How To Write A Successful Novel Today By Milly Johnson

Milly Johnson shares her tips for writing a successful novel!

Milly Johnson recently won  best romantic comedy novel award for her book ‘It’s raining men’. at the Romantic Novel Awards in London. Milly is a Sunday Times best selling author and has written eleven books which have all been published.

It’s raining men by Milly Johnson

Here Milly shares 5 things to do if you want to write a successful novel.

One 

Do not procrastinate.  People who say ‘I’m going to write a book one day,’ probably never will. Whilst the book is hidden inside them, it is a potential best seller.  When it is out on paper, it may be rejected and come to nothing.  You have to ride the fear and do it.  There is only one way to write a book and that is to put one word down in front of another 100,000 times.  There are no short cuts.

Two 

Always have time to read.  You absorb style and vocabulary and plot devices without even thinking about it and your writing will be richer for it.  Read for pleasure but also analytically.  If you come to a passage which particularly hits the spot, examine it to see what the writer has done.

Three

Edit, edit and edit again.  A first draft is never perfect.  You may think it is, but put it away in a drawer for a week and then return to it and you will see it with an editor’s critical fresh eye.  Do the same with your second draft – and your third.  Beware though, familiarity breeds contempt.  You will come to a point where you are sick of your manuscript and think it is the crappiest piece of writing on the planet.  All writer’s do.  Work through that.  It’s a perfectly normal part of the process.

Four

Keep a notebook and write down plots you think of, interesting words, ideas, how things smell, sound, look to you.  Research accurately and record.  The brain stores info but it distorts it so record FACTS.  Use a notebook to record facts about your characters too – their height and eye colour, build, quirks so you have consistency.  You will alienate readers if your characters have blue eyes in chapter one and they change to green in chapter three.  Sloppy research is not allowed.

Five

If you’d like to write a crime book because you think you should but aren’t enjoying writing it – that will show through every word.  Write a book you would enjoy reading yourself, not one you think you have to. Writing a novel should be a joy not a chore.Thanks for reading and thank you Milly again for writing.David Ridings