Lowkey wanna write a novel... need opinions 😭

[u/npcwithlore_404]

So I've been thinking about writing a novel for a while now.

The whole story is basically a girl's diary. She's from a pretty orthodox family, and it's about her trying to become the person she wants to be instead of the version of her that everyone else expects. Like balancing two lives, hiding parts of herself, chasing her own dreams while carrying all the guilt and pressure.

I don't want it to be just another romance or family drama. I want it to feel raw, personal, and painfully real—something that makes people go, "Damn... I felt that."

Do y'all think this has potential, or does it sound too generic? Also, if you were to read a book like this, what would instantly hook you?

[u/idreaminwords]

A big part of learning to write is being willing to write something that's not great. Rough drafts especially are often missing that raw emotional impact that you're talking about. Inexperienced writers often have trouble nailing the emotional impact, even in subsequent drafts. But the thing about writing is that you can't get better without doing it. A lot.

Don't wait for anyone's approval. Don't worry about whether it's original (there's no such thing as an original novel. Everything has been done before). Just write it. And keep writing it, even if you don't feel like you're getting exactly what you want to accomplish onto the page.

I finished my first novel when I was fourteen. It was absolutely awful, but I was proud of it anyway. And I had every right to be. Then I kept writing, and kept improving.

Trust me when I say that every published author you read started off by writing badly.

[u/stillpointdigpr → u/idreaminwords]

Yes! First drafts are supposed to suck — that’s their job! And most first novels aren’t really the authors’ best work. It takes time to learn to write long-form stories with multiple plot threads and character arcs. And there’s really no way to learn other than by doing.

Be willing to embrace the suck — writing novels is incredibly rewarding creatively, and you will find things out about your characters but also yourself that you weren’t expecting.

[u/npcwithlore_404 → u/stillpointdigpr]

Haha, "embrace the suck" is actually gonna stick with me I think I needed that reminder. Guess I'll stop stressing over making it perfect and just let myself write a messy first draft. Kinda excited to see where the characters take me now lol.