You can’t just simply pick up a pen and start writing a novel. It’s important to break it down step by step. The most important and exciting part of writing a novel is the beginning. At the same time, it’s the most crucial and difficult. It should be tempting and appealing to develop the interest of the reader. The success of your novel is proportional to how strong your plot is. Writing a novel is a fictional work and needs a strong imagination. Closer the novel to the reality, more compelling it will be. No matter either the genre is a comedy, drama, science fiction or romance, they all will require your creative energy and dedication. Sometimes it’s a tiring process but be patient and wait for the right time and right place. Before starting to write a novel, keep the following point under consideration.
The most important part to before writing a novel is an inspiration. You can’t begin a novel without any inspiration. You can spend days and months holding a pen and paper but you won’t be able to write a single sentence without inspiration. You never know when the right time will. You might get an idea while sitting in a park, or having tea at a café or even at night. Once you get inspired, nothing can stop you from writing an inventive novel.
After the inspiration, it’s time to decide the genre of your story. For a sample, read as many novels as you can on that specific genre. Gather all your thoughts and get them in line. Limit yourself to the specific genre.
Before starting a novel, pen down all the important aspects you want to cover in your novel and briefly explain them. Decide the time span you want to write in, either past, present or future. Will it all be a fantasy or some real world story? What will be the central location of your story? What will be the environment of the place? If imaginary, broaden the horizons of your imagination. What will be the total time of the story? Just a year or two or couple of decades? All these points should be utterly discussed and choose the best according to your story.
The success of your story depends on the choice of the characters. As a story is all imaginary, expect in real life events, so create the characters as interesting as possible. The main character should be likable and create a character that will be abhorred. Don’t limit your story to just three four characters nor create a lot of characters that your story starts lagging. Choose a moderate number of characters that fits your story. You can’t stick to the single idea you thought. You can change the direction of your story multiple times as you’ll be writing your novel. All the characters should be well developed in your mind.
To visualize the scenarios in your mind, you want to write about, will help in writing detailed script. Define the characters, create multiple scenarios, try to create mystery and suspense to develop the interest of the reader, reach a climax and then write the end. It shouldn’t always be a happy ending. You can write the inspirational and motivational ending as well. The ending is the part that will create an impact on the reader’s mind.
Write a draft of the story on which you want to write. This is the first step of actually writing something on paper about your story. Mention all the ideas that pop up in your mind. Make a timeline to complete each part. This will help you to meet the deadlines. Choose the best ideas from the draft and eliminate the unnecessary details. Let others read your draft and ask for their sincere opinions. Keep their opinions in mind as they will the opinion of your readers as well.
After all the above-mentioned steps, it’s finally time to sit down and start writing the actual novel. Make a routine to write daily. In the beginning, you will feel tired and distressed but you should not lose your heart. Find a perfect place to write where you can keep up your motivation. Some writers even go to remote areas to clear their mind. So, it’s up to you where you feel cozy. It’s a long process. Keep your motivation and energy high.
Once you’re done with your novel, reread it several times from the different point of views. Cut down the extra paragraphs and sentences. Make sure all your facts are true. If not, do a proper research before mentioning a fact, or details of a location. Try to read your novel aloud with the critical judgment. This will help you to find mistakes in your story. Once it seems perfect, let your close ones read it first. And then visit any publication company and there you go.
Writing is an art which has no boundaries. There’s no hard and fast rule to write a novel. Everyone have different opinions. But don’t stick to these rules, not even mine. Cross every boundary and write with spirit. And then you’ll achieve what you aim for.
