1. play it close to the chest. don't tell your book idea to a group of strangers to get their opinion. they will give it to you, and there's a big chance they will kill it dead while trying to be helpful.

Instead: find a handful of people you can trust. 3 max.

uh oh. thread https://twitter.com/StephanieYeboah/status/1341435412431204356

2. this novel is for you. I know you might be hoping to see it face-out endcap at the front display of a busy bookstore, but put that away for now. This book is for you. it should be about what you love, what you think is cool, what gets you in the feels. fuel it with passion.

i say this because you will need your book to be heaped to the top with what you love and value and believe in, because your future career direction could spring from this book, and it's easier to keep a steady career direction if you begin where you want to be. changing is hard.

3. don't worry about doing it correctly or well or perfectly. this is your first book. you and your book are learning together. the best thing you can do is plunge into it joyfully and enthusiastically without concern for how you are doing it right, or wrong, or marketably.

4. The only thing your first book needs to be is FINISHED. everyone hits a point in the story where they're not sure what to do or where to go--more than once per book. this is a key skill you absolutely need to be a novelist--the ability to see it through to the end.

but here's a couple of tricks i use to help me when i'm stuck:

-what is the antag doing as a result of the protag's actions?
-what are all my major characters feeling right now, and what do they want?
-something simple, from @MaryRobinette - begin with a sensory cue and a goal.

5. you do not need to write every day. you can if you want to and you can do so without upsetting your life or overextending yourself. but fallow periods are vital to the process.

these things are all part of making a book:

daydreaming
brainstorming
reading
doodling
processing

6. a novel is a long work of fiction. it is a very BIG thing to hold in your head all at once. there are a thousand ways to handle the process of going from idea to manuscript words. there is no one true way. anyone who says so is selling you something.

explore your process.

7. once you're finished, now's a good time to start getting general craft advice. there are tons of resources. ask your writer friends who are ahead of you what resources they like, but remember: if they don't work for you, that's okay. take what you need and leave the rest.

8. now that you're done that, you now get to learn how to revise. this is a big job, and it is vital. books are so malleable. you can re-shape a book dramatically, and revision skill is so important i can't even tell you how important it is. this is where the book really happens.

9. this is where you bring in someone you trust to tell you what you aced and where you need work. get a friend who will hype you up and point out problems. this friend is so, so important. cherish them.

and get to work addressing what they pointed out.

10. learn how to say goodbye. you have finished a book. you have revised a book. you have done your best. there's a point where working and re-working the same book won't teach you any more.

you need to work on the next book. and it will be better than the first, so get to it.

11. get a lot of rest, feed your brain protein, excellent ideas, and beautiful words. drink a hydrating beverage. practice compassion for yourself. remember that it's a journey.

have an excellent 2021.
/thread