Novel Writing Tips - Feeling Overwhelmed?
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When starting work on a novel, writers often worry because they can't map it all out in their mind yet
They don't know everything that will happen, or how all of the parts will fit together. Even if they try to make an outline, they might feel overwhelmed by all of the possibilities. Tt can feel like staring at a bunch of mixed-up puzzle pieces, most of which don't even belong to the right puzzle!
It's important to know is that this is normal.
Novels are complicated! Normally, it is not possible to hold an entire novel's structure in your head all at the same time. Especially not before the novel has even been written.
But you don't have to. You can design the novel as you go.
You make one choice, and that leads naturally to the next choice. If you have a general idea of where you want to end up, that will help you make choices.
Sort of like if you were finding your way through wilderness toward the skyline of a distant city on the other side. You make your own path, but you're headed in a particular direction.
As you're making the path, it's important not to get overwhelmed by all of the small choices you're making along the way.
Don't stop to worry about making the best choice each time. Just make a choice that moves you forward.
You can always smooth out the path later, or go back and make a different one. But if you become paralyzed by uncertainty, you won't get anywhere.
Keep going.
As long as you keep moving, keep exploring, you'll eventually get *somewhere*. you might not be able to visualize exactly what your destination will look like, but that's what makes the discovery so exciting. It's called an adventure.
Novel Writing Tips - Next Steps
- Learn about plot structure.
- Learn how to write an outline.
- Join our free email group to get novel writing tips sent to your inbox.
- Browse more articles on how to write a novel.
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