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Much like learning to ride a bike, the best way to learn how to write a
novel is by just doing it. Unlike saddling up on a Schwinn for the first time,
however, writing a novel can’t be accomplished in one hot summer’s day. It
requires good doses of commitment and perseverance. As Octavia Butler put
it: “You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and
thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That’s why I
say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.”
This post will break up the 15 major steps of writing a novel into bite-sized
pieces, organized in three categories — before, during, and after you write your
manuscript. Those steps are as follows:
1.
1. Nail down the story idea
2. Read books in your genre
3. Choose your novel’s point of view
4. Establish the setting
5. Develop your main characters
6. Establish conflict and stakes
7. Create an outline
8. Choose your story structure
9. Pick a writing software
10. Write to market
11. Establish a writing routine
12. Consider literary devices and techniques
13. Revise your story
14. Work with beta readers
15. Hire a professional editor
Are you ready for "writing a novel" to be the next plume in your cap? Let’s
begin...
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If you’re struggling with coming up with even the seed of an idea, don’t fret.
There is literally an endless supply of novel topics out there, and you can start
perusing hundreds of them in our list of 300+ writing prompts, our directory
of 200+ short story ideas, or even our plot generator.
If you’ve been chewing over a story idea but are having trouble giving legs to it,
try writing down one or two lines about the theme of your book. If you’re
wondering how to write a novel, it’s likely because there’s some message you
want to put out in the world. The message behind your book is its theme, and
it will underscore the whole story. For instance, Nineteen Eighty-Four follows
a man yearning for love in a world where individuality and original thought is
not only a sin but a crime. But what the book is really about is the human right
for freedom of privacy.
There are many reasons why time spent reading is worthwhile for an aspiring
author:
This line glides smoothly from the page when Elizabeth Bennett takes a trip to
the Peak District in Georgian Era England. If, on the other hand, the book
took place in modern-day Texas and a 20-year old Elizabeth Bennett spoke
those words, it would stick out like a sore thumb.
The key here is context — and the context or setting of a story will dictate
everything about it, from character to plot to conflict, and beyond.
If you are planning to write about a setting outside of your own immediate
knowledge, make sure you do adequate research. Consider working with
sensitivity readers if you are writing about a place or culture outside your own.
Once you have these core elements established, you can start exploring other
aspects of your characters using these resources:
Create fascinating characters that your readers will love... or love to hate! Get
started now.
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The conflict is what will make your character’s path to achieving (or not
achieving) their goal interesting to readers — it’s the sum total of the obstacles
the protagonist encounters along the way. In novels, there are two broad
categories of conflict — and for a truly compelling read, it’s a good idea to
include both:
Once you’ve got the main conflicts of your novel sorted, you need to nail down
the stakes: what will happen if the conflict overwhelms the character and
they don’t achieve their goals? For instance, it’s all well and good that Frodo
wants to destroy the ring — but why should we care? Well, because the fate of
Middle Earth hangs in the balance.
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7. Create an outline
In the world of fiction writing, there’s often said to be two kinds of
writers: plotters and pantsers. Plotters, as you might have guessed, plan where
their novel will go before they start writing. Pantsers will usually have a
general idea of how their story will unfold, but will just sit down to write
without doing any initial outlining.
If your end goal is writing and publishing a novel, we’re suggesting you follow
the ways of the plotter and create an outline. When you inevitably hit the
writer’s block that almost all writers face, your outline will act as a “get out of
jail free” card — you can use it to remember what needs to come next. In any
case, it'll save you a great deal of time.
There are countless ways to outline a novel, but here are a few tried-and-true
methods to consider:
If you can accomplish the above eight steps, you are well on your way to a
completed novel. With all of that foundation laid for your story, all that’s left is
to actually start writing! And the following four tips will help you do just that.
(Though if you want more, you can always check out our list of 20 essential
writing tips for first-time authors.)
FocusWriter. Don’t look for bells and whistles here (though there are
some cool functions like themes and timers). The goal of this app is to provide
you with a blank page and a good dose of concentration.
WriteMonkey. A spartan interface, save for a word counter and clock.
If your writing depends on a zero-distraction environment, check
WriteMonkey out.
Calmly Writer. Have a bad habit of jumping back and forth between
scenes so much that you never quite manage to actually finish one? You’ll
likely benefits from this app’s “focus mode” which only shows you the current
paragraph you’re writing.
750 Words. If you need a little boost of motivation and accountability,
the program might be your friend. It encourages you to write 3 pages (or 750
words) every day, and offers features to help you do so, including a statistics
board that reveals your average writing speed.
Reedsy Book Editor. Fake it ‘til you make it, right? The Reedsy Book
Editor formats your book as you write, so even your rough drafts will look like
a professionally formatted manuscript.
If you’re struggling to identify who your book’s target market is, ask these
questions of your ideal reader:
Keep going until you feel like you have a sense of the “proto-persona” for your
book. Learn more about finding your target market here!
Pro tip: depending on your target audience and subject matter, your novel
may even be eligible for any number of writing scholarships. If you're a
student, check out our writing scholarship directory right here!
Don't let your busy schedule stop you from becoming a writer. Learn how to
build an unstoppable creative habit. Get started now.
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Writing the first iteration of your manuscript is all about just getting the words
down on paper. Now it’s time to start turning those words into a memorable
story.
There are countless other literary devices that authors use to add creative
depth to their writing. Find a list of some of our favorites here.
Here are a few types of editors you might want to consider working with:
Now, how about that price tag we mentioned? Well, the cost of professi