So you want to write a novel...?

SO YOU WANT TO WRITE A NOVEL BUT ARE STARING AT A BLANK PAGE?
So you want to write a novel. You just can’t get started? Chapter 1 eludes you? You have a great idea but can’t seem to get it down on paper? You don’t know how to begin? No problem! I have a 4 step solution for you. It’s easy, it works, and YOU can do it.
1) DO NOT WRITE YOUR NOVEL!! Tell a story!
Instead, tell your story to a friend. Haven’t got a friend? Sure you do. Your computer or typewriter is your best friend. It listens and records your one sided conversation like no friend or wife or husband ever did. It doesn’t argue, disagree, (unless you’re using spellcheck) or even comment. Simply sit down in front of your computer, (maybe give it name?) and start talking on the keyboard. . Or imagine the kind of person you know will love your story sitting across the desk or table from you, waiting to hear the tale.  “G’morning Fred. Can I tell you a story? Seem’s like this guy Samson had a full head of hair and…..” Or, “Once upon a time. Or, “It was a dark and stormy night.” The point? It does not matter what you say, just say something!! Open the door.
2) NEVER, NEVER, type the words Chapter One on your first page. Let me ask you something. You’re at a friend’s house and are asked to tell them about the exciting trip you just got back from. Do you start by saying “Chapter one”? Course not, it’d be stifling. Remember, you are not writing a novel. You are telling a story to a friend. You ramble, you repeat, you mispronounce or misspell, you hesitate, doesn’t matter. Chances are what you begin with won’t end up being the first chapter anyway. Like I continuously say in my booklet, JUST WRITE THE DAMN THING! You can add the chapter breaks later.
3) FORGET PUNCTUATION, GRAMMAR, SPELLING, COMMAS, HYPHEN, PARAGRAPHS AND JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE. A good story will survive mistakes in writing, eventually. You cannot get mistakes corrected by your editor unless you make the mistakes in the first place. Remember, your genius lies in your story telling, not in your punctuation. You can edit later.
4) READ MY BOOKLET. In the 3 years it took me to write my first novel I probably made every mistake possible. Hour upon hours of research in subject matter and particularly in overcoming the horrors of publishing. Now, 4 years and 2 additional novels richer, it’s much easier. Everything I learned is in my booklet. Ideas, shortcuts, money saving strategies, E-mail addresses, telephone #’s, mailing addresses, websites, every contact you might need to get your novel successfully published at the least possible cost. Click HERE to see the booklet on Amazon.com: A Practical Guide to Writing & Publishing a Novel