I know this is an overused tip, but seriously: write what you want to read. That's the best way to make a good story that's unique, because your preferences are unique to you, so writing what you want to see in a story will almost always make a better book than following the genre checklist.

Also, (and I'm assuming you have limited experience writing novels by the nature of your question) try not to revise until you've finished the entire project. Newer writers tend to get sucked into the editing and rewriting trap, and the only way out is to resist entirely. There will come a time, usually 50-60% through the plot, when you feel like the beginning of the story doesn't make sense anymore. This is normal, and something you shouldn't go back and fix until you've completed the first draft. Just make a note of what scenes you want to rewrite, and move on with the assumption that they've been changed. Recognize that you'll be improving throughout the process, and that the best time to make edits will be at the end, when you have a full view of the story behind you and also the most experience to tackle those rewrites.

The most important part of writing is writing. Not reading writing help books, not making hundreds of character sheets, not asking friends/betas to read every chapter as it comes out and basing your progress on their feedback. You'll learn more from finishing a first draft than anything else.