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5 Things You Need Before Starting Your First Novel

December 29, 2021 No Comments

Are you someone that has always thought, “I’d love to write a novel,” but had no idea where to start? When starting your first novel becomes less of a pipe dream and a more genuine ambition, refer to this list first…

Starting your first novel is a massive feat. That’s starting it; say nothing of finishing it! Over the course of my short life thus far, I’ve encountered a number of people who have told me they would love to write a book, but no idea where to start. And then there’s a select few that have begun, got to a certain point and given up. Or indeed, an even smaller number who have produced first drafts and then done nothing with them.

This post is addressed to those who need a bit of guidance before starting to get serious. Becoming a writer is not just an ambition; it’s something of a lifestyle choice too. So here are five things you will need, without question, before starting your first novel.

1. TIME

You think this would go without saying, really, but it beggars belief how many people expect that it takes no time at all to write a compelling story. Sure, you can chuck a load of words together in an hour and see what you come out with, but I’d consider you a prodigy if it was a fully cohesive, entertaining story with interesting plotlines and irresistible characters. Building all of those things takes time. The Berylford books took me eight and twelve years to finish, in total; that’s numerous drafts, re-drafts, editing sessions, planning sessions and more. With hours of social life sacrificed in the process.

My advice is, if you have a busy lifestyle, to reserve a regular period of your week — maybe an evening one weekday or something — in which you do nothing except work on the book. That way, it becomes a part of that lifestyle, as opposed to an intrusion on it.

2. A GOOD, ORIGINAL IDEA

I often despair at the number of aspiring and amateur authors who say they’re writing a fantasy novel. Simply because it’s such a saturated genre, it stuns me to think how they have come up with something new, that isn’t not-so-secretly “inspired” by Tolkien or George R. R. Martin.

To have a story worth publishing (assuming that’s what you want to do with it), it has to be of a decent quality, namely of considerable interest to an audience. And it should also be original, i.e. not done before or tweaked from something similar. Having inspirations and influences is fine, but the story should be your own. So, starting your first novel not only requires you to recognise what is considered a high-quality idea. You also need to have knowledge of the genre your story belongs in.

3. COMMITMENT

An offshoot from the first point in a way. Commitment is so important for any creative project, not just for writing. I have worked with enough non-committal people to know the annoyance when they start something, often very good, and don’t or won’t see it through to the end. I still harbour some bitterness about one or two projects that ran dry on account of the other half’s lack of commitment.

When you’re writing your first book, try to maintain the attitude that you are working on something big. An awesome achievement with potential rewards at the end of it. Because otherwise, I will say there’s probably no point in pursuing it in the first place, if you’re going to get so far and then just leave it.

4. RESEARCH SKILLS

Whether it’s a gripping thriller or a work of epic fantasy, you won’t get very far without research. To me, it becomes very clear very quickly when a writer has no idea what they’re writing about. And that indicates a lack of research. So having those research skills down — knowing what you need to find out and where to start looking — is of extreme importance. If you’ve read this point and thought, “I can’t be bothered with that,” or “Who has the time?” then maybe writing a book isn’t the right thing for you.

Research not only helps you construct your story and your characters, it also adds to your knowledge of literary style and form.

5. A UNIQUE VOICE

No one likes a copycat or a wannabe. As I said in an earlier point, it never hurts to have influences and inspirations, as in any line of business or creative ambition. But to make your work really worth reading, it has to come from you personally. And that means developing for yourself a unique writing voice. A lot of my readers have said to me that, when reading the Berylford books, they heard my voice as they read the words. That’s not only a massive compliment; that means that my writing voice, my vocabulary and style, successfully came out. And that’s what you want to aim to achieve when writing your first novel.

For more author news and views, my Facebook and Instagram pages are here. And drop a subscription to my YouTube channel to remain informed of the latest, plus some exclusives. Furthermore, my fortnightly podcast, The Dale Hurst Writing Show, is available to listen to here on Spotify.

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The Berylford Scandals (1. Lust & Liberty, 2. Sin & Secrecy) 📚
Podcaster | The Dale Hurst Writing Show🎙️

Dale Hurst | Author
I love creating characters. It's the greatest joy I love creating characters. It's the greatest joy of storytelling, I think. But to make sure they all don't end up as one-dimensional cardboard cutouts in the story, I create comprehensive profiles for all my principal players. Some of the things to include in such profiles are discussed in the latest post on my website (#linkinbio) ✍️✏️🖊️📝📖📚📘📙
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Another very popular episode and one of my persona Another very popular episode and one of my personal favourites, featuring filmmaker Jamie Webb of @jkw.media talking about true crime documentary and drama and the trials and creative processes behind both. Here's a snippet. You'll have to listen to the whole thing to hear the flipside 😉🔍🎥🩸📝🎙️
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Find it on Spotify, Google Podcasts and Amazon Music 🎙️
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One of my favourite characters to write. Love her One of my favourite characters to write. Love her or hate her, there's no denying Mrs Urmstone is devoted to Lady Vyrrington and won't hear a word said against her. This quote from Lust & Liberty pretty much sums that up 📖📘📚
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#amreadingmystery
#amwritingmystery #amreadinghistoricalfiction #theberylfordscandals #lustandliberty #summerreading #summerreads2023 #bookquotes #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #igbooks #histfic #historicalfiction
5 whole years ago, I published my debut novel, Lus 5 whole years ago, I published my debut novel, Lust & Liberty 😱🤯🎉 letting loose all the scandals in Berylford and the dramas of its people. 
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Everyone's support and responses to the story have been overwhelming and I'm continually grateful 🥰
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(If you haven't read it yet, add to your summer reading list and grab a copy on Amazon now 😘📚📖)
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📸 Patrick Cermak
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#summerreading #summerreads2023 #theberylfordscandals #lustandliberty #bookiversary #publication #anniversary #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #igbooks #readingcommunity #readingtime #regencyromance #amreadingmystery #amreadinghistoricalfiction
How can we as authors continue to think outside th How can we as authors continue to think outside the box with female characters in the sci-fi genre? Fellow Star Wars enthusiast, writer and cosplayer @aimocreative joined me on the podcast with some of her thoughts. Full episode on Spotify, Google Podcasts and Amazon Music as always 📚📖🎙️📝✍️
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Enjoy these covers while you can... They might be Enjoy these covers while you can... They might be changing soon... In light of the recent announcements from Amazon that they'll be hiking up their printing prices, we need to do some down-sizing. More news to come! Both books are still available from Amazon as always (#linkinbio) 📖📘📚📙 
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📸 @jkw.media 
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Spoilers ahead if you haven't read Lust & Liberty Spoilers ahead if you haven't read Lust & Liberty but are planning to.
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In this new blog post, I reveal the reason behind killing off a fan favourite... a decision that more than one reader has called for me to change 😆
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Link to the new post is in the comments ⬇️⬇️⬇️
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#theberylfordscandals #lustandliberty #writingwisdom #writingcommunity #authorsofinstagram #authornetwork #writersofinsta #amwritingmystery #amwritinghistoricalfiction #creativewriting #spoileralert🚨
This month, Lust & Liberty celebrates its 5th anni This month, Lust & Liberty celebrates its 5th anniversary 😱🤯🎉🎆 picking out some of my favourite excerpts, beginning with this from everyone's favourite anti-heroine, Lady Vyrrington 📝✍️🖊️📖📘
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