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Lisa Schroeder is the author of four books for middle-grade and young adult readers, including I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME, FAR FROM YOU, and the new paranormal romance, CHASING BROOKLYN.Lisa Schroeder is the author of four books for middle-grade and young adult readers, including I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME, FAR FROM YOU, and the new paranormal romance, CHASING BROOKLYN. Below, she shares ten helpful tips for all you aspiring novelists on how to tackle writing that elusive first book.


I get a lot of notes through my website from teens asking for writing advice. They want to start writing a book, but they’re scared. Or they’ve started writing a book, and don’t know how to keep going. Or they’re in the middle of a book and they worry it’s not any good.

So, today I give you – Lisa Schroeder’s Top Ten List on Things to Do if You Want to Write a Novel

Here we go!

10. You already know this, but it’s worth repeating --- read, read, read. Read books in the same genre as the one you want to write, and while you read, think about what makes the character(s) come alive, what makes the pacing work, what are the major and minor plot points, etc. Every time you read a book, you are learning something about writing, even if you don’t realize it. Reading is NOT wasted time.

9. I also think it can be helpful to read some books on craft. Most teens who write to me seem surprised that you can get books at the book store or the library about writing a novel. Here are just a few that I’ve found helpful:

HOW TO WRITE A DAMN GOOD NOVEL by James N. Frey
WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL by Donald Maas
STORY, by Robert McKee

8. Before you start writing, try to get the premise of your novel into a short paragraph. If you can get it down to one sentence, even better. This exercise helps you to cement in your mind what your book is really about. Here is something I wrote for my first young adult novel I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME:

Fifteen-year-old Ava is heartbroken over the death of her boyfriend, Jackson. But it isn’t long after his funeral when she discovers while he may be dead, he definitely isn’t gone. At first she’s thrilled to see him, but after a while she realizes, having a ghost for a boyfriend is neither easy nor fulfilling. Will Ava ask the love of her life to leave, or is she destined to be haunted by Jackson forever?

7. You need a general road map so you know where you’re going in your story. You don’t have to do an outline, necessarily, as I realize outlining a novel can seem like an arduous task. But without some kind of road map, you are likely to get lost. You might find this 9-step plotting tool helpful, which you can read about here. Or maybe you decide to write a one-page synopsis. Or perhaps you use note cards and jot down your plot points in a more casual way. It doesn’t matter so much what you do as long as you start in with a general sense of where you want to take your main character.

6. Your main character will be the heart of your story, so get to know him/her before you start writing. Write down what you know about your MC --- likes, dislikes, fears, background information that might be useful but won’t make it into the story. Think about how your past has made you the person you are today. This will be true of your characters as well. Some authors like to interview their main character, or fill out a character sheet, which you can find by doing an internet search.

5. Eventually, you must begin. You must start writing. This is the hardest part for many. The fear of doing it wrong wins out, and so nothing is done at all. Here is the most important thing to remember --- write the story for YOURSELF. Don’t think about anyone else. Write the story because YOU want to know what happens. No one else is reading at this point. This draft is for your eyes only.

4. Don’t be afraid to play around in those early pages with voice, tense, format, etc. Pretend you are in a sandbox and you’re trying to figure out what you want to do. This is your book. There is no right or wrong way to write it. When it feels right, you’ll know!

3. Some pages will flow like water and others will only come with a lot of sweat and tears. That’s how it is. Writing a book is not easy. If it were, everyone would be doing it. The best thing you can do is make a goal to write something every day. 100 words, 500 words, 1,000 words --- it doesn’t matter. But set a goal and stick to it. This goal makes you open the document and dive back in, and that’s half the battle!

2. When you get stuck, and you will get stuck, backtrack and see if you took a wrong turn somewhere. As you write, there are places you make choices --- either this happens or that happens. Sometimes you write your character into a corner. It’s okay! Pages might have to be deleted, and yes it’s a little sad, but if it’s the best thing for your story, you have to do it. One step forward, two steps back is better than no steps at all!

1. Finally, the most important thing to remember --- a first draft is NOT going to be perfect. In fact, it will be far from it. It’s a draft. It’s you getting the bones of the story down on paper. Give yourself permission to write badly. Just write. Almost every book on your bookshelf started as a badly written first draft. Just keep writing and try to enjoy the process!

-- Lisa Schroeder