Before you ever begin writing, you should do your homework!
What do writers mean when they say they've "done their homework"? They mean they've taken a businesslike approach to their writing: read within the genre, learned what is selling, gotten to know their characters, carefully planned and plotted their novel, and done any and all necessary research for it:
- Decide what kind of a novel you'd like to write, then read extensively in that genre, be it mystery, romance, science fiction/fantasy, spy-thriller, suspense, techno-thriller, western, etc. Read both the good and the bad --- and learn to know the difference between them.
- Do the necessary research for your novel --- background material, place setting, history, etc. Your local library is a good place to start, and librarians can refer you to other sources, as well. Knowing Where to Look: The Ultimate Guide to Research, by Lois Horowitz, and The Writer's Resource Guide, edited by William Brohaugh (both published by Writer's Digest Books), and The Modern Researcher, by Barzun and Graff (published by HBJ), will also give you some other ideas about where to look. By all means, employ the Internet, too. However, do be aware that much of what has been uploaded to the Worldwide Web is either incomplete, somewhat incorrect, or just plain totally inaccurate. Do twice as much research as you think you are going to need, but plan on using only approximately a quarter of what you learn. Be thorough. It takes time to do proper research for a novel.
- Before you ever begin writing, get to know your characters, inside and out, and have a good working knowledge of your basic plot and any secondary plot(s) you may want to develop, as well. Do character sketches and an extensive plot outline, if necessary. The "film-strip" technique --- in which you "see" your story unfolding like a movie in your head --- is best left to writers who know how to use it and are experienced at doing so.
- Prepare your tools. You will want a decent computer with a good wordprocessing program, a laser or letter-quality printer, 20lb. white bond paper (some authors print rough drafts on colored paper, to distinguish them from the final copy of the manuscript), and red or blue pencils for corrections, line editing, and other revisions.
- Familiarize yourself with correct manuscript form (see Preparing Your Manuscript for Submission to Publishers). The Writer's Manual (published by ETC Publications) is extremely comprehensive.
- Learn, inside and out, the mechanics of writing: style, spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc. If you were a surgeon, you wouldn't operate with a hammer and a hacksaw on a patient, would you? Like a computer and printer, style, words, sentence structure, and punctuation are a writer's tools, and you should know them! Use a good spellchecker and a grammar program, if necessary.
- Sloppy manuscripts in incorrect form and ignorance of the mechanics of writing will not endear you to editors. Rather, they shout, "I don't care enough about my work to learn what I need to know about writing," to editors --- and editors who see such a manuscript won't care about your work, either! Webster's International Dictionary and The Chicago Manual of Style are the publishing industry's standards.
- Write your book. Keep in mind one question when putting pen to paper: Does each scene actively move your plot forward in some fashion, or does it reveal something significant and/or necessary about your characters, their relationships, or their motives? If a scene doesn't do any of those things, then it most likely doesn't belong in your novel.
- When you've finally finished your novel, put it away in a desk drawer for at least two weeks --- a month or more is even better.
- Now that your initial euphoria has passed, take your novel out --- and read it. Read it with a cold, hard, professional eye. Edit and revise it ruthlessly. Then rewrite it. Then rewrite your rewrite, if necessary. Keep on until you get it right. Writing a novel takes time. Writing a good novel takes even longer. It is usually only very experienced, highly prolific authors who can complete a good novel in a short amount of time.
- Learn all you can about the publishing industry and marketplace, so you will know to which publisher(s) and/or agent(s) to send your novel. Again, consult your library for books on this subject. Literary Marketplace and Writer's Market are excellent reference books on publishers, agents, and the market. The Book Market: How to Write, Publish and Market Your Book is very informative about the publishing industry, in general. Trade magazines and professional writers' organizations will also help keep you informed and up to date (see Ravenscroft Castle's Passages for lists of these).
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