How to Write Novels by Reading Novels

It is impossible to learn how to write novels if you don't also love to read fiction.

More than that, you can't learn to write a specific type of novel - literary fiction, say, or westerns - if you don't read that category of fiction for pleasure.

Learning the "rules" of how to write novels is important - crucial, in fact. But seeing those rules in action by reading published novels in your chosen field is more crucial still.

Why Reading Novels Will Help With Writing Novels

1. Learning the Craft of Novel Writing

You have all heard of the art and craft of novel writing. We will be looking at the art part in a moment, but first the craft...

The craft simply means the knowledge, or technical know-how, necessary to build a plot, to bring fictional characters to life, to handle point of view, and so on.

The whole point of Novel Writing Help is to teach you the craft of writing fiction (and maybe pass on a little of the art, too). But, like I said above, seeing the theory in action, as it were, by reading published novels, is invaluable in your development as a writer.

• Want to learn how to write novels with a compelling plot? The information in the section on How to Plot a Novel will teach you what you need to know. But to see it in practice, simply read a novel with a great plot and analyze it like a scientist.
• Want to learn how to write novels featuring characters your readers will love? First read the section on Creating Characters, then pick a favorite novel featuring a lovable character and study it to discover how the writer achieved that lovability.

And so on. If you are unsure about anything - how to write a third person multiple viewpoint novel, how to work symbolism into your novel - first learn the theory from me, then find a published novel which uses that particular technique and pick the technique apart.

2. Learning the Art of How to Write Novels

To some extent, you will either have a talent for the art of writing fiction or you won't. But the chances are you wouldn't have turned to fiction writing in the first place if you didn't.

To be more specific, you need a talent for stringing words and sentences together in such a way that they acquire a kind of musical rhythm. (The way the words flow is part of the art.)

A more important aspect is having the ability to put together characters and events to make a story, and having that story move people and somehow be about more than just an account of what happens and to whom.

Now, most people are born with at least something of an artistic streak, but most people also need to find a way to tap into their gift. And when it comes to learning to write novels which are rich in artistry, you can nurture your own artistic sensibility by reading good or, better still, great novels and simply "absorbing" the art subconsciously.

And learning how to write novels without having to think about it has got to be the easiest way of learning there is!

3. Learning the Fiction Conventions

Genre fiction is governed by conventions, or elements that your novel must or must not contain in order to satisfy the readers of that particular category of novel.

(Follow this link for more information on the conventions of the book genres.)

In detective fiction, for example, conventions dictate that a body should appear within the first three chapters, preferably the very first one, and that the guilty should be brought to justice by the end.

Even in mainstream fiction and literary fiction, where you pretty much have the freedom to do anything you like, it is still important to know what other writers are doing in order to understand the position your own novel will occupy in the fiction marketplace.

Put simply, to learn how to write novels, of whatever category, you need to check out what the competition is doing, both so that you can make your novel a recognizable member of its category, and so that you can make it stand out in some way and be distinctive.

And the way you do that, of course, is by reading novels like the ones you want to write.

How to Read Novels

Most novel writers take to reading at an early age, but don't worry if you didn't. It is never too late to start, and the important thing is that you are a keen reader of novels now.

Now that you want to learn how to write novels, though, you need to learn to read fiction a little differently.

The main reason people read novels is for entertainment and escape. In other words, they want to be transported away from their everyday concerns and lose themselves in a well-told story in the company of compelling fictional characters.

Yes, they also want to enjoy the finely-crafted prose, and perhaps be made to think about the ideas and issues running beneath the story's surface. But mainly they just want to get caught up in the storytelling.

The trouble is that getting "caught up in the storytelling" is no good for the purposes of learning how to write novels, which is why I always recommend studying novels you have already read - and preferably twice.

If you already know how a book ends, you can forget about "what happens next" and concentrate instead on a scientific analysis of the text.

When reading fiction to learn the conventions of your chosen category of fiction, look out for those elements which all novels within the category share.

When reading fiction to learn the craft of novel writing, you need to focus on whatever element of the craft is troubling you...

• How to construct a plot
• How to give a novel a sense of place
• How to handle theme

Don't read a novel and attempt to analyze it for plot and setting and theme. Pick just one of these elements and concentrate on that.

Finally, when reading fiction to learn about the art of novel writing, focus on the language - the words themselves. In other words, try not to think about what the author is saying, but how they are saying it.

And that is all there is to say about how to write novels by reading novels.

Next Step: Keep reading to discover how long writing a book takes...