How To Start Writing A Novel

How to write a novel: A step-by-step guide

How to write a novel

Overview – How to write a novel

If you want to learn how to write a novel, we've come up with a step-by-step guide that will help you through your journey. These are just suggestions offering general outlines and processes, but keep in mind writing is a creative process and different authors have different molds.

Without further ado, here's our guide on how to write a novel that will (hopefully) inspire you to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard…).

Inspiration

Inspiration for a novel can come from anywhere: a train ride, a dream, a nightmare, the pasta aisle at the grocery store… you get the point. It's always a good idea to have a small notepad handy so you can jot down your ideas, or I guess your phone's notes app will do just fine.

Whatever the case, make sure to write down a few sentences and feelings that you can later use in your novel. You should also think about past events in your life that have stuck with you: a family camping trip, the birth of your sibling, that time you got pneumonia. Moments that have stuck with you can make really great scenes in your novel.

Tip: Write about something that you would see yourself reading. Don't pick a topic just to try and please other people; Pick a topic that you're interested in and excited about.

Genre

You've written down a bunch of ideas and scenes, fantastic! Now's the time to choose your novel's genre. Here's a list of popular genres you can choose from:

– Fantasy fiction

– Mystery fiction

– Historical fiction

– Modern literary fiction

– Sci-fi

– YA fiction

– Children's fiction

– Biography

– Auto-biography/memoir

Tip: Read a bunch of books in the genre you've chosen to get a feel of how you should write yours.

Setting

You've got the genre locked down, now we move on to setting. Where is your novel going to take place? Which city? Which country? Which planet? A parallel universe, perhaps?

What kinds of people will be living there? Is your novel set in the past, present, or future?

You can have lots of fun with the setting(s) of your novel, but think long and hard about it before you move on. The setting is a huge component of your novel; it will determine the tone and overall mood.

Characters

You can have so much fun with this step of the process. You need to come up with the characters in your novel, and here are some important characters to include:

– Protagonist

– Antagonist

– Mentor

– Sidekick

– Randoms

Make sure your protagonist has depth; she/he doesn't have to be likeable, but they absolutely have to be interesting. No one wants to read a book with a boring protagonist.

Your secondary characters should also have depth; they need to be dynamic and believable. Always think of your characters as real people; that's the real key on how to write a novel.

Plot outline

Now the hard stuff begins. You need a great plot, otherwise your novel will flop. A general rule of thumb is to have:

– Exposition

– Inciting incident

– Rising action

– Climax

– Falling action

– Resolution

Obviously, these are just suggestions. If these don't work for you, there are plenty of plot possibilities out there.

Research

DO. YOUR. RESEARCH. There's nothing worse than writing about something you know nothing about. Well, there are worse things, but you know what I mean.

If you're writing historical fiction, make sure you get the dates and events right. If you're writing about gemstones, make sure you research them extensively. If your novel is set in Japan, make sure you know enough about Japan.

Pretty basic stuff on how to write a novel.

(many, many) Drafts

Ok, so you're ready to write. Think you're going to end up with a final version from the get-go? Think again.

You're going to have to write many, many drafts. You will write and re-write sentences, paragraphs, even entire chapters.

Writing a novel is a long and arduous process before you reach the finish line, but it'll be worth it if you put in the work. Just remember, no great novel was written overnight.

Editing

Once you're satisfied with your final draft, it's time to start editing the crap out of it. And what's even more important, you should get yourself an editor who will help you throughout the process.

Editing your work yourself is necessary, but you need an outsider's perspective if you really want your novel to shine. If you can't afford an editor, let other people read it. You can ask family and friends, and you can even join a writing workshop.

Publishing

You've edited your novel a hundred times and you're satisfied with the final version. Congrats! It's time to get it published.

But how?

You can try self-publishing it, or you can get yourself an agent. Either way works, but the latter might be easier on you.

If you're going to submit your work to an editor or publisher, you can save it as a PDF file so the formatting stays intact.

And there you have it! Now that you know how to write a novel, it's a great a time as any to get the ball rolling.