Writing a novel, or any book, is quite a challenging task to jump on board with, but it is also one of the most rewarding challenges. During this process you will both lose yourself and find yourself and create a world that you didn’t even know existed, until you put that pen to paper, or finger to keyboard if we have to speak in more modern terms. To get you started, or perhaps motivated, the @steemiteditors team would like to share 5 basic tips with you, to help you through the starting point and into the swing of things.  

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Five Tips For First Time Novel Writers

1. Choose your genre. Do you want to write an adventure story or detective novel? Perhaps drama and romance are more your thing. Choose what type of story you want to tell, and then you will have an idea of who your main characters need to be.
2. Create your characters. Deciding upon the personalities and characteristics of your characters will give you a good indication on how your novel will play out, and what the ending will be, as well as how you will arrive at it. It’s true to say that when you write your characters, the come alive.
3. Write a shorter first draft. This might sound time consuming and like added work, but in the long run you might find that your short “essay” will make it easier for you to write a full novel, based on the short story you have written. So, in essence, you might save on time, if time is a concern. 
4. Edit at the end. Don’t worry about spelling and grammar errors, those can be fixed towards the end of the writing process. Or you can even send your work off to a professional editor. Simply start by letting your creativity flow and write as your mind “speaks”.
5. Ask for criticism. Don’t think your book is finished just yet. Send a few copies to close friends and family and ask them for honest feedback. Take their advice and criticism and if you tend to agree with their input, go back and tweak and change a few things. 

Above all else, stay motivated! Find something that inspires you and every time you feel dissuaded or crazy for challenging yourself to write a novel, turn to what it is that gets your blood running and eager to go back to the pages that are waiting for your words. Who knows, you might be the next best seller! HAPPY WRITING!