![\"\"](\"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-west\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2024\/03\/Mervyn-Book-263x400.png\")
Mervyn tells us more about the brand-new chapter in his life.<\/strong> What inspires you?<\/strong> Early bird or night owl?<\/strong> How do you breathe life into your characters?<\/strong> Do you see yourself in some of your characters?<\/strong> Advice for a first-time author?<\/strong> What can readers expect from you next?<\/strong> 5 Golden tips for writing.<\/strong><\/p>\n Any aspiring writer knows the feeling of a blank page glaring back at them. The cursor blinks, waiting for you to write something. But you are frozen. Where do you start? Well, Mervyn suggests the following:<\/strong> Compiled by: ALANICKA LOTRIET.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After more than three decades in the corporate grind, Mervyn Nel took a leap of faith into the world of storytelling. And now, his characters are doing some leaping of their own. Right onto the pages of his second novel, The Priest and the Gondolier. While storytelling wasn\u2019t initially his forte, his vivid imagination \u2013 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121,"featured_media":19592,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40,20],"tags":[5770,1509,7362,55,5597,7361,7359,6900,4397,6503,5549,7360,901,6479],"class_list":{"0":"post-19590","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-people","8":"category-personalities","9":"tag-alanicka-lotriet","10":"tag-author","11":"tag-corporate-grind","12":"tag-get-it-west","13":"tag-joburg-west","14":"tag-leap-of-faith","15":"tag-mervyn-nel","16":"tag-new-book","17":"tag-novel","18":"tag-passion","19":"tag-release","20":"tag-the-priest-and-the-gondolier","21":"tag-write","22":"tag-writer"},"yoast_head":"\n
\nHow do you beat writer\u2019s block?<\/strong>
\nI go for long walks, visit family and friends or read a good novel.<\/p>\n
\nMostly my travels overseas and from interacting with interesting and knowledgeable people.<\/p>\n
\nDefinitely an early bird. I typically start editing from around 4.30am. I begin with editing the previous day\u2019s work for two hours. I then take an hour break for breakfast after which I begin that day\u2019s writing. I write on average six hours a day.<\/p>\n
\nI develop my characters during the story. I keep them down to earth while making them as memorable as possible. They all have their own quirks and idiosyncrasies. A lot of the characters in my first novel were based on actual fishermen I met and spoke with on the Greek Islands.<\/p>\n
\nYes, I see myself in the leading characters of my novels. They need to adapt and overcome adversity. They face transition and at times need to make difficult decisions. This is how I felt when I left the corporate world after 30 years to go out on my own.<\/p>\n
\nWrite every day. Don\u2019t focus too much on grammar, sentence structure and all that. Just put your thoughts on paper. Editing can be done later. You cannot edit something that is not written.<\/p>\n
\nMy next novel, Postcard from Maribor will be ready for release in the near future.<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Write about topics you are knowledgeable about or have a deep understanding of. If you know nothing about science fiction and you attempt to write on this, the readers of that genre will quickly pick up that it is not of the usual high standard.
\n\u2022 Do not be too self-critical. If you are going to continuously self-doubt yourself, you will keep rewriting to make your work sound better and therefore you will never reach the stage where you will submit and ultimately be published.
\n\u2022 Do thorough research. If your novel is set in a real place and at a specific time, research is essential to ensure that your facts are correct.
\n\u2022 The development of your characters is key to your story. The one thing that stays with the reader long after they have read a novel is the characters.
\n\u2022 Have someone edit your work prior to submission. It\u2019s always good to have a second set of eyes and an independent opinion. If you have the available funds, I would strongly advise you to have your work professionally edited prior to submission. This will improve your chances of acceptance.<\/p>\n