A Guide To Writing

There is one key step that all serious authors must take before they begin writing their novel. This step will ensure that they write the best novel possible and it’s one many writers overlook. However, if you want to write a novel that publishers and readers will love, you really must start here.

Begin With Your Overarching Vision: The Map That Will Guide Your Way

Before you begin your novel, it’s important to first clarify your initial novel ideas and bring them together into a unified whole that will guide you throughout the process of writing. You’ll want to be sure to focus on these three essential areas: characters, setting, and plot. Once you have worked out the details of how you see each of these areas, you’ll have a clear blueprint to follow as you proceed through the writing phase of your novel.

Let Your Characters Introduce Themselves

The first step in this process is to get to know your characters deeply. You want to develop them from your vague initial ideas into rich, multi-dimensional people that live in your imagination. You want to explore the essence of your characters so thoroughly that you and your readers feel genuinely interested in who they are and compelled to join them on the journey through your novel. You can begin this process by asking yourself some basic questions about each character:

Who are the key players in your story?

Physical Appearance: how they look, age, ethnicity, defining characteristics.

What is their personality like? habits, idiosyncrasies, temperament.

Where do they come from? i.e. family background, past experiences that made them who they are today.

What are their loves, hates, fears?

What do they want most out of life and what is keeping them from achieving this?

Let yourself go deeper and deeper into your characters lives and passions until you have a real sense that you know who they are and are intrigued by them. Then you’re ready for the next step.

Invent the World Of Your Novel

For the next step, take some time to explore the central locations and environments for your novel until you can really imagine yourself there. Here are some questions to get you started:

In which state, country, or region does your novel take place?

When does it take place: present, past, future?

Where does your novel take place specifically? i.e. house, business, castle, spaceship and what is it like there?

Does your novel span different seasons? Describe what they are like in this locale.

Are there key props/elements that are important to the story? i.e. a treasure map, a locket, an old tree.

Plot: Explore Where Your Novel Will Go

In this next step, you’re going to work out what happens in your novel step-by-step. You want to work it through until you have a storyline that feels interesting and compelling and culminates in a powerful climax. There are a variety of different methods for structuring your novel but at the most basic level, they all need you to answer the following essential questions:

Where are your characters starting from at the beginning of your novel?

What problem are they starting with and what do they want to change?

What is in the way of them accomplishing their goals?

What strategies do your characters use to overcome these obstacles?

As to basic structure: Often your character will have some initial success about a third of the way through the story. Then, complications are introduced and things begin to fall apart about halfway through the novel. Next, your characters will have an experience of failure or loss about 2/3 of the way through your novel. This then leads to a deeper re-commitment to their goal and final push which eventually climaxes in the greatest effort and ultimate success.

It’s Really Worth Taking the Time To Know Where You’re Going

If you take the time to complete this important step, you will be rewarded with an inspiring, step-by-step blueprint that will guide you through the vast expanse of your novel. I encourage you to take the time to get to know your characters deeply, imagine your settings vividly, and know the through line of your plot. Having these ideas clearly thought out ahead of time will make the process of writing your novel easier and more enjoyable that you would have ever thought possible.