You can write a novel

Kevin Mokento | Monday October 18, 2021 06:00

The biggest factor that accounts for this fear is lack of confidence. Dan Poynter, an American author, rightly observed, “If you wait for inspiration to write, you’re not a writer, you’re a waiter.” How can you let go of fear and reverse the inhibition that is tying your hands?

While at high school, I devoured the entire set of Pacesetter novels that were available at the library. As my palate for reading got more refined, my passion veered into the big-name arena, and I started reading explosive mind gripping and well-researched works of fiction, where massive bundles of intrigue and suspense were crafted into spine-tingling plots with a reasonable dose of verisimilitude. In the process of reading novels, the two questions that often bounced on my brain were, ‘how do writers of fiction create plausible content that could fit into a couple of hundreds of pages or even more?’ and ‘Can’t I do the same?’ Upon realisation that I had the potential to write, I decided to follow my passion, and this birthed a 345-paged novel.

I associate with Clark M. Zlotchew’s view, a distinguished professor of Latin-American Literature, “Fiction has been maligned for centuries as being “false,” “untrue,” yet good fiction provides more truth about the world, about life, and even about the reader, than can be found in non-fiction.” Prevalent in the world is the twerpish absurdity that readers of non-fiction, particularly biographies, autobiographies and motivational books, are the only ones endowed with a refined taste for great books. My view is that, like a sharp sword, fiction tends to cut into inconvenient truths that other genres can at best only skirt around.

A novel is not a burlesque rendition of life. In fact, brilliant works of fiction excel in enabling readers to identify with certain characters, and this compels them to learn from their experience, as opposed to learning from the school of hard knocks. Let me declare that I lay no claim to being a literary aficionado. But I do have a few arrows of advice in my quiver that I wish to share with aspiring authors.

One; do not underestimate your potential. My ability to write a novel indubitably proves the fallacy of the notion that writing is the preserve of the privileged few. Many people are pulsating with the potential to write but are none the wiser. All they need is a gentle nudge to motivate them to explore their talent and harness their creativity for their own good and for the benefit of the targeted readership.

Two; do not take short-cuts! Avid readers make brilliant authors. You cannot write a book if you are not enthused about reading. An American novelist named Annie Proulx shared this insightful observation, “Writing comes from reading, and reading is the finest teacher of how to write.” Make it a habit to read daily. Cut the time you spend on social media and devour wholesome written content; whatever genre tickles your fancy.

The zeal to read endows one with creativity, expansive vocabulary, great diction, and the rare but convincing ability of bringing alive emotions and environments close to the mind and heart of the reader. Apply yourself and without falling into the trap of overdoing it, elegantly craft a fraction of sentences into tweetable quotes, but resist the temptation to swamp your readers in an infinite pool of endless verbosity. Authors are not showboats. Mind the fact that in writing a book, you are not showing off your vocabulary, but painting a compelling word picture for appreciation by readers.

Three; avoid dabbling into outright amateurish pastiche. Enter the realm of writing with the panache of a seasoned writer. Readers would not normally care that it is your maiden novel. They would judge you by the same standards they use for experienced authors. Do not run the risk of childishly announcing to the reader that you are a novice. Do your research. Readers are not fools. Most of them are worldwise. They might be more knowledgeable on issues and would be quick to throw away an unrealistic novel, hence the cautionary note from an American author named Ernest Hemmingway, “It’s none of their business that you have to learn how to write. Let them think you were born that way.”

Four; a penchant for creativity is a must. Creatively weave plausible and insightful but chilling twists and turns that will grip your audience and mess around with their emotions. Without being too predictable, hold the reader like a yo-yo in your hand and adroitly toss them in any whichever direction you wish. Avoid the trap of lapsing into bouts of predictability. Predictability bores readers.

Five; festoon the content with raw emotions of happiness, suspense, shock, empathy and liberally etch disappointment and anger to your storyline. Lace your narration with an unforeseeable volatility of emotions that would make the novel somewhat ‘unputdownable.’ Do not be limited by your own experience, if need be, borrow from other people. Always remember that yours is an artistic work of imagination. More importantly, ask yourself, what lessons do I want the reader to take away from this novel and how can I craft them into the soul of the protagonists as well as major and minor antagonists?

Six; mind the pace of the narration. As the plot thickens, where necessary step on the accelerator pedal and tear the emotions of the reader by defying norms, but do not overdo it. Have the wisdom to know when to decelerate and romance your readers by charting a captivating witty course. Pepper your write-up with gut-wrenching unignorable cliffhangers that would impel the reader to keenly look forward to turning the page.

Seven; research on common mistakes made by first-time writers and avoid them. Take time to diligently review what you’ve written, careful to spot grammar mistakes. Readers have no patience with content that is riddled with awkward grammatical faux pas. You would not be able to spot all errors. Have the humility to engage a qualified proofreader and editor to sanitise and breathe grammatical hygiene into your book.

Eight; much as you would like to believe that when you write a novel, you’re occupying the seat of the master, nothing can be further from the truth. Authors are servants of readers. This calls upon writers of novels to be disciplined. To resist unnecessary long dialogues meant to cover more pages but doing nothing for the reader. Experienced readers are always quick to spot rumbling by authors.

Nine; get-up-and-go. If you would like to try your hand at writing, by all means, move from the lethargic stage of saying to yourself, ‘I wish I could write with such colour.’ That wish is as useful as an automobile without an engine. The one thing life has taught me is that wishing without working never gets the job done. No one will drag you from the zone of lack of confidence. Shatter that cocoon, step up to the plate and write your first novel.