Carry a notebook with you at all times. Supply every room in your home with a notebook and pencil so that no matter where you are in the house when you get that sudden spark of genius you can write it down quickly. Keep a notebook on your nightstand in case you wake up with important plot lines.
Struck with writer's block? Go for a brisk walk to refresh your mind and have a change of scenery. Walk the dog or take the kids to the park. Get out of the house and "reboot" your inspiration.
Hook the writer into your web by making the first page of your novel gripping and full of action. Make your protagonist go through some situation that your prospective reader can relate to and will want to turn page after page to see what happens next.
Write intelligently and don’t underestimate the IQ of your reader. You don’t have to explain every little thing as though they were children—unless you are writing a childrens' book—and then make sure you don't sound like you're teaching.
Stick with the genre of your book. Your reader chose to buy your book because it is one of his favorite genres. Stick to the genre and don’t slide off into some cross-genre. Make certain your book has conflict of some kind; steer your novel to resolve that conflict.
Keep the story moving ahead and try to keep “flashbacks” to a minimum so as not to confuse your reader. Let your reader stay right there with your story and not make him have to turn back a few pages to re-read just because he’s lost the gist of the plot.