Writing a Novel

Writing a novel requires inspiration and a lot of dedication. So where do you start?

To help you out, I've broken the process down bit by bit. Tackle one section at a time, and continue moving forward. It's important to always be writing.

There are two different ways to write a novel. One is to draft an outline, and the other is to just start writing. Let’s look at both of them in detail.

Draft an Outline

If you already have a subject in mind for your novel, you can skip this part. If not, keep reading.

Coming up with an idea is sometimes the hardest part. I recommend brainstorming and jotting down as many ideas as you possibly can. For more on creative writing exercises, click here.

When you brainstorm ideas, it’s important to pick ideas you are interested in and could easily expand on.

Example:

something to do with a vampire family (lots of history and war)
a young woman on some sort of adventure (treasure hunting)
a detective who has to solve the mystery of families disappearing.
a few select people have special powers where they can read minds, and do other things.
a criminal almost dies and decides to mend his ways.

Now from there you can pick each subject and branch out with as many twists and turns as you can think of.

Example:

Vampire family consists of mother, son, and daughter. Mother dies, family is rich – always in media. Son is not a vampire, and daughter is unknown.
Mother is petit, not very nice, and always conscious of public opinion. Son is successful, writes, sister is unknown
Story begins in graveyard at mother’s funeral. Son is bitter and wonders where sister is.

The son has to go on a mission to look for his sister. While on the mission he finds out his mother is still alive…

Look at all your subjects and decide which one you like the best. Pick that one as your novel.

Next, you can draft the outline. This can be done in point form, or a flowchart. Whatever you feel comfortable with.

From there, expand your points. Decide who your characters will be. Where is your story located? What age? What time? Decide on the purpose of your novel. Will the reader learn something? Feel something? Gain something? Think about the tone and what you want to convey in your novel.

Now you can start planning. Go over all the points, how do you want to start the story off? What major activities are going on? What conflicts must your characters face and get over? What will they learn? Think about the ending. Is everything settled? Does the story make sense? Are all the loose ends tied up?

Go over your outline again and expand it more.

When you think you have a solid enough plan, you can begin writing a novel. It’s important that you start. Some people waste so much time thinking about the beginning, or the title, they never get to writing.

If you are stuck writing the beginning, start with chapter two, or write the ending. The main thing is to write.

The "Just Start Writing" Method

Let’s look at the other way of writing a novel; on the fly. This is the method I use. For school assignments I have done the other method, but prefer this one.

Like Stephen King in his book On Writing, I also enjoy writing a novel out of thin air. I like the challenge of creating words. When I start writing, I don’t know where it’s going to go. I find I have so many creative ideas floating around, that it’s easy to come up with novel ideas.

For you to write on the fly, all you do is just starting writing.

Example:

Molly Green had been blindfolded for at least two hours.
Her head hurt, her throat was on fire, and she was scared. She didn’t know what had happened or how she had gotten into this situation.
“I think she’s awake.” A deep voice announced.
“I think so.” A younger voice answered. “Time to get to work.”

Molly shuddered, she had no idea what was in store for her.

I just wrote this now. From here I would continue building on it. I have no plan, and no knowledge of the direction the story will take.

When writing a novel, it’s important to put time away for writing. You need to plan and organize when you write. For me, because I work during the week, I write on weekends. Sometimes I write during the week too, but I don’t pressure myself. Keep it realistic for you. If it takes you a year or two to finish your book, that’s okay.

Writing a novel takes dedication and will power. It is easy to quit, but there is nothing sweeter than finishing. Granted, I could revise my story forever, but at least it’s out on paper.

If you do require help with writing, a great course to take is The Easy Way to Write.

Writing a novel is rewarding and can be very enjoyable. Good luck!