Classic Novelists vs. Modern Novelists: What can we learn from the greats?
From Guest Blogger Amanda Johnson| Oscar Wilde, Charles Dickens, Charlotte Bronte were some of the greatest novelists of all times. We all admire stories they brought to life. These stories will never grow old.
Classic novelists made our lives brighter and gave us inspiration and lessons to learn from.
“The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde teaches us that the beauty is always fading, that’s just the way our life works, what important is who we are inside, not outside.
In “Christmas Carol” Charles Dickens convinces us that money cannot bring happiness, but family and friends can, that’s what is true in life and that’s what we need to appreciate.
Charlotte Bronte’s “Jane Eyre” shows us how great it is to be ourselves no matter what, be the person we want to be, to love and never stop believing.
Classic Novelists vs Modern Novelists
Did these amazing classic writers know they would become so famous? Probably not. But, what were the reasons they started writing in the first place? Was it their ambition? The desire for fame? Or just need for money? Most famous classical authors simply pursued their talent, they found their calling and followed their dreams.
Does the same apply to modern writers and novelists? Well, that’s an excellent question! And this is something we need to discuss further to find out all the tricks to becoming a successful novelist in the 21st century.
Becoming a Famous Novelist in the 21st Century
Times change. And nowadays the world of writing is not always about talent. We live in the world of modern technologies and constant self-education. Today if you want to become a novelist, the lack of natural writing talent wouldn’t stop you. Today you can learn how to write well by using Internet and technologies. The priorities of modern writers are not limited to just pursuing talent. What important is to become famous, make your novels popular, and of course, make them sellable!
Getting a status of a bestseller for your novel is probably the sweetest dream of every modern writer.
Advice for Novice Writers
Before actually starting to write your first or just expected-to- be-the- best novel, you need to use a few things to make sure you know what you are doing here. When you are done preparing, you will go to the next step – writing your greatest novel and making it sellable.
1. Follow four stages of writing a novel
You should follow four stages that will lead you to your complete novel. This is what a famous novelist Dan Brown recommends to every new writer. There is a specific structure of steps. Once you follow one step it will automatically lead you to the next one.
Stage one is gathering material which is still kind of raw. Before you actually go to writing, you need to get the idea of what you will be writing about, do some research and study the necessary materials that will make you knowledgeable in what you are going to tell the world in your novel.
Stage two is planning. You need to plan the names of chapters, approximate number of words, all the characters and mysteries described in your writing.
Stage three is draft writing. You start writing and just flow into the world you are about to create in your book.
Stage four is the revision process. After you finish writing the novel, you must revise it and make sure it’s all you imagined it would be. You can even give your novel to your friends, or even better to your fellow writers to tell you the truth and help you make it complete and ready to be published.
2. Find ideas and inspiration in your surrounding
We all heard that writers always need inspiration. New writers also need motivation, experience, and special direction of their novel ideas. Famous American novelist Jerry Gillies gives the most wonderful advice about it. He thinks that what influences a writer to grow is the power and potential of the company you keep. Meaning, if you want to grow as a writer you should have the right surrounding. All writers long for praise and encouragement, especially novice writers. Thus, in order to be better at what you do, Jerry advises having people in your surrounding who are more successful than you are at that point.
The perfect people for that would be famous writers, who, as Jerry claims, hang out in usual places for normal people and actually like to meet writers who aren’t yet famous. This way, communication goes perfectly nice and gives benefits to both sides.
3 Tips to Creating a Novel That Sells
So, what does it take modern writers to create a novel that without any doubt will sell to the public? The trick is just to analyze the modern market of famous novelists and learn from their success and even their failures. Consider the following tips:
1.Create an exciting story in your novel
Having a story in the novel that people will definitely dig is the key to success. Just think what stories people like to hear? Usually they are about great love that conquers all, or unrequited love. Other types of stories can include the world of fantasy, like vampire saga “The Twilight Saga” by Stephanie Meyer, or wizard and magic stories like “Harry Potter” by Joanne Rowling. Don’t be afraid to create an unusual or even a sad story in your novel. Create something people will want to read.
2. Have a story behind the book
If you want your novel to be sellable and popular, it’s not enough to only create a cool story in your novel. You should also have an exciting story behind the book. How did you create a story? Was this story from your personal experience? Did the story appear from your dreams or fears? Was your novel supposed to be devoted to your loved ones or to somebody from your past?
Did you know that Joanne Rowling came up with the most important ideas for “Harry Potter” when she was sitting in a usual coffee house in Edinburgh and writing? From the window she saw a cemetery called Greyfriars Kirkyard and a George Heriot’s School Tower right behind the cemetery that became the silhouette of Hogwarts in her famous books. Also names of some of the characters in the book were taken from the tombstones in that cemetery. Can you imagine that? Exciting, isn’t it? Reveal the story behind your novel to your devoted readers and your novel will sell so much faster.
3. Promote your novel online
Today’s world is based on Internet, online presence, and online business. Modern writing is a part of that online business world. Offline marketing of your novel these days won’t make your masterpiece sellable, but online promotion will.
Learn how to promote your novel online, think of what your online audience needs and go for it. Study book promotion online, or hire experienced PR managers and publishers. And you’ll definitely reach success in the modern literary world.
Are You Ready to Create a Bestseller?
Yes, now you are ready. Use all the tips you found in this article and make your dream of becoming a famous novelist and creating a novel that sells to the public come true! Don’t forget to do your research, communicate with successful colleague writers, use modern technologies, and create a story in your novel that will excite your readers. You are good to go now!
Good luck!
About the Author
Amanda Johnson spent years studying English literature. Now she's freelance writer at Wiz Essay. Her biggest passion in life is traveling. Amanda visited over 20 countries and she isn't planning to stop.