This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.

Author Sophie Hart's novel The Naughty Girls Book Club has just been released and you can read our review here.

1. Everyone has to start somewhere. If you have an idea for a scene in the middle of your book, just write it! You don’t have to start with the first word of the first sentence of the first page.

2. It doesn’t matter if it’s rubbish. Sometimes you put pressure on yourself by believing that what comes out of your head has to be perfect, first time, on the page. It doesn’t. That’s what drafting, re-drafting and editing are for.

3. Be passionate about your writing. It takes a long time to write a book, and the publishing process can be even longer. You want a project that you’re excited about, that you’re prepared to go the distance with.

4. Work hard. There will be times when it doesn’t come easily, when you hate the manuscript you’re working on, when you’re convinced that the 90,000 words you’ve been slogging away at for the last six months are a pile of utter poo. The good news is, this is completely normal! Dig deep, work through it and breathe a sigh of relief when you come out the other side.

5. Get on Twitter and Facebook. And then get off Twitter and Facebook! Social media is great for meeting like-minded, supportive people, chatting with your favourite authors, and even networking with agents and publishers. You just have to remember to log out once in a while and actually do some writing. Good luck!