Three Easy Steps to Knowing Just How to Start Your Novel Now
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.
Begin With Your Overarching Vision: The Map That Will Guide Your Way
Your first step is to explore and develop your novel ideas so you have a clear road map to take you from the beginning to the end of your novel. By clarifying the essential details related to your characters, the core settings for your story, and the structure of your plot, you will eventually clarify the overall concept for your novel and have a usable road map to help keep you moving forward through the process of actual writing.
Let Your Characters Introduce Themselves
To start with, you'll want to really explore who your characters are and what is important to them. Starting from the seed of your initial ideas, you can give each character depth and dimension by asking yourself a series of key questions about their lives and motivations. As you go through this process, eventually your characters will come alive for you in your imagination. You will know them and feel for them and feel invested in where they are headed. To help you get there, explore the following questions for each character:
Who are the key players in your story?
What do they look like, how old are they, what makes them unique?
What are their idiosyncrasies, habits, personality traits?
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?
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
Now you're ready to discover the details of where your novel takes place. Use the following questions to help you explore settings and environments until you can really imagine them clearly in your mind.
In which state, country, or region does your novel take place?
When does it take place: present, past, future?
Describe the key places that your novel takes place: how do they look and feel?
What season(s) will be portrayed?
Are there key props/elements that are important to the story? i.e. a treasure map, a locket, an old tree.
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:
Where are your main characters starting from?
What do your main characters want to happen at this point?
What are the obstacles in the way of achieving their goal?
What strategies do your characters use to overcome these obstacles?
Here's a basic structure that you can use: Your character will usually have an experience of some success at their goal about 1/3 of the way through your novel. Then about half way through, what they've accomplished begins to get more complicated than they expected and additional obstacles are introduced. About 2/3 of the way through your plot, the main character often loses what they've gained and tries to return to what they had at the beginning. This then leads to disappointment and eventual re-commitment to their original goal. At the climax, they find the strength overcome the final obstacle which leads to 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.
Begin With Your Overarching Vision: The Map That Will Guide Your Way
Your first step is to explore and develop your novel ideas so you have a clear road map to take you from the beginning to the end of your novel. By clarifying the essential details related to your characters, the core settings for your story, and the structure of your plot, you will eventually clarify the overall concept for your novel and have a usable road map to help keep you moving forward through the process of actual writing.
Let Your Characters Introduce Themselves
To start with, you'll want to really explore who your characters are and what is important to them. Starting from the seed of your initial ideas, you can give each character depth and dimension by asking yourself a series of key questions about their lives and motivations. As you go through this process, eventually your characters will come alive for you in your imagination. You will know them and feel for them and feel invested in where they are headed. To help you get there, explore the following questions for each character:
Who are the key players in your story?
What do they look like, how old are they, what makes them unique?
What are their idiosyncrasies, habits, personality traits?
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?
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
Now you're ready to discover the details of where your novel takes place. Use the following questions to help you explore settings and environments until you can really imagine them clearly in your mind.
In which state, country, or region does your novel take place?
When does it take place: present, past, future?
Describe the key places that your novel takes place: how do they look and feel?
What season(s) will be portrayed?
Are there key props/elements that are important to the story? i.e. a treasure map, a locket, an old tree.
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:
Where are your main characters starting from?
What do your main characters want to happen at this point?
What are the obstacles in the way of achieving their goal?
What strategies do your characters use to overcome these obstacles?
Here's a basic structure that you can use: Your character will usually have an experience of some success at their goal about 1/3 of the way through your novel. Then about half way through, what they've accomplished begins to get more complicated than they expected and additional obstacles are introduced. About 2/3 of the way through your plot, the main character often loses what they've gained and tries to return to what they had at the beginning. This then leads to disappointment and eventual re-commitment to their original goal. At the climax, they find the strength overcome the final obstacle which leads to 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.
About the Author:
If you would like some more help going through each of these steps to develop a good novel blueprint, there are a number of interactive software programs for novel writing that will take you step-by-step through the whole process. For additional support in writing your novel, you can also visit this helpful writing website that has more good information and resources for novelists.