Never try to guess how much longer it will take you to finish. You will be wrong.
You will become brutally aware of the phrases you overuse. Do yourself a favor and don't count them, because the number will horrify you.
Deleting a chapter and starting over is a lot less painful than you think it will be.
Don't edit when you're sleepy. You'll just make it worse.
Don't make characters too nice. As much as we all wish we could stay in control, characters who sometimes lose it and say reckless things are a lot more fun to read.
Don't give your first novel a downer ending, because you'll just end up having to completely rewrite it.
It's fun leaving in subtleties and allusions, but people who aren't you tend to miss them. So be sure you put in enough that readers catch some.
Novels are not movies. Don't write dialogue the way movie characters talk.
The awesome battle music from the Lord of the Rings soundtrack you were listening to when you wrote your battle scene will probably not be playing for the reader when they're reading it.
"It's fun leaving in subtleties and allusions, but people who aren't you tend to miss them. So be sure you put in enough that readers catch some."
ReplyDeleteOkay, I'll buy that. But I've learned that readers also find things that either you didn't intend or really aren't there--at least as you the author see things. But that's okay with me. Each reader brings different perception and experiences to the reading of a piece.
This is true; my wife, when proofreading, kept pointing out "awesome" things I did, and I'm like, "No, that's just a coincidence." So perhaps maybe the answer is simply to not worry about it. :)
DeleteWonderful list! I think I've "learned" almost every one of these.
ReplyDelete