Are You Serious About Finishing Your Novel?

Are you serious? Find out with this free 12-question writing quiz. Score over 50% and I'll send you The Novelist's Bootcamp, my free email course covering the basics of the craft and packed with useful tips for writers including:

...the importance of research. What you need and when to do it. (email 1)
...how to avoid grinding to a halt on your first draft. (email 2)
...when to share your novel with others - and when to avoid it! (email 6)
...how to feed the beast that is your growing talent. (email 11)
...how to know the difference between a draft and a polish. (email 12)

The 12-question quiz

I write:

when I'm inspired.
when I can.
to a schedule.

The first time my work should be read by another person is:

as I produce it.
after the first draft.
after the second draft.
after the final draft.

You know someone who you want to make into a character in your book. You decide to:

make it clear who you're talking about.
go to great lengths to obscure who you're talking about.
just give the man a small penis/make the woman ugly so they don't want to sue.

When writing a first draft, the most important thing is:

character.
plot.
theme.
premise.
finishing the first draft.

Something happens to you and you think this event would look good repeated in your fiction exactly as it happened in real life. Will this work?

yes.
no.
probably.
probably not.

When picking your moment to enter and leave the action in a story or scene, you want to:

get in early, get out early.
get in late, get out late.
get in early, get out late.
get in late, get out early.

As a rule of thumb, coincidences are fine in fiction under what circumstances?

always.
never.
to get the hero out of trouble.
to get the hero into trouble.

You should begin your second draft:

as soon as you've finished the first draft.
after a good break, say about a month.
when you can get around to it.

You've re-read that first draft you finished a month ago. It's rubbish. You should:

give up.
write something else, something good this time.
smile and be happy.

You've found a scene that you like but which doesn't advance your story. Should you:

take it out, or re-write it so it advances the story.
leave it as it is. It's cool and readers need a break from the action.

I read:

sometimes.
a lot and enough.
a lot but never enough.

Learning grammar is:

essential. You must learn all you can about grammar.
optional. You need enough to get going and an editor can take care of the rest.
unnecessary. If I can understand my work, I can make others see it the same way.