So, you’ve decided to sit down and write your novel — great! But first up, you’ve probably guessed that writing a full-length book is so much more than grinding away at a computer for hours on end (though this may well be what most of your time is taken up by). Before you do that, however, there are 9 steps you’ll want to take note of and follow throughout the process.
As an author, that planning a novel is one of the most comprehensive, lengthy, frustrating and rewarding things you’ll ever do. But once you know how to write a novel and have your plan laid out, you’ll cruise along, getting in touch with your characters, immersing yourself in your world, and having the time of your life.
But first, you need to know exactly how to plan a novel. In this guide, I’ll take you through the 9 steps that were lifesavers while writing my own books and that countless published authors will swear by. Think of it as the novelist’s code of honour. It’s worth noting that this probably won’t be the only guide on how to write a novel that you’ll read — far from it. Take what you will from this and any other resources on planning and writing novels, and you’ll accumulate your knowledge and put it into practice with your own work — and be rewarded for it.
How to Write a Novel: Step Zero
The very first thing you’ll want to do (and if you’re planning to write a novel, you’ve probably already done) is read other books. Think of this as Step Zero. There’s no other way to put it; unless you’ve read what other authors have been so successful with, you won’t be able to apply that to your own work. You can read all the guides and attend all the classes you want, but reading is where the true lessons lie. In your reading adventures, you’ll naturally accumulate the following skills, ideas, and concepts:
- Effective (and not so effective) plot structures and narrative tropes
- Reading and writing different points of view (POV)
- Interesting subplots
- Symbolism, imagery, and emotive language
- Dialogue and characterisation
Here are some other key understandings of how to write a novel you’ll want to keep in mind:
- There is an infinite range of novel genres and subgenres out there, each with its own set of conventions and expectations
- Each book you read has a specific target audience
- Some of the best and most interesting novels blend genres to create their own hybrid themes
- The most popular authors have their own unique voice that shines through and sets them apart
Now, let’s dive into the process of planning a novel. Here are my 9 key steps:
Step 1: Finding Your Inspiration
In your reading experience, you’ll have encountered books you like, books you don’t like, and books you love. If you’re anything like me, it’s the latter that will truly inspire you to write your own novel. You want to be able to provide what they can, but you want to do it your own way, with your own story. Just don’t take too much inspiration from other books. You are what you read, so read widely!
Often, inspiration also comes from failed book hunts. If you’ve been searching endlessly for a book that you’re sure must exist, something you’ve been longing to read but no one seems to have written yet… Write that book! You’ve had an original idea, and those are rarer than original IPs in Hollywood, so you know there’s new ground to cover (and money to be made, but that’s beside the point, isn’t it?)
Step 2: Defining Your Genre and Audience
You’ve got your inspiration; now comes the next question: who is it for? If your book is going to sell, you have to know who’s going to be reading it — what they’re looking for, why they’re looking for it, and how they’re going to find it. Think basic genres and then more complex subgenres, demographics, countries, and personalities. In this competitive world, saying that you’re writing a novel just for yourself is not enough — you should be able to describe the ideal reader for your novel (not you!) at the drop of the hat, even when you’re asleep.
Step 3: Creating Memorable Characters
You may have the greatest idea in the history of literature and the most fleshed-out world-building ever put to text, but all of that is nothing if your characters aren’t memorable. That’s why this step in the novel planning process comes before all the actual writing.
A memorable and effective character will:
- Have a clear point of view and a strong voice
- Remind your readers (and yourself) of real people
- Have an interesting past to delve into
- Change and develop over the course of the novel
Here are some quick tips for developing your characters:
- Give them unique and human mannerisms and quirks
- Make them an agent of action who moves the plot along — and is affected by it
- Consider how they react to various events and circumstances
- Write realistic dialogue for them that flows well when read aloud
- Create their backstory before you start writing them
- Give them a key drive or desire
- Craft or choose a memorable name that suits their personality
- Place them in your setting and see if they fit in (or don’t)
Step 4: Crafting a Captivating Plot
You may have heard of the three act structure: Setup, Confrontation, and Resolution.
Not all plots adhere to the three-act rule. There are various narratives that follow seven, nine or even thirteen-act structures. But pretty much every single one can be summarised back down to three distinct sections.
‘Writing a novel is supposed to be creative,’ I hear you say. ‘How can I express myself if I follow templates and stages that everyone else uses?’
I’ve got news for you: even the best, most mind-blowingly creative works of literature all have a structural outline that their authors adhere to, with varying degrees of rigidity. If you sit down and just start tapping away, you may come up with some incredible free-flow writing and amazing descriptions, but all of that will be removed from the context of your plot and what your narrative is working towards.
Now, I’m not saying you need Excel sheets upon sheets of plot threads, timelines, chapter lengths, and words per chapter: that would be excessive (though it may work well for more data-driven writers, in which case, go for it!) You do, however, need to know what’s going to happen, when it’s going to happen, and how you’re going to convey it when it does, and the best way to do that is map out your key plot points and determine what act of your narrative it belongs to.
Step 5: World-Building
World-building isn’t a step exclusive to fantasy or science fiction novels — it’s crucial to all novel genres. Regardless of what type of world, every book takes place in one. Whether that’s present-day America, ancient Egypt, an elvish queendom, a galactic space station, or your childhood bedroom — you’re going to have to build and represent that in text, and this isn’t a movie; you don’t have visuals to rely on. All you have is a writer’s greatest strength: your imagination and the ability to transfer that to everyone who reads your work. Make notes, draw maps, sketch diagrams, or take photos — whatever works. Just make sure you’ve got a world that you’ll write consistently, strongly, and believably.
Step 6: Writing (Finally!)
You’ve got your inspiration, genre, character, plot and world, so at long last, it’s time to sit down and actually write that novel you’ve been dreaming of.
Now that you’re no longer planning a novel and are actually writing it, don’t be afraid to let your own natural voice shine through. You may be following your outline, but that doesn’t mean your voice should be as rigid as your extensive notes. A great plot is one thing, but writing an interesting narrative is another skill entirely.
Hone your craft by writing diverse scenes — write content completely irrelevant to your book for practice — and doing what you’re most afraid of. Having trouble with dialogue? Write a scene that’s nothing but dialogue. Worried about descriptions? Describe every setting in your world with vivid detail and incorporate all of your senses into your words.
Step 7: Overcoming Writer’s Block
This isn’t an official step in the writing process, but it is undeniably a step, nonetheless. All writer’s fight an eternal battle with writer’s block, and you are the latest draftee. Here’s your toolset for overcoming this shadowy, monstrous enemy:
- Do some freewriting and just let your thoughts flow onto the page
- Set realistic goals, whether it’s a time limit or word count, and meet them
- Move to a different part of the story if you’re stuck
- Take a break and read, watch a movie, or listen to music — you may even find new inspiration
- Use writing prompts or exercises to get your brain whirring
- Talk out your ideas with a trusted friend or writing partner
Step 8: Editing and Revising
You’ve finished your book — congratulations! Now it’s time to go over it again, and again, and again. Proofreading, editing and revision is perhaps the longest step in the novel planning and writing process. It’s almost impossible to get everything completely right on the first draft. Personally, my first book went through no less than seventeen iterations before I finally declared it finished — and I’ll probably dive in yet again to tweak something before you’ve read this paragraph!
When you’re editing, keep an eye out for the following things to amend:
- Typos, grammar, punctuation, spelling, and general flow. Use your word processing software’s editor or a third-party tool like Grammarly to weed out all the errors.
- Inconsistencies — I’m talking character names varying wildly from page to page, giant gaping plot holes, and anything that sticks out. If you’ve gone through various name and place changes, use find and replace to check that you’ve culled all uses of the old names and words.
- Formatting: e.g. Paragraph spacing, page breaks, section breaks, and more. As someone who tends to hyper-fixate on these elements more than I should, there’s nothing worse than exporting the whole book (let alone printing it) and then seeing that you’ve missed an indent on page 342.
Step 9: Finalising Your Manuscript
You’ve written your novel, finished editing and you’re happy with your work, so it must finally be time to get published, right? Right?
Nope, it’s time for alpha and beta readers! Before you submit your manuscript to agents and publishers, you’ll probably want to share it with someone who can provide honest feedback and criticism. Choose someone you can trust to provide good feedback and read with attention, someone like your parent or good friend. Remember, you’ve been staring at this document for months, maybe even years. Once you’ve spent that much time on something, it’s impossible to go back to fresh eyes. But your beta readers can give you that valuable first impression you need.
This is also an excellent time to reach out to professional proofreaders and editors who can provide an unbiased assessment of your novel. Finding the right writing service provider who can take the time and energy to read and work with you on your book can make the world of difference, especially at this time when you’re at the end of a long journey and want to make the final push to submissions and publication.
Final Thoughts
And there you have it: the code of honour for novelists. Planning a novel almost always ends up taking longer than you think, so if you’ve got any deadlines to meet, be sure to account for planning as well as writing!
Now, this guide isn’t to say that there’s only one way of writing or planning a novel or that you must follow those steps in that order. You’ll probably come across different articles outline wildly conflicting steps when you search ‘how to write a novel’. Only you can form your own novel planning and writing process; this is simply a brief model for people thinking about writing their own book. No one novel is the same as another, and you’ll doubtless run into countless setbacks, delays, roadblocks, and sleepless nights. But that’s all a part of being a writer, isn’t it?
If you liked this blog, please feel free to sign up for my newsletter so you can be notified when I post! Stay tuned for more helpful guides on planning a novel, writing, and more.
Good luck, happy writing, and make sure to stock up on the coffee — you’ll need it.
— PB
