Many people, at one point of time or another, have thought...

"Hey, maybe I could be an author!"

However, most people who think that also have a crumb of a clue of what that actually entails. Writing a novel is much more than just telling a story. Writing comes with many tough challenges along the way, but finishing the process, as well as hearing from fans of your writing, makes it a very rewarding experience. Now, learn what writing a book is really like straight from a teen published author!

First, time is a huge factor. Writing a novel will eat away your time just as much as playing a sport or playing an instrument does. Many believe that writing a book is something simple and easy, but the time it takes to write something is underestimated by everyone. It took around eight months for me to write my novel, which totals at seventy-five thousand words, which is an average length for many novels. I would write for at least an hour each day, with some days being far more than that with just a few days off here and there. My typing speed has certainly improved throughout the process, but at the start, you won’t be prepared for the amount of information you need to get out with the speed that you can type. Starting off, you will not move nearly as quickly with the process as you would have wanted. A huge part of writing is learning about the time commitment and accepting it as soon as possible. I wrote my second novel, which is about fifty thousand words, in approximately three months, showing the improvement of my writing time.

Another piece that people don’t always understand is how to plan out all of the components of writing a story. Most people just want to jump right into writing the first chapter, but planning out your novel is one of the most important parts that many do not partake in (note from editor - agreed). Planning does not just mean picking characters, but laying out every single chapter and creating motifs and themes that would be found in the story, as well as techniques on how to actually present those ideas. Stories are not just about a few characters participating in a simple plot, as without motifs, themes, and deeper meanings, stories would not be interesting. Planning those things out is crucial to the rest of the time writing the story that many do not believe is necessary, and quite unfortunately wrongly so.

Something else people skip over is filler. A novel cannot just be composed of the important pieces of the plot. Filler scenes can help build character, and even if they may not be the most interesting to write, they are some of the most important parts of the story. Creating a story with characters you do not care about isn’t interesting to read, so making the audience care about the characters is crucial to make people enjoy the story. Even if a scene is a filler and discusses things barely important to the plot, it can help tie the audience to the characters. Also, if you want, make the filler scenes have a deeper meaning. If a character is talking to another about a movie, instead of making it random, pick a movie that demonstrates central themes and ideas of the novel. Every single word and action for a character should be carefully picked, and yet having scenes to allow the characters to be themselves in ways not pushing the plot forward as much is still necessary for character development.

A final piece of insight I will provide is about connecting with the audience. Writing a novel that will draw the audience to the characters and story and keeping them invested is a challenging task. The simple way to do it is use real stories to fuel your fiction. Take real interactions with real people for certain scenes to help the audience connect, rather than using movies to create dialogues. Using your own stories will make the story interesting, as putting a piece of yourself into your writing will make it more human.

Those are just a few tips I can offer you about writing a novel from a teen author. I have left a lot out, and I focus on themes and motifs in another article in this paper. If you are interested in reading my writing, my novel The Kid Who’s Cursed is a teen drama and murder mystery releasing… (this will be changed whenever release date is confirmed so be patient; I’ll comment at some point), so check it out if you want!

Written by Michael I.
Edited by Hazel Antler.
Proofread by Daphne Clarke.