Some readers dreamed of becoming authors, but that dream waned after experiencing tedious work during the writing process.

When writing a novel, it is not only enough that you have the right tools – creativity and ideas. Writers also need perseverance in order to finish a novel. The lengthy writing process may wear off an author’s enthusiasm to finish a book if he does not have the right attitude and determination to finish work.

Researching and studying different books are only part of the preparations in writing a book. Through this, you will learn different techniques in pursuing your writing style and it equips you with more ideas for your plot.

Then there’s the plot – without it there is no story to tell. It is a structured plan that the author uses to narrate the character’s story. The writer should give the plot a serious thought because it will make or break his fiction work.

There are two kinds of plots – internal and external. Internal plots usually tell the main character’s goals, dreams or yearning for love and contentment. You usually see this in literary fiction. Following this kind of plot requires writing skill because it mainly focuses on the character’s personality. It will be a challenge for a writer to introduce the main character to the reader in a layered detail.

On the other hand, most contemporary fictions used external plots. These are tangible things – things that characters want to have. Fulfilling this launches the character to a journey and this is where the story begins.

After developing a plot, creating characters is also essential in the story. Providing the right name, career, mannerisms, and showing the way he thinks and the manner he talks – these are the traits of the characters that should be written in detail. If you have a bad plot, but the character’s personality is engaging, your book will still look good.

Through dialogue, the characters become realistic. You can easily show your character’s personality on how he expresses his thoughts and feelings.

With all these plans and tools, you are now ready to write your first draft. Focus on following the plot and concentrate on giving life to your characters. Grammar, the words used and the sentence structure should be of your least concern in this stage.

After writing the first draft, the next process is polishing the prose. This is the stage of editing and rewriting. This process is the finishing touch of your story where it gives the plot more appeal, enhancing the characters and making the novel appear fresh and unique – all because of your writing skill.

Reading is the first requirement on learning how to write. If you want to pursue a career in fiction writing, you have to start reading books because it will equip you with ideas. Reading will help you expand your vocabulary and improve your sentence structure.

Get your favorite books and study the plot, dialogues, descriptions and the characters in the story.
Always bring a notebook with you. In this way you can jot down all the things that you see, situations that you observe, interesting dialogues that you overheard and ideas that pop out of your mind. By taking down notes, you are learning to write little by little. 

To learn to write a fiction, you have to practice your mind to do image-processing. Many writers find it easier to write when they see in their minds what they are writing, as if they were watching a movie.

Determine the plot of your story. For example, if you plan to write a romance fiction, ask yourself if you will present an original situation or something that is happening everyday? The obstacles and/or separation, what causes them to separate, and how long will the lovers stay apart? In resolving the problems, make sure that there is no potential problems that will arise or the conflict should be resolved.

When determining a setting for your story, make sure that you have done your research so you can describe the place better and more accurately. Make it an aim that you will virtually transport your readers to the place of the story with your descriptions.

Create a realistic character, someone that readers can identify with. There are many ways to describe your characters. You can illustrate the human side of your character by showing his weaknesses, flaws, actions, and the manner he thinks and talks.

Your first draft is all about writing; write every idea on your mind. Do not stop polishing your prose, for finding the right word, or for grammar correction as you can do that when you are in rewriting and editing.

There are some writers who could not think what to write about, while there are others who have so many jumbled ideas which resulted to poor writing style. Thus, both need writing help.

Beginning writers should not stop reading. Through reading, you develop your ability on writing well. Read with an open mind. Do not confine yourself in one genre fiction. Each genre has different approach in writing.

Keep on writing. Do not mind if there is still no publishing company that would express interest in your work. Try to write different genres, poetry or even letters to people you know. The aim is never to stop writing.

Injecting new vocabulary in your work is good, but do not get the habit of using unfamiliar words. It will wear off your readers’ interest. Fiction, though not real, is a mirror of real life. Even in the choice of words, be realistic. Use common words.

Buy a good dictionary and thesaurus in order to gain more vocabulary words that are useful in creative writing.
Try to create original sentences. Study how to use metaphors, simile, irony and figurative language. These will help you improve your writing style.
 
Practice rephrasing and rewriting by using fewer words. Descriptions should be precise. Find the words in describing something. Make a research in order to find out the specific name of something. Do not settle for a sentence that gives vague description.

In expressing ideas, beginning writers should write simple sentences. Always ask yourself “What do I really want to say in this sentence?” Giving further information is good but do not overdo it, it unnecessarily delays the reader to understand the main point. Readers read for the story and not information.