The Key To Your Success as a Novelist: How To Start a Novel The Right Way
Posted by
patrick
If you are really serious about wanting to write a compelling, well-written novel that will have the best chance of being published, there is one thing you must do before you even write one word.
Craft an Inspiring Blueprint To Guide You Every Step of The 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.
Get To Know Your Characters
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 most important characters in your novel?
What do they look like, how old are they, what makes them unique?
What are their idiosyncrasies, habits, personality traits?
Explore their background, family history, and defining past experiences.
What do they love/hate/fear?
What are the deepest dreams in their hearts? What do they most want and what are the internal and external obstacles in the way of getting it?
Use this time to really connect with your characters on a deep level. Once you feel invested in them and feel you understand the essence of who they are, you're ready to go on to the next step.
Create Your Novel's World
Next, you will want to take some time to decide on the key details of location and setting for your novel so that these, too, will come alive in your imagination. Here are some questions to consider:
What is the region, country, and/or state where your characters live and interact?
Time frame for your novel: When does it take place and over what period of time?
What are the key settings for the novel? the house, the business, the ship, etc.
What season(s) will be portrayed?
Are there important objects for the story? heirlooms, treasured gifts, magical talismans, etc.
Plan Out Where You Want To Go
Next, you should take the time to work out a tight, compelling plot and overall structure that flows logically from point to point and culminates in a page-turning climax. The character work you did in step one will help you understand the basic conflicts and issues that your novel will address. There are a number of helpful story structures that writers can use as a foundation for writing, but essentially these plot outlines help you clarify a few key questions:
What is the starting place for your characters? What is their life like at this point?
What is their overall goal?
What is in the way of them accomplishing their goals?
How do your characters overcome these obstacles?
When it comes to basic structure, here's a simple outline to follow: Typically, your main character will make a change that helps them progress toward their goal about a third of the way through the plot. Then, they encounter some obstacles that make them falter at the half way point. Then about 2/3 of the way through, they'll backtrack and lose what gains they've made. From this point, they move toward the climax as they make a renewed commitment to their goal and experience ultimate success.
Taking the Time For This Crucial Step Leads to Success
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.
Craft an Inspiring Blueprint To Guide You Every Step of The 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.
Get To Know Your Characters
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 most important characters in your novel?
What do they look like, how old are they, what makes them unique?
What are their idiosyncrasies, habits, personality traits?
Explore their background, family history, and defining past experiences.
What do they love/hate/fear?
What are the deepest dreams in their hearts? What do they most want and what are the internal and external obstacles in the way of getting it?
Use this time to really connect with your characters on a deep level. Once you feel invested in them and feel you understand the essence of who they are, you're ready to go on to the next step.
Create Your Novel's World
Next, you will want to take some time to decide on the key details of location and setting for your novel so that these, too, will come alive in your imagination. Here are some questions to consider:
What is the region, country, and/or state where your characters live and interact?
Time frame for your novel: When does it take place and over what period of time?
What are the key settings for the novel? the house, the business, the ship, etc.
What season(s) will be portrayed?
Are there important objects for the story? heirlooms, treasured gifts, magical talismans, etc.
Plan Out Where You Want To Go
Next, you should take the time to work out a tight, compelling plot and overall structure that flows logically from point to point and culminates in a page-turning climax. The character work you did in step one will help you understand the basic conflicts and issues that your novel will address. There are a number of helpful story structures that writers can use as a foundation for writing, but essentially these plot outlines help you clarify a few key questions:
What is the starting place for your characters? What is their life like at this point?
What is their overall goal?
What is in the way of them accomplishing their goals?
How do your characters overcome these obstacles?
When it comes to basic structure, here's a simple outline to follow: Typically, your main character will make a change that helps them progress toward their goal about a third of the way through the plot. Then, they encounter some obstacles that make them falter at the half way point. Then about 2/3 of the way through, they'll backtrack and lose what gains they've made. From this point, they move toward the climax as they make a renewed commitment to their goal and experience ultimate success.
Taking the Time For This Crucial Step Leads to Success
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.
About the Author:
If you would like more guidance about how to go about each of these steps as you start your novel, there are a number of very good novel writing software programs that will walk you through the process. Visit this informative website for writing for more helpful ideas and resources to help you write your novel.
Posts
Post a Comment