How To Start Writing A Novel: A Guide For Newbies (Part 3)

So, you’re ready to write your first novel. That’s a great idea because it will allow you to create something that you can hold in your hands and show off to family and friends. 

But where do you start? You’ve got an idea for the plot and characters, but how do you turn that into words on paper or digital files?

Takeaways
Embrace your creativity and don’t be afraid to start writing.
Outline your plot, characters, and setting before diving into the writing process.
Establish a consistent writing routine to maintain momentum.
Don’t strive for perfection in your first draft; focus on getting your ideas down.
Seek inspiration from various sources, such as books, movies, or personal experiences.
Join writing communities or workshops to connect with fellow writers and learn from their experiences.
Be patient with yourself and understand that writing a novel is a gradual process.
Revise and edit your work to refine your story’s structure and enhance its readability.
Stay open to feedback and consider beta readers to get fresh perspectives on your work.
Celebrate small victories along the way, whether it’s completing a chapter or reaching a word count goal.

Outline The Main Plot

Now that you have your character and setting, it’s time to give them a problem they need to overcome. The main plot is central to your story and generally revolves around the protagonist trying to achieve something in their lives or make an important discovery. 

A sub-plot usually complicates this goal by introducing another problem (or several) that must be overcome before reaching their goal.

The key thing here is that each scene should help move things forward towards that resolution with either new information or actionable steps taken by your characters as they strive toward success (or failure). 

It may also include scenes that foreshadow future developments in the story itself or show how other characters are impacted by whatever happens next on both sides of any conflicts between them which would be part of what makes up those secondary storylines called “subplots.”

Outlining can seem like a daunting task when starting because we’re used to watching movies where whole scenes unfold without ever seeing how they were written firsthand from beginning through the end without stopping at all along the way just so readers could enjoy everything happening at once instead…

Writing a novel is a journey filled with excitement and challenges. If you’re new to this creative endeavor, our comprehensive guide on how to start writing a novel as a newbie will provide you with essential insights and steps to embark on your writing adventure.

Outline The Sub-Plot

Now that we’ve mapped out the main plot, it’s time to bring in a subplot. Sub-plots are smaller stories that are woven into the main plot of your novel. 

They can be used to show how two characters relate or they can be used to show the consequences of a major decision made by a character.

A good example of this is Breaking Bad, where Walter White’s wife Skylar begins working at an accounting firm after he quits his job as a chemistry teacher and starts cooking meth full time. 

This gives her access to company accounts and financial records, which she uses to help him launder his illegal gains under the guise of “business expenses”. 

But when Skylar finds out what Walter has been hiding from her all along (that he’s been dealing drugs), she decides enough is enough: she leaves him for good and goes back home with their son, Walt Jr., leaving behind her husband and their life together in Albuquerque!

Outline Your Characters

Outlining your characters is a necessary part of the novel writing process. You can’t write an engaging story without characters that feel real to readers. 

A strong character outline is necessary for making sure that your characters are compelling, complex, and relatable. By creating an outline of your characters before you get started on the first draft, you will create a foundation for building them in later drafts.

The best way to start this step in the novel writing process is by brainstorming ways in which a particular scene might play out or what qualities each character has that might be important in those scenes (i.e., their personality traits). 

Then create a list of everything you know about your main character(s). These items should include things like their appearance; backstory; personality traits such as kindness or selfishness; relationships with other characters; goals they want to achieve (and why); 

Flaws that prevent them from achieving those goals; needs these flaws to leave unmet; fears related to these flaws being realized by others around them anything else related directly or indirectly back towards their overall goal!

As an aspiring novelist, it’s crucial to learn from those who have walked the path before you. Our article on top 10 tips for the aspiring novel writer offers valuable advice from experienced writers to help you hone your craft and navigate the challenges of writing a novel.

Start Writing!

The first draft is the most important part of your novel. It doesn’t matter how long it takes to write, or how many months or years it takes for you to complete it as long as you start writing and keep going.

In the next chapter of this series, we’ll talk about editing and revising your novel so that it flows well from start to finish. But before you do any editing or revising, try to get down as much raw material as possible in the first draft stage. 

This can take anywhere from a few hours in some cases (if you’re fast) up until several weeks or months (if you like perfectionism).

Whatever amount of time it takes for someone else may not be enough for me but that’s okay! Each person has their unique style of writing; what works best for one person might not work well for another person at all! 

So don’t feel bad if yours isn’t perfect yet–just keep working on making sure that no matter what happens next–you’re always enjoying yourself while doing so 🙂

Take Your Time With Getting To Know Your Characters

The most important part of writing a novel is getting to know your characters. You must know them as well as you know yourself, so let’s start at the beginning!

Know Their History

Get to know your characters’ history, personality, motivations, and goals for the future. What are their strengths and weaknesses? How do they interact with other characters? Do they have any physical or personality quirks that come up throughout the story? 

And most importantly: what does each character look like? You don’t need to be able to draw a picture of every single one of them perfectly (this will come later), but it helps if you can visualize what they look like in your head before diving into writing dialogue scenes between them.

Also important: remember that not all protagonists are perfect beings; give each one some faults or flaws so that they’re more realistic and relatable!

Every writer faces obstacles that can stall their creative progress. Discover effective strategies in how I keep going when my novel writing hits a wall to overcome writer’s block and maintain your momentum throughout your novel-writing journey.

Have Fun Creating Conflict And Working On The Plot

Now that you have an idea for your novel, it’s time to start writing. You’ve got the characters, setting, and plot in place; now you just need to write it down. 

That’s where most people get stuck. They’re afraid of making mistakes or not writing well enough or not having enough time or any number of other things that can prevent them from completing their novel.

Use this handy checklist as a guide:

Don’t worry about perfection! Your first draft will probably be full of typos and grammatical errors. It doesn’t matter! Just keep going until the book is finished – then reread it later when you have more experience writing novels!

Don’t be afraid to change things if they don’t work out how they were supposed to – I mean, look at me here: 

I originally wrote this sentence three times before finally deleting all four words together because they didn’t make sense anymore due to my earlier changes (hence why nothing makes sense right now.)

Research If Needed

Being a writer means being able to research, so you must know how to go about it.

Research is important because it can help you find inspiration for your writing. For example, if you’re going to write a story about a group of friends who are musicians and love playing music together, doing some research on what it takes to start a band may be helpful. 

Reading up on the subject will give you an idea of what goes into starting up a band and what challenges they face along the way – which could be used in your book!

You’ll also want to do some research into things like character development and plot development before getting started with your novel. 

Planning can make all the difference when it comes time for writing because then you’ll have more than just an idea: You’ll know exactly where things are heading!

Break The Story Into Sections And Work On Each Section Until It’s Finished

Now that you’ve figured out what your novel is about, it’s time to break the story into sections and work on each section until it’s finished. You can do this by creating an outline or simply by writing a summary of each chapter in the form of a few sentences.

Once you’ve broken the story into sections, set yourself a word count goal for each section, and don’t move on until you reach that word count. 

Don’t worry about the overall story or “flow” while writing your first draft your job at this point is just to get everything down on paper as quickly as possible!

Are you eager to start writing a novel but not sure where to begin? Our insightful article with 17 tips for anyone wanting to write a novel offers practical advice and inspiration to kick-start your writing process and create a compelling story.

Set A Word Count Or Page Count Goal For Each Section And Don’t Move On Until You’ve Reached Them

You may be surprised to learn that many writers set goals for themselves. This isn’t just so they can brag about how many words or pages they wrote each day. Instead, it’s because setting a goal helps you focus on what you need to do in order to reach it. 

When we’re working toward something, we tend not to lose motivation as easily and therefore get more done than if we were just aimlessly writing without any sense of direction or purpose.

It’s also important that your word count goal isn’t too high or too low; going overboard will cause burnout while not giving yourself enough time or effort may result in unsatisfactory results. For example, my personal goal is 1k per day (which translates into roughly 2-3k per week). 

If I’m feeling like my writing is especially good that day, then maybe I’ll extend myself and try 2k instead of sticking with only 1k but at no point am I going above 3k per day!

Hire An Editor And/Or Beta Readers To Give You Feedback As You Go Along

Now that you’ve got a few chapters down, and your manuscript is at least halfway to being ready for publication, it’s time to get some feedback from an editor or beta reader.

Asking someone else to read your book before it’s finished can be terrifying, but it’s essential if you want to make sure your writing is good enough for the market. 

Even if you’re not quite ready for publication yet (and who is?), this step will help you improve upon weaknesses in your story as well as provide insight into what readers are looking for in a novel like yours.

It’s also important to remember that there is no such thing as too much feedback if someone gives a suggestion, just consider whether or not it will work with what you have written so far and go from there. 

Don’t worry about changing things around too much; the point here isn’t necessarily perfectionism but making sure everything flows naturally together into one cohesive piece of writing.

Work On One Section Of The Novel At A Time Until You Have A First Draft, Then Hire People To Give Feedback

Now that you’ve laid the groundwork, it’s time to get down to business. You need to create a plan and execute it to make progress on your novel.

Writing is a muscle and like any other muscle, if you don’t use it, it won’t get stronger. The same principle applies here: if you don’t write regularly, then the words won’t flow easily when they count most. To get better at writing novels (or anything else), practice makes perfect!

The best way I’ve found for managing this process is by breaking down my work into manageable chunks of time no more than 1 hour per day or 5 hours per week.

And then keeping track of how many words I’m writing each day so that I can see my progress over time and celebrate myself for getting things done!

The challenge of writing a novel in a limited timeframe is daunting but achievable with the right approach. Learn how to tackle this ambitious goal in our guide on how to write a novel in 30 days or less, where we provide a structured plan to help you complete your novel efficiently.

Conclusion

Writing a novel is an exciting and overwhelming adventure. If you’re just starting, don’t worry about how long it takes. The most important thing is that you keep writing! 

Even if it’s just for an hour each day, make sure you’re putting in some time every day so that your story comes together smoothly without getting stuck on any one part of the process forever.

Further Reading

Tips for Starting to Write a Novel: Explore essential tips and advice to kickstart your novel-writing journey.

Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners: How to Start Writing a Novel: A comprehensive guide providing step-by-step instructions for novice writers who want to begin writing a novel.

How to Start Writing a Novel as a Beginner: Learn valuable insights and strategies to initiate your novel-writing process, especially if you’re new to the craft.

Now, here’s the “FAQs” section based on the semantic of the TITLE, with five questions and answers:

FAQs

How can I effectively start writing a novel as a beginner?

Starting a novel as a beginner requires careful planning and determination. Begin by outlining your plot and characters, setting a writing schedule, and seeking inspiration from various sources.

What are some practical tips for beginners who want to start writing a novel?

For beginners, it’s crucial to establish a writing routine, set achievable goals, and embrace the drafting process without aiming for perfection. Also, consider taking writing courses or seeking advice from experienced authors.

Is there a step-by-step guide available for beginners looking to write a novel?

Absolutely. A step-by-step guide can provide a clear roadmap for beginners. It usually involves brainstorming ideas, creating outlines, developing characters, and gradually building your story’s structure.

How do I overcome writer’s block when starting to write a novel?

Writer’s block is common, even when starting a novel. To overcome it, try freewriting, changing your writing environment, or taking breaks. Sometimes, simply writing anything that comes to mind can help unlock your creativity.

What resources are available for beginners seeking guidance on writing their first novel?

There are various resources available, including writing communities, online courses, writing blogs, and books about novel writing. Engaging with these resources can provide insights, tips, and a supportive community to help you get started.