How to Write a Novel

In this article you will learn the basic techniques to writing a novel. These instructions will be a guide and help you to establish a blueprint for the "Great American Novel" you are about to begin.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Computer
• word processor
• typewriter or the ever available pen and paper

1. 
    
   Schedule Writing Time

   Establish a writing schedule. Set a side at least one to two hours a day where you can write, undisturbed. Choose a location that is free from distractions such as televisions, screaming children, traffic noise and barking dogs.

2. 
    
   Timeline to write novel

   Create a timeline of when you would like to have certain "goals" completed, such as the title determined, characters defined, storyline, ending, plot established, and so on. Do not beat yourself up if you do not complete your "goals" by the predetermined time limit. This is just a guideline to help you visualize your progress. After reviewing your work and time required for certain tasks to be completed, you can adjust your work schedule to accommodate.

3. 
    
   Journal

   Another great tool of many successful writers is the journal. You should ALWAYS carry a small notebook with you EVERYWHERE. You never know when you may have an idea for one of your characters or overhear a hilarious anecdote that you can use in your writing. I also write down words that I love the sound of. These are words that phonetically add to your writing. Some of my favorites are marshmallow, serendipity, posh and pandemonium.

4. 
    
   Author

   Begin your journey to becoming an author, once you have the correct tools and location in place. You may discover a personal writing preference as you complete your novel, but I will suggest my method for the beginning novelist.
   
   Determine what you want to write about. Come up with a basic story line. Try not to mimic overdone topics or ones already attempted by writing legends, your readers will undoubtedly compare your work to other authors and you will likely give yourself an inferiority complex. Although it is good to find a story that is unique, be careful not to choose something you know nothing about. Write about circumstances you have lived through yourself or have some third person experience with.

5. 
    
   Novel title

   Choose your title. This will make your work real to you. You will feel more validated and this will increase your self esteem, which in turn will produce better and more free flowing writing.

6. 
    
   Characters

   Create your characters. Try to choose opposites when selecting main characters. If your protagonist is an eight year old Asian girl growing up in a small rural town you may want to have her develop a friendship with an elderly black gentleman that lives down the road. Play around with this a bit. You will know when you have a good fit.

7. 
    
   The End

   Determine your ending first. As I noted before, this is a personal preference, but for first time novelists it may help you to find direction. Once you know the ending it is much easier to manipulate the plot to create twists and suspense.

8. 
    
   Plot

   Work on your plot. Fine tune the climax. Work on creating scenarios that are hard for your readers to see coming, but are not so far off that they are unbelievable.

9. 
    
   Edit

   Bring it all together. Edit your work. Eliminate anything that does not move the story forward. If the information is useless but you feel your writing is "pretty" save it in your journal for use in a future novel or other work.

10. 
     
    Manuscript

    Submit your proofread work to publishers, cross your fingers and check you mailbox and email accounts frequently, but continue to write. This will keep your writing skills sharp and will create a padding if you receive initial rejection, which most of us do.

Tips & Warnings

• Create character descriptions. These should be very elaborate and precise. Use a separate sheet of paper for each character. Answer questions such as: What kind of music does this character listen to?, What are her fears?, What are her goals?, What is her background?, Is she shy, outgoing, obstinate?. The list can go on and on. The idea is to be able to predict what your character would do in any one situation. This will help your story to write itself and make your novel more believable. If your characters act "out of character" it will turn your readers off and your novel will die before it has taken its first breath.
• If you are experiencing writer's block, step away from your novel. Work on something else for a while. Do a short story about something completely different from your novel. Do not stop writing, even if what you are writing seems irrelevant. Even in the most disgusting examples of writing we sometimes find literary gems, or small sentence fragments that represent a beautiful example of writing
• Sometimes you need to let your plot move in the direction it wants rather than trying to force it in any one position. Your novel will become almost human, evolving as you write until it is an entity of its own.

[janiek13]

on 11/16/2009 Great tips! Very detailed and informative. 5+

[FrazzledNanny]

on 3/25/2009 Great tips on writing a novel. 5*

[coreyblake9000]

on 1/16/2009 Thanks for this basic information. For those of you looking for more in depth info from a writer who works full time in the trenches every day, feel free to check out my blog: http://blog.writersoftheroundtable.com/
I'm always here to help inspire others!

[pigs4fun]

on 1/31/2008 Great article. I always wanted to put a novel together and now I have a direction to move in.

[MissMia07404]

on 1/24/2008 I have always wanted to write a novel and you have given me some pretty good ideas. I have a question....If you work gets accepted by a publisher, how do you get paid, how do you know someone isn't going to ripoff your work??