The toughest part of learning how to write a novel is knowing where to start and how to keep on going to the end. This section of Novel Writing Help is all about demystifying the writing process.
Figuring out how to write a novel can be confusing, probably because there are so many steps to take..
...and that's all before you even begin to write the story!
Add to that the need to learn the art and craft of novel writing (which is where this website comes in), and the need to read published novels (to see the theory put into practice), and it's little wonder that the question I am most often asked is: Where do you even begin?!
The answer is that you begin by studying a good map and familiarizing yourself with the route, and the 12-step process outlined below is your map. Actually, it is two maps in one...
Take some time to study this map now, just to get an idea of where you are going. But don't forget to return to it along the way if you ever find yourself lost.
At the most basic level, writing a novel involves just three steps...
Easy, right? Well, yes...except it really doesn't tell you anything about how to write novels.
What you need are lots of specific steps to take, not just three broad ones. What you need is for each step to contain concrete instructions on what, precisely, to do. And you will find all of this in the twelve steps below.
I know I said above that "planning" is the very first step to take, but I lied. If you are serious about succeeding as a novel writer, you need to take your time and begin right at the grass roots. Writing a novel is not a race...
How do you prepare for the journey ahead?
First and foremost, you need to decide why you want to write fiction at all. Making money from writing is not a bad motivation, but there are much better ways to ensure you look forward to working on your novel every day.
Other tasks here include getting organized (both in terms of paperwork and time), and learning how to harness your inner-creativity.
When the time comes to carry out this step of the novel writing process, simply head to the Becoming a Writer section of the website.
An important aspect of learning how to write a novel is adopting a professional attitude. Forget all your romantic ideals of what being a writer is like - selling a novel to a publisher is a business proposition.
What does that mean for you? It means that, to stand the best chance of success, you need to know right from the outset where your book will eventually sit in the marketplace.
Now, I'm not asking you to bin your artistic integrity here, I'm simply advising you to slip on your business hat for a moment. And in practical terms that means researching the market and identifying a niche to target.
How do you do that? You will find the help you need in the section exploring the different Types of Novels.
Okay, we're gradually edging closer to the point where the real work begins (i.e. the point where you start to plan your novel).
Before you can plan, though, you need to find an idea. I don't mean any old idea, but the best one you can possibly come up with. (After all, you will be devoting a significant chunk of your life to this novel. The last thing you want to do is set off on the wrong foot.)
The section dedicated to Finding Ideas not only shows you precisely how to brainstorm for more ideas than you could ever hope to use, it also explains how to "road-test" the best idea before finally committing to it.
One person's idea of how to write a novel will be a little different from somebody else's. (Which is why you should feel free to adapt my novel writing process to your own unique requirements.)
Perhaps the biggest difference is this...
Which way is best? There is no absolute answer to that - if a particular way of writing fiction works for you, it works. End of story.
But if you are unsure and want me to make a recommendation, I would suggest planning a novel in as much detail as you can stand before you write the first draft. (For more on this, please read Planning a Novel vs. Writing a Novel.)
What does planning a novel involve?
Because planning a long work of fiction in detail is such a large task - not to mention a potentially confusing one - the best way to tackle it is to break it down into smaller parts. In all there are five such parts...
The next 5 steps are dedicated to these individual story elements. By working on them one by one (in Steps 5-9), the mammoth task of planning a novel is made a lot simpler.
(Afterwards, once you have worked on each element in isolation, you will then reassemble them into what I call a novel's "Master Plan" (in Step 10). But more on that lower down.)
This isn't nearly as tricky or as confusing as it sounds. Theme is simply what your story is "about" or what it "means." Symbolism is a little different, though it's close enough in nature to group the two together.
Anyway...in basic terms, theme and symbolism both refer to the deeper layer of meaning running beneath the surface of your novel. "Sowing the seeds" is my term for working out this meaning in advance, so that it works its way into the fabric of the story all by itself.
Confused? Don't be - it really is very simple (and doesn't involve a whole lot of work, either). When the time comes, visit the section on Theme and Symbolism and all will be revealed.
Now for the next of the story elements you need to work on individually...
For most of you, this will mean a straight choice between first person or third person point of view. But there are also some less common alternatives you might want to consider.
Before making your decision, though, it is important that you understand the theory of viewpoint first. This will not only allow you to make a better decision, it will also allow you to handle your chosen viewpoint more professionally when you come to write your novel.
When you are ready to carry out this step in the Novel Writing Process, simply head on over to the Point of View section.
The idea here is to get to know your characters before you write a single word of the novel. Fail to do this and they are unlikely to come across to the readers as convincing human beings.
What should go into these "mini biographies" that you need to write for each of the main characters? The section on Creating Characters provides the answers.
As you will discover in the section dedicated to Setting, it encompasses a whole lot more than just streets and buildings. It also includes things like...
Just like with characters in the previous step, you now need to "get to know" all of these things before you start writing the story. (As a matter of fact, if you view setting in a novel as another character, you won't go far wrong.)
This is the big one, at least in terms of how long it will take you. That's the bad news. The good news is that the job will be made a lot simpler by my 10-step guide to how to plot a novel found in the Plotting section.
And in the section on Narrative Structure, you will learn how to take this plot and refine it even further - not least by making sure that the sequence of events runs at a perfect pace.
And that is it...
These last five steps, remember, have been about working on each of the five main elements of a novel individually. If it seems like these steps represent a lot of work, you aren't wrong. They're kind of fun, though (what's not to love about creating people and places and events out of thin air?) And once you have completed them, you will be ready to start writing your novel.
Well, almost. The final thing to do is take the five individual elements and re-combine them into what I call a "Master Plan"...
This will not only make the job of writing the novel much simpler, it will also help you create a much stronger first draft.
Why? Because you will have all of the information you need right in front of you as you write each chapter, leaving the creative side of your personality to work its magic without interruption.
How do you write a "Master Plan"? Check out the article on Combining the 5 Story Elements for more information.
And on the basis that writing this overall plan is an excellent time for dealing with a few loose ends before you begin the actual writing of your novel, these articles will also help...
Okay, time to start writing at last!
You will have noticed that, in this 12-step guide to how to write a novel, the first 10 deal with preparation and planning. That is quite deliberate.
According to agents, most novels are rejected because of weak craftsmanship. My job, therefore, is to teach you the craft of how to write a novel (and a little of the art, too) in as much detail as I can, and then how to apply that craft effectively.
And guess what? You are far, far more likely to write a well-crafted novel if you take the time and trouble to plan it in some detail first.
If you choose to skip all the planning material above and jump straight into the writing, that is okay. Chances are, though, the first draft will end up being a structural disaster zone - and you will then have to apply all my planning techniques to it during the twelfth step: revision.
That's why I'm a fan of planning beforehand - particularly if you are writing your first novel.
And remember this: Although some people will tell you that the only truly creative part of writing a novel is doing the actual writing, they are wrong. In fact, starting out with a blank sheet of paper and filling it with characters and places and events, using nothing but your imagination, is the very definition of creativity.
Anyway, enough talk. Time to get writing...
Some writers will tell you that writing a first draft of a novel is agony. And there is some truth to this. In fact, it's precisely at this stage that Writer's Block is most likely to set in.
Tackled with a positive mindset, though, there is no reason that filling a few hundred sheets of paper with words should not be a joyous experience.
The biggest mistake most newcomers to novel writing make is trying to draft and edit at the same time (i.e. they get a sentence down on paper and them immediately start trying to improve it).
Don't do this. First drafts are about getting black on white, no matter how terrible the quality of the prose is. You shouldn't even think about making the prose pretty until the next step...
Revising a novel can be split into two broad stages...
What about how to write to a professional standard? Do I offer help and advice on that?
You bet. You will find plenty of it in the following sections...
And that pretty much concludes this whistlestop tour of how to write a novel.
Caveat: Ask one hundred writers how to write a novel and you will get one hundred different answers. Everybody is unique, and everybody works in their own unique way.
I can tell you what works for me - and for many other writers I have spoken to - but if you need to tailor the steps above to your own personal needs, that is what you must do.
To finish with, here are a few articles which, although not a part of the novel writing process, should nevertheless help you to gain a deeper understanding of it...
And that, as they say, is that.
I know this article isn't exactly on the brief side but, like I said at the top, knowing where to start and how to keep on going right to the end is something that many beginners would dearly love to know. And now they do!
Bookmark this page and return to it often - it's like the map that will stop you getting lost.
And remember, if you want an even more streamlined guide to how to write a novel, you will find it in the "Ultimate Novel Writing Guide."
Although I have tried to make Novel Writing Help as easy-to-follow as I can, the downloadable e-book literally tells you everything you need to know in the order you need to know it, with no clicking back and forth between pages.