writing an e-book for fun and profit