Now Novel
Jordan Kantey is an editor, writer and writing workshop facilitator. He’s been helping authors develop their stories for ten years. He achieved his Honours in English Literature with distinction from the University of Cape Town. He has had poems published in several journals and an anthology. He blogs about writing craft and process at Now Novel and loves to help aspiring authors reach their goals.
How many words are in a novel, on average? It’s a question aspiring authors often ask. Book lengths vary widely. Every now and then a true doorstopper is published. Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84 (which runs to 928 pages) is one example. Vikram Seth’s A Suitable Boy (published in 1993) runs to a whopping 1349 pages, with a word count of 591, 552 words. At the other end of the spectrum, Ray Bradbury’s cult classic Fahrenheit 451 has a word count of only 46, 118.
Writing a book for the first time is an exciting but also challenging process. Worldbuilding, creating your characters and plotting scenes are fun processes of discovery, but first-time novel writers often encounter setbacks too. These challenges cause many unprepared writers to give up on their novels, but you can overcome them with the right mindset and methods:
We’ve been looking through our most-shared and most-viewed articles to find out what your best book writing blog posts of 2015 were. Here are our top ten, according to what resonated with you most:
The start of a new year is a great time to set goals and start writing in earnest. Try making resolutions, such as these seven:
Writing habits of successful authors are often highly regimented and extremely consistent. In order to succeed as a writer, it is necessary to develop a motivating writing routine, and here’s how:
Why is structuring a novel crucial? It puts in place the footholds you need to reach the finish. There are so many different ways of approaching structure … Read More
Dialogue can serve a number of purposes in fiction including developing character, building suspense and advancing plot. If written well, it engages readers and increase their identification with characters. Here are 7 rules for writing dialogue:
Writing a book is a wonderful process of discovery and revelation, but it is also daunting, especially if you’re attempting the process for the first time. Here are 7 steps to start drafting a book:
This week we’ve put together an A to Z of our favorite authors’ helpful writing quotes, categorized by subject from ‘anti-hero’ to ‘YA’. Use the links below to jump to your favorite section. Share on social media and let us know in the comments section which are your favorites:
