Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Writing Tips For Crime Thriller Novels And More

By Leticia Jensen


When you have a lot of vague ideas in your mind for stories and other writing projects, it is exciting to see the finally start to develop into something cohesive. Suddenly, you have a book on your hands. Perhaps it is the first in a series of crime thriller novels, or an autobiographical account of your childhood. Maybe it's a books of poetry. Whatever the nature of your project, you will need some guidelines for staying on track and maintaining your motivation.

1. Discover your own writing process. Some people write best first thing in the morning, while others do their best work before going to bed. Some people need to outline the entire plot of a novel before starting to write, while other start with one scene or a couple of characters and just let it unfold. Figure out the techniques that help you thrive.

2. Find a mentor for your project. It is extremely helpful have the guidance of someone who has experience as a published writer, especially if they have written in the same genre in which you are working. You can benefit from your mentor's expertise and get his or her opinion on your writing.

3. Save everything. As you are working, there will be passages, or perhaps entire chapters, that you decide do not fit into your vision for the book. Rather than discarding them completely, simply set them aside. You may find, once you get further in, that they do have a place in the book. Also, the may fit into future projects.

4. Take time away from the project if you need it. There is nothing wrong with taking a break for a few days, or even several weeks. Sometimes, stepping away from a work in progress is the best things you can do. You may return to it with new insights and ideas.

5. Run your drafts past more than one person. You should definitely have your mentor look at your drafts, but you should have other people read them, too. It helps to get several different perspectives on the work, and to listen to the suggestions of various people. This will give you a better sense of how you can appeal to a wide audience.

6. Choose your publishing method and develop a marketing strategy. While some authors still go the traditional route of submitting samples and query letters to publishing companies, more and more people are taking advantage of self-publishing tools. These are available for both print and electronic formats. When you self-publish, you have to handle your own marketing and your own costs, but you also get to keep all of the profits.

Try to build on and draw from the momentum you establish at the beginning of your writing project. You may not maintain the same energy level throughout the whole thing, but you can use these strategies, such as talking with others or stepping away for a few days, to get your energy back. Keep at it until you have reached your goal of finishing.




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