Have you considered writing a novel? You’re right! It takes time; however, it is possible to write a novel rather quickly. That is, if you can commit full-time to writing it.
Although I have no reason not to write full-time. I’m retired. However, most days I find that I only commit about four hours to actual writing. The rest of the time I spend marketing, advertising, and editing. I usually have three novels going at the same time. I can switch from one to the other. You know what they say, Variety is the spice of life. I usually write with another author. We just finished a novel that will be published soon. And we have agreed on the next one we will write together.
Usually, I write the first draft with a fountain pen. Yes, I’m old school. I like to outline–not an official outline. I write chapter titles first. Then I add specific points to the chapter titles. When I have all the necessary parts outlined, I begin writing.
One of the first things I do is format a file for my novel in Word. I use Word for Office because I learned computers with it, and I don’t want to waste time learning to change. The format I use is for Kindle. I offer my services to format your file or complete novel with the same format I use. I only charge a slight fee to provide the file format service. (See services on home site). Yes, it took me a long time to learn how to format my first novel. I kept good records so I wouldn’t have to waste time for my next novel. I can save you much time, tears and four-letter words as you attempt to format yours.
When I finish a chapter, I then type my first draft to my computer. I rewrite, edit and change paragraphs as I do the typing. I usually use Dropbox. That way I can type from my laptops when traveling or sitting in my easy chair in the den, or I can use my desktop in the office. You can setup a free account in Dropbox (go to dropbox.com to get your account). The free account should serve you well unless you have a staff who needs to have access to your work.
As I finish a chapter on Dropbox, I copy and past the material to the file I have formatted. With the formatted file, my works fits the pages exactly. When I have completely written the novel, I edit the novel about three or four times. Then I have a friend or two read the novel. They can suggest changes, show mistakes that need to be corrected, or be totally critical of any part(s) of the works. When I publish the novel, I want to have as few mistakes as possible. I find it difficult to have no mistakes in a finished product that I have written. As I read other people’s works, I find mistakes in their published novels, too; however, that is no justification for mistakes in mine.
Really, writing a novel isn’t all that hard. If you don’t want to take the time yourself, find someone who will ghostwrite yours. It’s an easy way to gain recognition as an author. You pay the ghostwriter up front, and you can keep all the royalties for yourself.
If I can help or answer questions for you, don’t hesitate to contact me. I’m always available and approachable. Look forward to your new novel. Love to read it!
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