How to write a novel...(The Secrets)

So you want to know how to write a novel? The secrets behind writing a novel everyone wants to read and talk about for years to come.

You will read, "You have to read your genre and what everyone's doing..."

Go away. No you don't. Because there are so many indie authors out there, whose style is right and whose style is wrong?

You have to devote X amount of hours to writing...

Says who? The person who wrote the article? It may work for them, but will it work for you? So you wasted three hours staring at the computer, (playing farmville, mafia wars, laughing at those funny pictures), and got nothing accomplished. If you don't feel the need to write, then don't waste your time.

You have to write for the market...

*Scratches head* There's a market? Since when was there a market for vampires that sparkle?

Write what you know about...

Yes, that could work.

Write about what you don't know about...

Yes, that could work, too. It's called being creative.

Now, how about writing about absolutely nothing you know something about?

Confused, yet?

You have to buy...

No, you don't HAVE to buy anything.

There is no one way direction when writing. Everyone believes they have their own style. They do. Whether it's a style everyone else wants to read, that's nothing thing.

In my world I can do (on a weekly basis) what so many receive honor for doing, once in their life time. Who cares how long it takes you to write that novel. Is your novel part of a series? If so, wait until you have them all written before releasing them. Say you have a high demand, but it's taking you longer to finish the second one. Will the pressure ultimately make the rest of the books go where they weren't supposed to?

Everyone is too much in a rush to get their story out there. Why? Unless they're completely polished and ready to go, why throw crap out there? Very few are actually able to edit their own work. I am not one of them. I have 20+ manuscripts waiting to be seen by an editor. They are done, with titles, covers and all that fun stuff. Sure, I could put it out as unedited. Why? Would you give a potential boss an unedited resume?

Yes, I may or may not throw one but ONLY one unedited out there and see what happens. But, that's just me.

There are a lot of people telling you to do something and do not do something. It may have worked for them. Will it work for you? You can try it. But, will it be you? Probably not. I don't want to pick up the same book by a different author and it be close to the same thing.

In fact, I don't read my genre. There are very few books I have read. I don't want to be influenced. I type faster than I can read.

So, here is my version...

Write as if you were writing to your kids. (Would you want them to read half the crap that's out there?)
Write for fun. (If you write for work, because you have to, you'll be missing something of importance in your story.)
Writing is about the reflection upon you. Open up and have your characters the things you wished you could do. What is popular today, by the time you're done, will be a thing of the past. Why do the same thing as everyone else? Who knows, you may be the next big thing.