A Guide to Writing Your First Novel: A Comprehensive Roadmap to Jumpstart Your Writing Career

by A.J. Flowers

The journey of writing your first novel doesn’t need to be filled with frustration and mistakes. This guide does the legwork for you to give an overview of everything you need to know to get started by people who have been there. What should you consider before writing? How do you approach a first draft? How do you approach edits? What sells a book to agents? How can you make connections in the writing and publishing community? Should you self-publish? This guide answers all these questions and more with a comprehensive compilation from start to finish.

Also included are author interviews from both traditionally and self-published authors and a sample of winning Twitter Pitch Tweets to see what agents and publishers are looking for, and how you can grab their attention!

Genres: Nonfiction

152 pages, Paperback

Published April 9, 2016

About the author

A.J. Flowers is a fantasy author, book blogger, and automotive engineer in Detroit. She loves her writing, her work, and above all, her faith and family. When not writing or designing, you can find her saving the world from annihilation on her favorite video games side-by-side with her Dutch husband and princess Blue Russian kitty named Mina.

Reviews

[Reba Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5 stars

First off I'd like to say I've followed this author's blog for a long time and consider myself a fan. I was excited to hear she created this nonfiction compilation of her blogs, because I've learned a lot from them over time. It was so refreshing to re-read her blogs in e-book form because she organized and presented them in a logical order based on the subject matter and the process an amateur writer goes through from first inkling of wanting to write seriously all the way to the ins and outs of pursuing publication.

If you cannot afford to purchase this book, these are my absolutely favorite blogs of hers that are available for free on her website:

1.) https://ajflowers.wordpress.com/2016/...
2.) https://ajflowers.wordpress.com/2016/...
3.) https://ajflowers.wordpress.com/2016/...
4.) https://ajflowers.wordpress.com/2015/...
5.) https://ajflowers.wordpress.com/2016/...
6.) https://ajflowers.wordpress.com/2016/...

Overall, AJ Flowers' guide is an easy-to-digest overview of many topics relevant to a person's journey from amateur to serious writer. Similar guides tend to heavily focus on just one aspect of writing, authoring, or publishing, but the first 60% of this book gives equal weight to many topics, all of them interesting and important, IMHO. Having said that, I do think the last 40% of this book focuses on giving examples for successful Twitter pitches. While helpful for someone hoping to pursue traditional publishing (me), this info felt overweighted in comparison to the rest of the guide and is probably unnecessary info for anyone wanting to solely self-publish. Please don't let that criticism stop you from picking up this book, though, because I'd still recommend it.

One of the things I love about AJ Flowers is how well-read she is. I strive to throw myself into educational opportunities the way she has. In various places throughout this guide she recommended books or articles she has read, and I've decided to compile them into a list:

1.) Writing with Quiet Hands: How to Shape Your Writing to Resonate with Readers by Paula Munier <-- Mentioned multiple times and has been recommended to me by more than just AJ, so I'm definitely going to give this one a read
2.) The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Flaws & The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression by Angela Ackerman <-- Mentioned a few times and The Emotion Thesaurus has been recommended to me by more than just AJ, so I'm definitely going to buy that one when I have the money
3.) The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century by Steven Pinker <-- Mentioned a few times for improving prose
4.) Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself Into Print by Renni Browne & Dave King <-- Mentioned a few times for improving editing skills, especially if you don't plan to hire an editor
5.) http://www.csfriedman.com/what-is-the... by CS Friedman <-- Test your worldbuilding!
6.) Super Structure: The Key to Unleashing the Power of Story by James Scott Bell
7.) Writing with Emotion, Tension, and Conflict: Techniques for Crafting an Expressive and Compelling Novel by Cheryl St.John
8.) Point Of View: Understanding Which P.O.V. is Best for Your Story and Using it Effectively by Alfie Thompson
9.) Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction by Jeff VanderMeer
10.) Writing Vivid Settings: Professional Techniques for Fiction Authors by Rayne Hall
11.) Self-Publishing Books 101: A Step-by-Step Guide to Publishing Your Book in Multiple Formats by Shelley Hitz
12.) Successful Self-Publishing: How to self-publish and market your book in ebook and print by Joanna Penn
13.) Make a Scene: Crafting a Powerful Story One Scene at a Time by Jordan E. Rosenfeld
14.) Book Cover Design Secrets You Can Use to Sell More Books by Derek Murphy
15.) The Book Marketing Bible: Essential marketing strategies for self-published and first-time authors, or any writer looking to skyrocket sales. by Norm Schriever
16.) How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy by Orson Scott Card

That's a lot, I know. But I'm glad I made a list and have added them all to my to-read Goodreads list. Thanks for writing, AJ! I hope you find representation soon.

[Kelsie Engen · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're thinking about seeking publication, this is a great book to get started with. Even if you're an author who has been writing for years and are finally considering publication or self-publishing, this book is well worth the read.

Inside the pages of "A Guide to Writing Your First Novel" is valuable information that can show you where you're going astray in your pre-publication path, or else where you could improve. This book does not so much focus on getting through that first draft, or even pre-planning your first draft, but rather on the important steps that follow writing that novel, and the perseverance it takes to get published.

At times, "A Guide" is an entertaining, enjoyable read, at other times challenging and thought-provoking to the reader. AJ gives tips on how to improve prose, what to focus on to hook the reader, as well as increasing conflict, writing with emotion, and knowing your characters' backstories.

Although this book doesn't go into great depths in these subjects, it is more than enough for a newbie writer to get started. The addition of many resources outside of this book, i.e. web links and book recommendations, suggests that AJ Flowers is well read in terms of traditional publication and the craft of writing, as well as offering follow-up resources for the newbie author to pursue.

While this is AJ's first publication, don't let that lead you into thinking that she doesn't know what she's talking about. She's done her homework and has a great deal of resources to back up her data. In fact, she has plenty of information that I have not heard presented before, and delivers it in a fresh, appealing, down-to-earth voice.

I especially appreciate the emphasis on developing a writer's prose, as so often these days story is emphasized over delivery and quality of writing. A writer's prose is as important as story--it's a shame when an author delivers a fantastic story with mediocre or poor prose.

While AJ Flowers is a self-professed fantasy author seeking representation for her first novel, I found her advice pertinent to my realism fiction writing as well. Her chapter on world-building was still relevant and worth reading, and even the fantasy book reviews were well worth the time to read. She even gives some advice to those wishing to self publish, speaking to developing covers and seeking editors, etc. prior to publication.

If you are interested in hearing from other authors, there are even a few author interviews covered here to give you a different point of view.

If I had to complain about anything, it was the extensive covering of Twitter pitches at the end of the book. It is clear that AJ has a passion for those Twitter pitches, such as #PitMad or #PitMatch, and while there is value in being able to pitch your story in 140 characters, the amount of Twitter pitches included dragged the end of the book down for me. A few examples would have been sufficient for me to study, instead of so many pages.

That complaint aside, this will be a resource that I can see myself flipping back to, and I'll definitely be checking out some of the other books recommended by AJ Flowers. Well worth the time and money spent to read!

rating: 4.5/5 stars

[Allison · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a useful resource

This is a How To book written by someone who obviously knows the bare minimum about writing and publishing books. Not even well written. Waste of time.

[Nanosynergy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read. Published in 2016, the advice appears to pull from the author's personal experience and research in her pursuit to become a published author. Key takeaways: 'edit, edit, edit' and 'don't quit your day job.' Liked the discussion on the pros and cons of traditional vs self-publishing. Had never heard of twitter pitch competitions, but doesn't surprise me they exist in the twitterverse. Book could be useful first step/reality check for would-be authors as the content seems aimed at beginners and does not go that deep. The content in the latter half of the book is aimed, in general, at authors of middle grade, young adult fantasy books which is unsurprising given what the author writes. The pitch examples at the end of the book, while interesting, are all in those genres.

[Rich DeSpagna · Rating 3 out of 5]

point5.