Can You Write a Good Novel First Time? | How To Approach Your First Novel #Writing #firstbook

Is it possible to write a good novel first time? In this video I answer that question as well as asking a few more useful questions about novel writing.

I've written a handful of novels over a handful of years (as well as flash fiction and short stories) some that I'm proud of, some I'm not, but whatever the case, I learned something from every one of them.

Timestamps:

0:00 The key question, or is it questions?
0:35 How you can answer for yourself
2:40 How to approach your first novel
3:51 One important thing - mindset
6:35 A more useful question

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MY NOVELLA IN FLASH - GOLD FURY:

MY WEBSITE:

My history of writing:

- Shortlisted for Bridport Flash Fiction prize (2011)

- Longlisted for Bridport First Novel Award (2015)

- Shortlisted for Fiction Factory short story competition (2017)

- Longlisted for Fiction Factory short story competition (2019)

- Shortlisted for Bath Novella-in-Flash Competition (2020)

- Shortlisted for Bridport Flash Fiction prize (2020)

- Flash Fiction 'The Reach of the Light' published in Five South Journal (2021)

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Writing is my passion, and I love to support other writers and help them develop their writing along with me. I want to help you tell your best stories.

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MY FLASH FICTION COURSE:

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[hayleywestwood]

'You're not writing *any* book, you're writing *you're* book' - love that. And it's so true. There is so much that goes into a good book outside of a checklist, template or method of how to plot a story

[LtSprinkulz]

You certainly can write a good novel as your first. Altered Carbon is a testament to that.

[JoeyPaulOnline]

My first book was not good but I had a lot of fun writing it and working out how I worked as a writer, it was a learning curve for me!

[kevindisorda]

The hardest lesson I had to learn as a new author was that I write for personal enjoyment, growth and (no matter what anyone else says) for myself. For me, the writing journey is not about crafting elaborate plots and grandiose character arcs to get to the eventual goal of fame and fortune. That's no fun at all. Hell, that sounds more like work. And I don't need a second tedious job. 

My personal process is about exploring my own ideas and seeing where they lead me. More often than not, I end up in a story I never expected. Are they always good? Probably not. But I'm OK with that as long as I have fun getting to the end.

As a boy I wrote stories so I could be anyone, go anywhere and live in unimaginable worlds that span time and space. There are no limits and all boundaries fall away.

I hope this doesn't sound over the top. But here goes. Being an author, writer, and story-teller is like being a God. Yep. I went there. But in some small way that's true. Everything in story, everything that happens to characters and to their worlds, happens because we want them too. We will those worlds into existence and those characters live because we make it so. As a result, they get to breath and we get to hone our craft and much more.

By nature I'm a pantser.  I love the process of discovery writing. It is cathartic and fulfilling and reveals as much about me as a person and writer as it does about my characters, their settings or their stories. That's the much more part. I get to know myself better.

Great video by the way. It's nice to see someone willing to share their own journey of self-discovery. Keep it up.

I just wanted to add one more thing.

I watch a lot of YouTube/AuthorTube videos where the content creators critique and criticize the works of others with a keen analytical eye turned towards what went wrong and how to fix their rookie mistakes. You, on the other hand, seem to be the only one brave enough to do so with your own pieces. That speaks volumes about their unwillingness to shate their true abilities and even more about your transparency and credibility.

[oyuncanavar]

Yes, it's possible, but first you need to write some short stories and learn golden tips of writing and plot making. After that, you can write good novel. At least, my first novel is good and it happens because of hardworking :) Happy new year btw!

[kengause]

Write the novel you want to read. That is how I got through my first novel. Once you get through the first novel, writing the second and third novels becomes easier because you know you can do it. The problem is that once you succeed and finish your novel, trying to get it in front of readers is another challenge. Marketing is by far the hardest part of writing for me.

[ti]

THANK YOU for telling us to have fun. You highlighted my predicament perfectly in a way I haven't seen any writing-based YouTuber explain. I started when I was twelve, and it really took off when I was 14. I had an absolute blast and this lasted until I hit 15 (it was really bad but at least I was having fun and learning simultaneously, certainly writing more and more often than I have since), but between me overstressing on whether or not I'm doing it the "right way" and real life events getting in the way, I have barely been able to have fun and it's been really scaring me away from what used to be my favorite hobby. I'm gonna take this advice to heart and just type away today and see where it takes me. Thank you again!!

[johnparnham]

My first book had too much fluff at the beginning and was structurally unsound. But there's some good stuff in the second half
I could have chucked it into the pit of doom but I didn't want to and now I am taking advice from an editor to see what can be improved and what needs to be cut. Like you said; we don't know what we're doing in our first book and it's all a learning curve. I have written and published my second book and because of the connections that the two books have, I can't throw the firsy= book away, nor do I want to. You're right Kieran about the value of things you have written along the way/ they're not rubbish but stepping stones to real greatness.

[chriswilliams]

Thanks Kieran for the 'big picture' view on writing your first novel. And it was interesting meeting your alter ego next to your (his?) Guitars. "You must enjoy the process" it certainly makes it easier to slog it out if you do. Just a heads up, a great book about the creative process is Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. Cheers mate.

[laurabesley]

There were some really good points in this video and you are so encouraging, as always.

[matheussterque]

Thank you, Kieren! I've just started my first attempts at writing.

[curly]

You deserve more views, your content is really useful to me as I'm trying to recreate the old comics i made when i was younger into a rich fictional story with more logic and in depth worlds

[wormsnake]

Love your tips, advice and observation pal. Thank you.x

[opollitico]

What a good solid video, sound advice man!

[NicoleWilbur]

Ahhh! I love this! Focus on the FUN! Amazing video as always - so glad you’re back!! I’m thinking of making a video in response to this - it’s such a thought-provoking topic ! Thank you for this - also loving the Kieran alter ego 😂

[plamenxyzpenchev]

I stumbled upon your channel because of the Chuck Palahniuk video, and now this lesson in novel writing has given me a lot to think about. I once considered writing a novel, but dropped it. These breakdowns really make the methodology super approachable for such a monumental task, and you might have sparked my interest in writing again. Thank you, and man, I find your videos super insightful, keep doing this I love it!

[MeredithPhillipsWrites]

Happy New Year, Kieren! Glad to see you're settled in your new place 😊
When I started my first book, I didn't realize it, but I was trying to write it in the style and voice of other authors I loved. Looking back, that kind of imitation wasn't going to get me anywhere in the publishing world, but it did help me to finish the draft. I learned by imitating and slowly branching out into my own style.
Totally agree with you about just having fun with those first attempts at novel writing!
[I love alter ego Kieren, by the way 😂]

[mohakrokade]

@Kieren Westwood Firstly, Happy New Year 2022!! 😁🌈🎉Pls make a master class or a batch of videos dedicated to the "fiction writing stuff", it would be helpful for more writers like me...

[shenawilson]

I've watched a few of your videos about writing - I subscribed after the first one popped up - and you are a very generous person, which is rare and often overlooked. Sharing your experience takes time, and you do so with clear examples, a genuine tone, and no 'schamby pamby stuff'. Always interesting to hear your take on the various angles of the art. Thank you!

[opollitico]

And he’s back. So checking this out later on tomorrow. Happy New Year 🥳