Writing a Novel - 3 Myths You Should Not Believe

by Suzanne Lieurance, the Working Writer's Coach

Many people dream of writing a novel one day.

In fact, most people dream of seeing their name on the cover of a best-selling book.

But when it comes to actually sitting down and writing a novel – from start to finish – most people fall short.

Yet it doesn’t have to be that way.

Here are 3 myths about writing a novel. If you believe one or more of these myths, your believe could be what’s holding you back from writing that novel you’ve always dreamed of writing.

It’s time to dispel these myths.

Myth #1 It Takes a Year or Longer to Write a Good Novel

If you think it’s going to take at least a year to write a novel, no wonder you keep giving up or never get started.

While it does take many authors a year or even longer to write their novels, this doesn’t have to be the case for you.

In fact, it’s not the case for thousands of published authors.

It's possible to write a great novel in just a few short months – if you know how to do it.

This leads to the next myth.

Myth #2 Planning a Novel Takes Away All the Fun of Writing It

Many wanna be novelists are under the mistaken impression that if they plan their novel in great detail, writing their novel won’t be any fun at all.

They think that if they know everything that will happen in their novel before they write it, there will be no surprises for them along the way.

It's understandable how writers who have never written a novel could believe this myth. But it simply isn’t true.

Planning a novel actually makes the writing process more enjoyable and leaves room for plenty of surprises for the author as he writes each chapter.

Adequate planning also helps the author stay on track with his writing and avoid writer’s block that can result if the author has no idea where the story is going.

Myth #3 It Takes Talent to Write a Good Novel

Talent is a wonderful thing.

But not all best-selling novelists have great talent.

What they do have is knowledge and skill.

They know and understand all the components of a good novel, and they have the skills to effectively include all these elements in their own novels.

So now that you know that:

1) writing a novel can take just a few months.
2) planning your novel will not take away all the fun of writing it.
3) you don't need talent to write a novel, you just need knowledge and skill.

Why not FINALLY write that novel you've been dreaming of writing?

Suzanne Lieurance is an author, freelance writer, certified professional life coach and writing coach, speaker and workshop presenter. She has written over two dozen published books and hundreds of articles for newspapers, magazines, and other publications. She can help you write a novel in just 16 weeks when you register for her Book Boot Camp for Novelists.