Novel Writing Step by Step

Looking for an Idea for a Novel
Many writers aspire to writing a novel but find the concept overwhelming. This week we start a new series that will look at some of the aspects of writing a full length book. When broken down into manageable chunks, it’s not as intimidating as it seems.

Where do I Start

The storyline is important as without this there is no basis on which to build. For a novel to capture a reader’s attention, the story should contain a combination of drama and conflict as well as a meaningful message.

Where can I Find Story Ideas
Ideas are all around us. Look in newspapers, watch people, read novels, make notes about unusual happenings and eventually a story will begin to take shape. It may be a process of months or years but if you feed your desire to write, the inspiration will come.

Summarize the Story
Try and capture the essence of the storyline in one sentence. Then expand it to a paragraph and then a page. Then write a synopsis. Doing this helps to focus the story you are planning to tell through the novel.

These are simple steps but they are a good place to start. Bear in mind that a story often changes as you write, however, and be open to rewriting summaries. Once you have the basic story idea, you can move onto the next phase.

Next week we will look at how to develop the characters.

Debbie Roome works as a freelance writer from her home in New Zealand. Visit her at Debbie Roome or read some of her work at Suite 101 , Take Root and Write and Faithwriters.