5 tips for writing a novel

Writing a novel is hard work, but it’s not impossible. People do it all the time! Here are five ways you’ll make the process much easier on yourself.

1. Write something you want to write

Sounds obvious? Well, we’re all aware of what sells the most, and sometimes it’s tempting to jump onto that bandwagon. Don’t do it. Instead, write what inspires you the most. If you don’t love your book with the crazy passion of an obsessed dreamer, your readers won’t either.

2. Foster the perfect writing environment

By which I don’t just mean the place where you work, although that is important too, whether you like writing in a cave or a café (I’m definitely a caver). Find what works and stick to it as much as possible. Likewise, you’ll have different times you prefer to write, different materials, and different methods. There’s no right or wrong here: only what works.

3. Use the people around you

Writing is often solitary, but that doesn’t mean our work doesn’t rest at least partly on the efforts of others. Friends and family who understand what you’re going through make a huge difference, as do the other writers we may meet along the way. Mentorship can come from surprising places, so don’t be afraid to reach out for support, advice and validation, as needed.

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4. Persist and perspire

Simple calculations show that if you write a few words every day, you’ll have a novel before long. The trick is to keep going, because if you stop writing, obviously, the book will never be finished, and no one wants that. There will naturally be hurdles along the way, but if you work through them and don’t give up, you’re guaranteed to get there in the end.

5. Stay well

Be mindful, in this as in all things, to take care of yourself. Novel writing is necessarily a long and/or arduous process, both on the mind and the body, and you’re the only person who can do this. If you breakdown midway, it might not get done at all. So take breaks, do other things to stay healthy, and reward yourself for every achievement along the way.

And if champagne is your thing, make sure you have a bottle on ice for when you cross the finish line.

Sean Williams is an award-winning, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of forty-nine novels and over one hundred and twenty short stories for adults, young adults and children. As well as his original fiction, he has contributed to shared universes such as Star Wars and Doctor Who and collaborated with Garth Nix. His 2019 novel Impossible Music was shortlisted for the Ethel Turner Prize for Young People’s Literature and listed as a Notable Book by the Children’s Book Council of Australia. His latest novel is Her Perilous Mansion, a tale of two children trying to escape from a haunted house.

Sean Williams is a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at Flinders University. Find out more about Creative Writing at Flinders here.