Soooo... If I Were to Write a Novel, What're Some Tips?

[powerplantanimations]

So, I'm planning a webcomic and it turns out that like... since I've been working on this story since I was 16... I have an UNGODLY amount of material (23 now).

I'm working on a timeline already, and I thought it would be a neat exercise to make like some sort of book structured like the Bible.

All I know is this project is most likely going to be mandatory and you're going to see me updating it constantly.

What're some tips you guys can give before I go into the novel side of things?

[Freemints30]

It honestly depends on what your goals and plans for your novel. Which you should have an idea of even if it isnt concrete (which is a good thing cus stuff can change and your goals can change).

Like if you plan for a serial web novel best learn about the different platforms and the audiences on them. as well as being cautious cus alot of web novel sites are shady as hell and have loopholes to take advantage of you. So be careful

Also read, read alot, pay attention to the prose in other novels in you read. Study them even... kiss them XD. I personally don't think your grammar and spelling have to top notch. Cus I got dyslexia so its hard for me personally but I do think it would be best to invest in programs to assist like grammerly and prowriting aid to at least catch stuff you wouldn't normally catch

Self publishing and trad are their own beasts.

But overall know your goals, read a lot and study other novels in your genre a lot are the basics for begining in writing a novel

[vapidink]

Don't stress too much when you're working on your rough draft, just focus on getting the story written. A lot of people try to write things out perfectly the first time around and it just slows the process and can end up with you getting stuck. Mostly, have fun with it and write the story you want to write. Make sure to take breaks, and if you get stuck, do something else to refresh your mind.

[cherrystark]

Like @Freemints30 said - make a plan and stick to it.

Learn the basic expectations of the genre and platform you want to publish on. Are you writing for funsies or do you want to make money from it? Marketing a novel is much easier in a forum like this than convincing the average person on the street to read it. Not to mention every publishing option has its own audience tastes and quirks.

I won't give you tips on writing a story itself because I figure you know how to write at this point. The advice I will give is to learn your style and don't try to copy another artist. I learned this when I started writing romances. I tried to write them according to trope, so I could get sales. I was miserable. I couldn't get inspired to save my life. I was happier writing the story my way than trying to write like someone else. We don't need another Stan Lee, or Brandon Sanderson. We need you.

[powerplantanimations]

Yeh Snoop Dogg said the same. "Once you be you, who can be you BUT you?".

[Katzalcoatl]

Study grammar. Improve your vocabulary. Think of ways to describe things in different ways. Describe each thing you do in your mind. If you take a glass of water try to narrate it with as much detail as possible to get some practice done.
Learn the rules of writing to be able to break them in the correct way.

Most importantly don't treat novel writing like comic writting. They are completely different but strangely similar. The main difference being that images speak a thousand words (comics have said images).

You did say novel writting maybe you meant lore compilation book or something similar. Assuming you did mean novel tapas style take in mind to plan out each chapter to be 1k words long. Most of your story will be cut out so do plan when you should do your cliff hangers. Writing short chapters is hard in that sense. Sometimes the space ain't enough.

[powerplantanimations]

I guess you can say it is a lore compilation book since I am going to be writing it in a similar way to the Bible. Like there is going to be dialogue in it... but done in a "Paradise Lost In Simple English" way.

[Katzalcoatl]

In that case you don't need to practice narrating everything. Instead I would suggest reading some lore styled writing or books with similar writing style to the bible/or mainly the style you are looking for. Use them as a basis/example, but do practice a lot and ask for feedback until you manage to make it your own style.

The feedback is to know the weaknesses of the style and to be aware of them. Once you are aware of the weaknesses and strengths you can decide how to fully utilize said elements without making it "too much".

In my parricular writing style I still keep some elements not many liked since I loved them but I am aware how easily they can get disliked by others and why.

Writing is a tool to express ourselves. I like to think of my writing style like a hairdo. Even if you like it others might not. The best way to change people's mind is knowing how to combine that hairdo with other elements like your makeup and clothes to make it shine.
Same thing goes with a writing style combining it with certain elements can make it shine but to do that you need to know what people don't like and why.

[powerplantanimations]

That should be easy since I have that mindset with my comic.

Also funny reason why I'm going with this format is because I've been doing it for like... years now without me realizing it. A lot of my timelines were written similar to the Bible and I was like "Wait a minute...".

I DO want to incorporate images though. How should I go about that if I you don't mind me asking?

[Katzalcoatl]

There is no set way to go about it. Adding images draws attention but it also makes you depend on the artist to release certain work.

In my case, I haven't released my novel waiting on my artist to finish a few drawings I have planned. It is worth the wait but.... it can get frustating at times.

Some novelist who can draw release a drawing with each chapter. I can't say I am fond of it since I prefer quality over quantity.

My suggestion to releasing images is not overdoing it. Your artist is already busy with your comic. Sure you can hire another artist but you should still not overdo it. Add images when you need a scene to shine. It can be to introduce a character or just a scene you really want to see drawn.

Another important detail is to have your image ready before your chapter is released so you may want to have a good buffer of chapters planned so your artist can finish the image without worrying that it will not be on time.

In a novel it is important to keep a momentum with your story. Otherwise readers might move on and forget all about you. Thus why you can't really delay a chapter. If art isn't ready it is better to upload the chapter and later edit it to add the image. It is still better to avoid this situation.

Find your own pace in which adding images works for you but do try to be consistant in your method so your readers can expect such chapters ahead of time.

Like any tool images can be powerful but it can be a big miss when misused.

In my case, I found a good rythm to let my artist finish the drawing with plenty of time to spare without me having to worry about having a mental breakdown just for missing an image.

For my romance novel i usually go with fluffy scenes and badass moments but no real action per se. In my action novel I just go with what looks the most badass. The fighting scenes I make are too complicated to show in 1 image so I let the reader imagine it for the most part.

[powerplantanimations]

Oh yeh. I was going to talk to another artist friend since she added to the narrative years. Thanks for the advice tho! I'll keep it in mind.

[ArdiHel]

1. Read a lot. Read different genres, too. Read classics. It sounds pedantic but there is a lot to take from them for a reason. You'll grow to like them.
2. Move forward. Don't be stuck fixing the same chapter your whole life. Chances are in a year you won't like it. That cycle is neverending, so progress.
3. Always keep in mind your character motivations. You should be able to respond to why they are acting as they are at every moment and the response should be believable in the context of the story.