Last week Mel Greenberg shared her amazing story including how she turned her post empty nest journaling into a best-selling novel.
Do you have a novel inside you dying to get out but you just don’t know where to start? Do you FINALLY have the time to put pen to paper but your fear is holding your back?
Maybe you’re afraid that your writing or your story just isn’t good enough. Well put those fears to one side because you CAN do it!
Charlie Carillo has been successfully writing for print and television for over forty years. He is a journalist, columnist, novelist, screenwriter and TV producer in fact a master with words|! His first book was published back in 1986 and he’s been turning out novels ever since, several of which have been optioned for the movies.
He also co-wrote a non-fiction book with TV anchor, Deborah Norville. Here he shares his tips to get you motivated.
You can do this!
Five Tips On Writing A Novel by Charlie Carillo
1) Do not write to a trend. By the time your book is finished, the trend will have passed, and what was the point of all that work? Your story is within you, not out there.
2) Don’t be afraid to write poorly. Sometimes you have to do that before you can write well, the way singers clear their throats before singing. You’re getting the bad words out of your system to make way for the good ones.
3) If you get stuck...write a different chapter. A novel does not have to be written in sequence. Your mind is a meteor shower of thoughts going in crazy directions, and part of the challenge of a novel is taming those thoughts into a linear story. But first, get those ideas down on paper, before they get away.
4) Which reminds me...get yourself a good supply of notebooks and pens, I always write the first draft in longhand. And I’m not alone. Sylvester Stallone does it this way too! It might slow you down, but that’s a good thing. This is a marathon, not a sprint. If you know where you’re going, write an outline of your book, chapter by chapter. If you can see a finish line, you’ll be inspired to keep going. And finally...
5) Finish the damn thing, even if you hate it. Type out the words “The End,” take a walk, have a cup of coffee and come back to it. Maybe it’s not perfect, but at least the first draft is done. Now you can fix it. You’ve heard it a million times, but it’s true. Writing is re-writing.
A Few Words From Sylvester Stallone
Image courtesy of @officialslystallone
I have directed, produced , acted , but by FAR there is nothing as difficult as writing ... Looking at a blank piece of paper and knowing you have to fill it with words that matter is a daunting Challenge,so I salute all writers , because without your hard work and dedication there would no entertainment... every actor should try to write a screenplay one time. It’s great for the mind.
