When my novel" Romance of the Frontier" was published many people asked me questions as to how I compiled a book of over 250 pages and what were the pitfalls if any.Many wanted to know what goes into writing a novel. Hopefully, I will try and give a peep into the mechanics of writing a novel and how to go about it.
Writing a novel is different from writing any other book like a textbook or even non-fiction. In the last category, the author needs hard facts and it is a question of marshaling those facts into a readable book. It could be a
biography or a book on any scientific topic. In contrast, a novel is a plain fantasy, except when writing a novel based on a historical incident. A novel is a test of a writer's imagination and its translation to the written word. It is also the ability to put across your ideas in a coherent form to readers.You will need a plot, a story to tell. It will be a good thing in case you have some personal experience on the topic you are writing. You will need a good command of the language you write because the publisher cannot publish a book if it does not have proper grammar and language. A point to be noted that writing novel can be pure inspiration and recreation of events that are enthralling to the reader.
I wrote " Romance of the Frontier" 3 times and the computer was a help. One must give credit to the great writers who wrote in longhand and no resources
like a word processor. But again you will have to create a story, a romance and write a book that appeals.You will need a publisher and that is both the difficult and the easy part.Easy because there are so many of them who want to publish a book and difficult because some are just out to make money and will charge you. You may not sell a single book and thus your investment will be down the drain. But whatever it may be, you will have to create a story and relate it in a coherent manner.My novel " Romance of the Frontier" has given me intense satisfaction and enhances standing in society. A writer is a respected man, more so if he is a creative man. Yes, one does require perseverance and a spark of genius. All of us have it some time and one can channel it to write a book. In case readers are interested this book is available on a dozen sites including Amazon.
I hope these few lines will motivate newbies to pen their thoughts and write a novel. After you write the first, the second will always be easy. My novel has now sold over 9000 copies and that is a source of great satisfaction.
