Welcome to my page dedicated to anyone who's always wanted to write a novel, but didn't know where to start. I'll post a tip each day from my book YOUR PERSONAL FICTION-WRITING COACH: 365 Days of Motivation & Tips to Write a Great Book! and then, I want to hear from you:  Like the Personal Fiction-Writing Coach FB page and leave a comment to let me and your fellow writers know if the day's tip or writing exercise resonates with you and your project. Grab your writing pals and send them over, too!

Read this first.

So you want to be a writer? Or maybe you’re already a writer, but can’t seem to get that novel written? Or you’ve written a few books, but the thrill is gone. Is there a trick, you wonder, to writing a great book, or even finishing a so-so book? Why, yes—there are three tricks, actually, that veteran writers like me keep top secret (shhhh!):

  1. Get started already.
  2. Clunk through it.
  3. Find ways not to stop until you get to The End.

The list probably isn’t the romantic, idealistic answer you were hoping for, but I wrote this book with the idea of dispensing daily inspiration to get you to think about your story—and to write. Because I know from experience your motivation will give out before your imagination will. This book is structured to ease you through the life-cycle of creating a full-length novel, from broad stroke advice and self-evaluating questions, to more specific tips when you get to the planning and writing stages. I’ve also included pitfalls to avoid, lessons I’ve learned and techniques to help you manage your writing time.

If you like guarantees, writing isn’t for you. That said, if you write a novel and put it out into the universe, I guarantee you will:

  • Learn a lot about yourself along the way. (Are you funny? Mean? Truthful? Brave?)
  • Be fulfilled in a way only other writers can comprehend. (It’s intoxicating.)
  • Change the world some. (Something that wasn’t there before, suddenly will be.)

And that’s cool. Ready? Let’s do this. ~

This daily serial will run through December 31. Each day's writing tip or exercise will be posted for 24 hours, 4am Eastern to 4am Eastern. Set a reminder on your calendar, fridge, or phone so you don't miss a single day of advice to get your novel finished!  (For general writing advice and to find out how I sold my first book, check out my Writers Q&A page.)

77. Timeline

Give some serious thought to the time span your book will encompass. Shorter timelines = faster pacing. With that in mind, it’s probably best to accelerate your story timeline compared to how long the same situation would unfold in real life. For example, in real life, processing DNA from crime scenes takes weeks, even months. But if you adhere to a realistic timeline in your thriller, you’re going to reduce the thrill considerably. Ditto for romances—the typical real-life romance is drawn out as the people go through the stages of dating, engagement, then matrimony. But a contemporary romance novel needs to sparkle with excitement, so falling in lust/love quickly is paramount to the pacing and storytelling.

Double-check the timeline of your story in your synopsis. Make sure women aren’t pregnant for ten months, for example. And remember certain things can’t happen on certain days. In one of my books, the heroine checked her mailbox every day for an important letter/package, so I had to accommodate days when the mail doesn’t run.  ~

Q:  Do you see how manipulating the timeline of your story can change the pace?   Share with other writers on Facebook.

Check back tomorrow for the next tip from
YOUR PERSONAL FICTION-WRITING COACH:
365 Days of Motivation & Tips to Write a Great Book!
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