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Jul 17, 2020 · 3. Create a challenge. If your character’s biggest goal is one side of the storytelling coin, then the central conflict is the other — you need to have both in a novel. Only when there’s something to impede the protagonist in their quest can there be the rising stakes that readers so desire and enjoy.
- Tom Bromley
- Plan and structure your book and your time. Writing a book is a mid- to long-term project (unless you are one of those rare authors who can churn a book out in a week or two).
- Keep any research you need in an organized, accessible place. Some books demand more background research than others. If you are writing about an unfamiliar location, take a tour on Google Street View and note down landmarks and what the architecture or natural environment is like.
- Write every day, without fail. As author Steven Raichlen says in his post on how to write a first novel for Writer’s Digest: ‘The secret to writing a novel — or any book — is writing.
- Put excuses for not writing and put them to one side. As writers we find endless reasons why we can’t write: “I don’t have the time” and “my writing sucks” are two common ones.
Mar 25, 2019 · In this article, I will break down the major steps of novel writing into manageable pieces, organized into three categories — before, during, and after you write your manuscript. How to write a novel in 13 steps: 1. Pick a story idea with novel potential. 2.
- Tom Bromley
- 1. If you’re struggling with coming up with even the seed of an idea, don’t fret. There is literally an endless supply of novel topics out there, a...
- 2. If you want your novel to be attractive to prospective readers, you need to first understand how to think like a reader. And the way to do that...
- 3. You know how when gossip moves through the grapevine, it tends to stray further and further from the truth as it passes from person to person? T...
- 4. The key here is context — and the context or setting of your novel will dictate everything about it, from character to plot to conflict, and bey...
- 5. While it is definitely important for an author to picture what their characters look like, starting from the inside and working your way out is...
- 6. The conflict is what will make your character’s path to achieving (or not achieving) their goal interesting to readers — it’s the sum total of t...
- 7. In the world of fiction writing, there’s often said to be two kinds of writers: plotters and pantsers. Plotters, as you might have guessed, plan...
- 8. While it’s true that all stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end, you can drastically change how readers perceive your novel by altering...
- 9. No, not like if you’re going to be a plotter or pantser, or how to work up the motivation to keep going. But literally: how are you going to wri...
- 10. Who is going to want to read your book? Nope, not everyone. If you look at your own bookshelf, you might find a variety of literature, but ther...
- Nail-down a winning story idea. Is your novel concept special? Big enough to warrant 75,000 to 100,000 words? Powerful enough to hold the reader all the way?
- Determine whether you’re an Outliner or a Pantser. If you’re an Outliner, you prefer to map out everything before you start writing your novel.
- Create an unforgettable main character. Your most important character will be your protagonist, also known as your lead or your hero/heroine. This main character must experience a life arc — in other words, be a different, better or worse, stronger or weaker person by the end.
- Expand your idea into a plot. True Pantsers — yes, even some bestselling novelists — don’t plot. Here’s the downside: Like me, you might love being a Pantser and writing as a process of discovery, BUT — even we non-Outliners need some modicum of structure.
- Brainstorm. If you’ve decided to write a novel, you’ve probably been inspired by a story idea. But whether you have a whole world planned or just a single sentence that serves as a logline, here are two key tips to keep in mind
- Start Developing Characters. A novel can have the greatest premise in the world, but it won’t hold up unless you create characters your audience can invest in.
- Decide on a Point of View. Once you understand your characters, you’ll be able to figure out what narrative voice you want to use. Will you write in the first person or in the third person?
- Outline. Writing fiction requires thorough structure and careful attention to detail. Here are six writing tips to help you inject that structure and detail into your outline, and hopefully create a good story in the process.
Apr 5, 2021 · Writing a novel takes a very long time. It’s one of the biggest creative endeavours a person can take on. This is why it is really important you don’t get distracted or side-tracked every fifteen minutes by doing something that isn’t actually writing. 5) Write with your right brain…. Edit with your left.
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Refine your style and know your genre well before you begin writing. Image via Kaboompics 4. Fill in the gaps. Back when we discussed plot, we mentioned filling in the gaps. Well here we are, and here’s how to do it… [optin] Plot & Sub-plot. By now you may know the major events in the novel – the beginning, the middle and the end.
