The Mill Girl
Decide what era your book is going to be set in and thoroughly research that era. You want it to be believable and dates of major events need to be accurate.
Once the book is started only include enough factual information of that time to make it believable. Too much factual information will slow the story down and lose the story line.
Your characters need to be people that the readers can relate to, perhaps someone who might live just down the road or someone they may pass on the street. Don’t make them too perfect, all people have flaws and that’s what makes them human.
‘Put it on stage!’ This was one of the first tips I was given and it really works. Sometimes narration can’t be avoided, it’s gets you from A to B but whenever possible let your characters move the story forward. It brings them to life. Dialogue will also give the reader an insight to the character’s personality, background, age etc. Dialect is also important. Slang terms and endearments vary vastly in the different areas you will set your books in.
Don’t be afraid to add description – the smell of different foods cooking, what the characters are wearing, the place they are in at the time, so that the reader feels they are in the story with them.
Plot – everyone has an idea of the plot when they start a novel but don’t be afraid if it goes off course. True life doesn’t always run smoothly and sometimes the characters can take over the story and show you where you should be going. I often find myself in the middle of a sub plot that I hadn’t planned but it usually works.
‘Less is more!’ Don’t fall into the trap of padding, i.e, if you can move the story forward in a sentence rather than a paragraph it keeps it pacy. Every single word should be there for a reason - to move the story on to a satisfactory finish, even if sometimes it isn’t obvious until the reader is near to the end of the book.
‘The hook’. Most people when choosing a book will glance at the first page. If what’s written there doesn’t immediately grab them then there’s a fair chance they’ll put it down, so it’s important to hook your reader into the story from page one. Another good tip is to put another hook at the end of each chapter so that they’ll want to start that one to find out what is happening next.
Be prepared to take constructive criticism. Never think that your book is perfect. There will be a lot of people involved in it before it goes to print. Your editor, your copy editor – they will both make suggestions about things that they think might improve it. Always be prepared to listen, you want that book to be as good as it can possibly be.
Finally never become complacent. People often ask me ‘which is your favourite of your own books?’ I can always answer truthfully, ‘the one I am writing now,’ because if I don’t try hard to make each book better than the last I would feel I was letting my readers down. There is always room for improvement!
The Mill Girl by Rosie Goodwin is out now.