Ten Surefire Tips To Help You Write A Blockbuster:
If you like reading Suspense novels, then write Suspense novels. The same goes for Mysteries, Romances, Science Fiction… the lot. Never ever contemplate writing a novel you wouldn’t want to read yourself.
Enthusiasm is something you’re going to need pots of in order to get through the hard slog of writing a book. And you’re not writing just any old book, you are writing a bestseller, a blockbuster. And for that, you’re going to need all the enthusiasm you can muster – maybe more.
The best research an author can undertake is to read fiction, preferably the type of fiction you want to write. It’s important that you read only good fiction. I say this because whenever you read a book, a little bit of it enters your consciousness and transfers itself into the part of your brain that does the writing. The process is totally unconscious, but it happens. Better to absorb the good than the bad, I say.
Avoid comparing your work to anything that you read. One of two things will happen: either you will despair and wonder why you can’t write anything nearly as good, or else you’ll be amazed at how much better you are than the author in question. Both extremes are dangerous and probably wrong.
The only person not qualified to judge your writing is you: you’re far too close. And anyway, who’s to say what’s good or bad? I keep going on about Dan Brown’s appalling writing style (and it is bad), but the guy has sold millions more books than me. Who’s the schmuck?
It’s good to feel confident, but don’t let it run away with you.
The negative comparisons are the worst. Around half the would-be novelists I meet don’t actually finish their novel because of feelings of inadequacy. Does a bricklayer stop showing up for work because a guy who works on the next site is so much better at laying bricks than he is? No, he does not and neither should you.
If you are struck by feelings of inadequacy go and grab a Dan Brown novel. It’ll make you feel better in seconds.
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