Tips For Seniors Who Want To Write A Novel

By Wendy Cregger | November 17, 2022 |

November is National Novel Writing Month and seniors who have thought about writing a novel should give it a try. Writing is great exercise for the brain, and it can help seniors retain their cognitive skills to be actively engaged and writing. Often seniors say they are too intimidated to start writing a novel because they have never written anything or never written anything as intense as a novel. But writing a novel can be easier than people think.

Seniors that are ready to dive into the fiction world and write a novel this November can use these tips to make their first novel amazing:

Do Character Studies For Each Main Character

Home Care Assistance Timonium, MD: National Novel Writing Month

It’s a smart idea to create a one sheet character study for each main character in the story. The character sheet should have a description of the character, with some photos for reference if possible. The character’s backstory and defining characteristics and quirks should all be on the sheet. The character sheets can be kept in a binder so that they are available if the writer needs to check them to see if some action would be within a character’s character. If the story has a lot of characters these sheets will be very useful.

Use A Story Board

Story boards are not just for movies. Any writer that is planning out a novel should use a story board. Story boards make it easy to plot out a novel and see how the characters interact and what their personal journeys are . Story boards can also help writers get a better understanding of how the story connects the characters and where certain plot points should be. By creating a story board a writer is laying down the flooring of the story. All the other details will come in from that story board.

Don’t Worry About The Punctuation

It’s very common for writers to get hung up on things like punctuation and grammar. Don’t worry about things like the mechanics of writing when writing a novel. An editor will clean up the copy and make sure that everything is spelled right and that the are now grammatical errors. That’s what an editor is fore. The writer’s job is just to get the words on the page and give the story some shape so that it can be told.

Get Help Typing It

Typing a novel is a brig project, especially for seniors who have may medical conditions that affect their hands. Signing up for home care assistance can make it easier for seniors to pursue their interests. Home care assistance means getting help from a caregiver with chores like laundry or the dishes. But its also getting help with meals, scrubbing the floors, doing the laundry, and other household chores. A care provider can also give opinions on the novel, help edit the novel, and type it up on the computer so that seniors who have wrist and hand problems don’t have to hurt themselves trying to type it up.

If you or an aging loved-one is considering Home Care Assistance in Timonium, MD please contact the caring staff at Help at Home Services, LLC today. (443) 275-1524

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Wendy Cregger

Marketing Director at Help at Home Services, LLC

Help at Home Services’ mission is to provide superior service through the same care, concern and compassion that we give our own families.

With our 15 years of experience as a residential service agency, licensed by the State of Maryland Department of Health, we provide families with peace of mind that their loved one is in good hands.

Non-medical services are provided by certified nursing assistants. All caregivers are thoroughly screened, bonded and insured using comprehensive background checks.

Each client is matched with the caregiver who can best meet the care plan and homemaker services specific to the needs of the individual, whether they reside in a house, apartment, condominium, assisted-living or nursing community.

Help at Home Services takes great pride in the services that we provide. We have several specialized programs that sets us apart. Whether you are dealing with Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's/dementia, or you are recovering from joint replacement surgery we can help you conquer the tasks that prove to be challenging. We also have a transition home program and provide a discharge planning guide to ensure that you have considered all aspects of life at home after hospitalization.