How to Write a Novel

• by Jenny Hudock

Introduction

• Writing a novel is a commitment that once begun begs to be seen through until the very final page, but can you get past all of the distractions and put your big idea down on paper? If you're interested in starting your first novel or finishing up one you started years ago, read on for some tips that will help you see your magnum opus through to the end.

Step 1: Cutting Out Distractions

• Writers are some of the most easily distracted people in the world. Some would rather clean the toilet with a toothbrush than face the blank page. Author Tim Dowling compared sitting down to write a novel to "swimming across a long, dark lake."¹

• Writers can be distracted by anything from the internet to the cleanliness of their desk. You'll want to take a few extra precautions to stay focused:

1. Commit yourself to the task at hand.²
2. Establish writing habits and routines.³
   1. Set a daily writing goal for yourself every day.³
   2. Don't be too strict in your daily goals. You don't want to discourage yourself with unreasonable expectations.⁴
   3. Don't force yourself to write. You should write because you want to, not because you feel obligated to.⁵
3. Don't write on an empty stomach.¹
4. If possible, designate a private spot to write that you will not use for anything else.²
5. Clear your space of anything you might use to entertain yourself.¹
6. Disconnect the computer you use for writing from the internet.¹
7. You may want to consider giving your family boundaries and rules for when you're writing that can only be broken in the event of an emergency.
8. If you insist on listening to music while writing, choose music without lyrics.⁶

Step 2: The Basic Elements of Storytelling

• Think back on the novels you've read in the past. The one similar thing between them all is the elements the storyteller used to orchestrate the plot. No matter the size of the story you're telling, all stories are made up of the same basic elements. Before you can begin writing, you'll need to know what comprises a successful story.

1. Theme: The central, driving force of the story. It is often a reflection on life or human nature.⁷
2. Plot: Consists of the setting and conflict and drives the story from one point to the next.⁷
3. Characters/Protagonist: The people affected by the central action of the story.
4. Setting: The place and time during which the plot of the story is set.
5. Conflict/Antagonist: The conflict is the force that works against the characters.
   1. Conflict is usually established in the beginning.⁷
   2. Rising action is natural build-up from the conflict.
6. Climax: Turning point in the plot. The action and conflict reach a boiling point, and there is no turning back.⁷
7. Falling Action: Begins to wrap up the loose ends through the story.⁷
8. Resolution: All major points of conflict are concluded.⁷

Step 3: The Big Idea

• Now that you've established a safe, distraction-free zone, it's time to start thinking about your idea. It may have been an idea that inspired you to write a novel to begin with, but if not, you'll want to take some time to think about what you want your novel to be about.

• Your idea could be based on:

1. A special character you feel a connection to.⁶
2. Some unique setting you want to explore.⁶
3. A conflict you'd like to see play out.⁶
4. A conversation you overheard.
5. A dream you had.
6. Another storyline from a book you've read or film you've watched.⁸
7. The lyrics from a song you heard.⁸
8. A newspaper or magazine article you read.

• The truth is, you can find inspiration just about everywhere. There are many writing instructors who will tell you not to go beyond your comfort zone and to write what you know. You can also increase what you know by doing some research on an unfamiliar subject.

Step 4: Research and Outline

• You've got a clear image of how to tell a story, and the idea you wish to drive the plot of your novel. It's now time to start preparing for the writing process.

Research

• Whether you're writing in an unfamiliar time or setting or giving your character a unique occupation or situation, you will want to do your research to make sure every aspect of your story is believable.

1. Take advantage of your local library.
2. Use the internet, but don't rely on just any old page. Make sure it's accredited information.
3. Even if you're familiar with your subject, it doesn't hurt to do more research.
   • Example: If you're setting your novel in a town you've lived in, get to know everything you can about it, from its history and urban legends to the culture of its residents.⁹
4. If you've never been to the place you plan to write about, visit it and spend some time there.¹⁰
5. Read other fiction books set in the time or place you plan to write in.¹⁰
6. Don't overdo your research. Remember, writing a novel is a creative endeavor, and you should be making up the most interesting parts on your own.¹¹
7. Take a lot of notes that you can refer back to during the writing process.¹²
8. If you're creating an entire world from scratch, know it inside and out. Even the most minute details are important because they create a familiarity within you as you're writing, and you never know when you might draw on them in the story.⁵

• Organize all your notes and research in a binder that you can refer to with ease as you're working on your novel.

Outlining

• There are some people who believe that using an outline takes away from the creativity that comes from writing spontaneously. When you consider the magnitude of the novel, a little organization is more likely to help you than hinder you. A basic outline is a great way to keep track of where you want the story to go, while still allowing you the flexibility to be spontaneous and creative.

1. Having a basic idea of the structure will help you finish your novel.²
2. Don't be afraid to change things as you go.²
3. Think of an outline like a map of your story. It will allow you to check all alternative routes to make sure they still wind up at the end you planned.⁵
4. Try storyboarding, or writing things down scene by scene, on note cards that you can flip through whenever you need a refresher.³

Step 5: Creating Characters

• Creating believable characters is essential to your novel because the characters are what drive the story and keep the reader coming back for more. If the characters are well written you can leave a reader feeling like they're saying goodbye to an old friend by the end of your novel.

• Here are some things to keep in mind while creating your characters:

1. Really spend time getting to know your characters. Try interviewing them and saving the results for future reference.⁶
   1. Know what they believe in.
   2. What do they like and dislike.
   3. Where did they come from?
   4. What is their family situation?
   5. Know all their physical traits, from hair and eye color to scars and birthmarks.
   6. Who are their friends?
   7. What do they want in life?
2. Use speech and dialogue to develop recognizable character traits.³
   1. Is the person shy?
   2. Are they aggressive?
   3. How articulate are they?
   4. Do they use a noticeable regional dialect?
3. Write about characters you can enjoy spending time with.⁵
4. No one is perfect. People want to see characters with flaws they can relate to.
5. Characters need to change and adapt to the conflict that faces them.¹³
6. Try developing your character around the main conflict of the novel.¹⁴
7. Empathize, but don't sympathize with your characters.¹⁴
8. Don't be afraid to look to real life people you know for character inspiration.¹⁴

• There are a number of great character sheets online that you can download and fill out, or feel free to create your own.¹⁵

Step 6: The Writing Process

• You've committed to writing your novel. The research is done, and all of your characters are ready for their big debut. There are some important things you'll need to keep in mind as you're writing:

Point of View

• Point of view is the perspective from which the story will be told.⁹ Once you decide on the perspective, you want to maintain it throughout the story in order to avoid confusion.

1. First Person: Is an autobiographical account of events.³ The voice will reference: I, me, we.
2. Second Person: Is rarely used, as the voice speaks directly to the reader. It references, You, your, our.
3. Third Person Limited: Is when you have one main character through which all of the action is viewed, and there is limited access into character thoughts or feelings.³
4. Third Person Omniscient: Is when the plot follows the inner thoughts and feelings of several characters throughout the story.
   • Third person omniscient gives you the most freedom as a writer, but can also become confusing for the reader if not carefully executed.³

Dialogue

• This is how your characters will communicate with each other. Dialogue can be used to move scenes and the plot.

1. Define character through dialogue.³
   1. Refer to their history.
   2. Show emotion.
   3. Demonstrate temperament.
2. You can convey time and place.³
3. Move the plot along through the dialogue.³
4. Avoid telling dialogue tags.
   • Example 1: Jane cried excitedly, "John, get out of the water now!"
   • Example 2: Jane cried, "John, get out of the water now!"
5. Avoid useless and expository dialogue.³
   • Example: "Don Jones is on the phone, James," Gretta said. "You know, my friend Cathy's husband who lost his job after he was caught embezzling money."
6. Avoid exaggerating regional dialects.³ It would be impossible to read a whole novel that moved back and forth between a Scottish dialect and a U.S. Southern twang.
7. Study dialogue by listening to actual conversations between people, and remember that conversation doesn't always move in a linear pattern.

Show Don't Tell

• Those three words: show, don't tell are probably some of the most well-known words in writing, but what do they mean? When you're writing, you don't want to tell your reader everything that happens.¹² Think of it more like you're painting a picture for them with your words.

• • Example 1: Every day Travis tripped over the same brick in the sidewalk and stubbed his toe.

• Instead you want to show the reader how it happened:

• • Example 2: Travis stumbled forward, and cried, "Oaf!" It was like the brick leaped out of the sidewalk to trip him on purpose, and even though it happened every day, it never ceased to catch him by surprise.

• In Example 2, you get a feeling for Travis as a character, and it becomes easier to visualize him tripping. Writing actively will keep your reader interested in everything about the story and the characters.

Grammar and Spelling

• Yes, these things are both incredibly important, but don't worry about them so much while you're writing your first draft. You want to focus more on getting your novel out and on paper. After you're finished with the first draft, then you can go back through and polish it up.¹⁶

Writer's Block

• It happens to every single one of us. Some believe that the more experienced you are as a writer, the less likely you are to go through it, but writer's block doesn't care about how much experience you have as a writer. Here are some tricks that may help you break through the block:

1. Keep writing.¹⁶ That's right. Even if everything that comes out of you is garbage, you're still writing. You can worry about taking out the garbage later. It is essential you do everything you can to keep writing.
2. Get rid of any expectations you have right now, and again, just write.
3. Turn off your inner-editor.⁶
4. Review your notes to see if you somehow got off course.⁶
5. Take a short break, go for a walk and clear your head, but don't wander too far or too long.
6. Remind yourself that this is just the first draft, and your main goal now is to get the basics of the story out on paper.⁶

• Visit Mahalo's page How to Beat Writer's Block for additional tips on beating the blank page.

Step 7: Revising and Rewriting

• A big sigh of relief is going to come the minute you finish that first draft. You stuck it out and saw it through, but where do you go from here? Author Walter Mosley describes the finished first draft as: "a rich uncultivated field for the farmer: it is waiting for you to bring it into full bloom."¹⁷

1. Print out a copy of the completed first draft.¹⁸
2. Present a copy to your writer's group and ask for an honest critique.¹⁸
3. Read the first draft yourself and take detailed notes you can refer to later.
4. Listen with an open mind to all criticism and thoughts your readers have.
5. Start writing the second draft, fixing obvious grammar and spelling mistakes and filling in any gaping plot holes.
   • Don't be afraid to make changes, even major ones.¹⁸

• Realize now that it may take two, three or even more drafts to get things right. Don't let this discourage you. Just keep reminding yourself that you've come this far.

Join a Writer's Group

• If you haven't already done so, you may want to consider joining a writer's community either online or locally. Having a group of fellow writers to workshop and critique with can make all the difference in the editing of your novel.

Conclusion

• Congratulations! You've completed your novel and deserve a pat on the back for seeing it through. Where do you go from here? Chances are you're considering publication. There are many choices these days, from self-publishing and subsidy publishing to traditional publishing. Be sure to research the market, and follow all editorial notes to the letter. Good luck, and happy writing!

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References for How to Write a Novel

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} Media Circus: How to Write a Novel (August 2007)
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} Deep Genre: How to write a Novel (Part 1) (January 15, 2008)
3. ↑ ^{3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11} Steampunk: Advice on Novel Writing by Crawford Kilian
4. ↑ SelfGrowth.com: How to Start a Novel (2006)
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3} HollyLisle.com: How to Finish a Novel
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7} Victory Page for Writers: Writing Your First Novel (2003)
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5} ThinkQuest: Parts of a Story
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} WikiHow: How to Write a Novel
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} How To Do Things.com: How to Write Your First Novel: Writing the Story
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} Epstein LaRue: 12 Ways to Research Your Historical Novel
11. ↑ Pohangina Pete: How Thoroughly Should You Research Your Novel? (May 9, 2004)
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1} Write101.com: How to Write a Darned Good Novel
13. ↑ Learn the Elements of a Novel: Character Arc & Development
14. ↑ ^{14.0 14.1 14.2} HollyLisle.com: How to Create a Character
15. ↑ The Scriptorium: Character Sketch Builder
16. ↑ ^{16.0 16.1} The Hal Spacejock Series: How to Write a Novel
17. ↑ NPR: Stop Reading and Start Writing (April 17, 2007)
18. ↑ ^{18.0 18.1 18.2} Deep Genre: How to Write a Novel (Part 2) (January 21, 2008)

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