Never give up hope

     Here is a post from my first guest; my twelve year old daughter:

     I still remember that day in September when my mother came home and declared something totally unexpected, “I’m going to write a novel!”

     For a week or two, it was our own little secret. Whenever she wrote any of it in her journal, she would come rushing to my side, to read it to me; and I gladly listened. It was fantastic, a talent I never knew my mother possessed. I was able to help her on her novels journey, meet the characters, and help critique my mother’s ideas. I also remember when about a month ago she was strongly considering giving up on her near finished excellent novel due to writer’s block and noisy children—myself not included—and I was able to help encourage her on her book, and today she is finishing up her second draft and is done with a ruff first draft on her second out of three in the series.  I would say that there are five things you should never forget while writing a novel:

     5. Never get cocky about your writing, don’t be over confident.

     4. Never try to out due yourself, if you do your writing will sound choppy, bad, and forced.

     3.  Your voice needs to shine the brightest, it’s fine to listen to other people’s ideas, but never forget that it’s your novel.

     2.  Tell someone, anyone, that you are writing a book, someone to be there with you, someone to encourage you.

     1. Never give up hope.                                                               

     I myself am a writer, so I understand if in the beginning your novel just doesn’t click—trust me, I know. However, don’t you want to finish what you started? You’ve already spent weeks, no, months invested in your book, do you really want to throw all that away? Of course not. Look at Stephenie Meyer for example, she was just your average woman, has three little boys and had never written a novel before, and one night she wakes up with this awesome idea, a few months later her book is on the top seller list; she is you or me. I’m not saying you’re novel is going to get published, but don’t you want to find out? Even if it doesn’t get published, don’t you want to finish it, even if the only people that truly get to enjoy it are your friends, family, and yourself? Never give up hope.