How to Commence Writing Your Novel
Writing a novel is something that many people aspire to do.
Actually writing a novel (and particularly finishing a novel) is a big task and a great achievement.
So how do you move from aspiring to write a book, to actually commencing work on a successful and inspired book? This is the question! Ultimately, to start a book you need to have pulled together in your mind some form of a plotline for the full story and have identified at least two or three lead characters.
The level of planning that you undertake in advance to starting to write your book will depend on the sort of person and writer that you are.
Some writers need to have planned their story out in great detail before they start writing the opening chapter; others like to let the story develop as they write it, which means that they only undertake minimal planning in advance of actually getting the story down on paper.
However, even if you're not a great planner, it is almost impossible to start writing a novel without having some idea of where the story is going to go, and who is going to lead the story.
Many writers or aspiring writers start novels but never finish them.
If you want to start a novel properly then you need to plan to finish it before even starting it! This means ensuring that you have scheduled in sufficient writing time into your daily or weekly timetable to enable the book to not only be started...
but finished too! Having outlined your plotline (even briefly) and decided upon your lead characters, you're ready to start your novel right? Not quite! You next need to know the environment within which your book will be set.
If you're writing a book that is set in a country, time period or town that you don't know very well then this is extremely important.
You need to ensure that your story is going to be authentic from the start and this means understanding the world in which it will be set.
By doing your research and learning all about the world in which your story is going to be set from the very start, you'll not only ensure that the quality of the story is significant from the outset, but you'll also reduce the number of amendments you have to make to your book once the first version of the novel is drafted.
So, characters, plotline, and environment are all determined.
What's next? It is important to have considered who you'll audience will be ahead of actually writing your novel.
By considering who will read your book you'll be able to tailor the voice of either the lead character or you, the narrator, to the specific audience's needs.
Furthermore, by identifying your audience you'll also be able to identify early on the specific genre that your story fits into, and the leading themes that your story should embrace to keep your audience interested as the novel progresses.
Actually writing a novel (and particularly finishing a novel) is a big task and a great achievement.
So how do you move from aspiring to write a book, to actually commencing work on a successful and inspired book? This is the question! Ultimately, to start a book you need to have pulled together in your mind some form of a plotline for the full story and have identified at least two or three lead characters.
The level of planning that you undertake in advance to starting to write your book will depend on the sort of person and writer that you are.
Some writers need to have planned their story out in great detail before they start writing the opening chapter; others like to let the story develop as they write it, which means that they only undertake minimal planning in advance of actually getting the story down on paper.
However, even if you're not a great planner, it is almost impossible to start writing a novel without having some idea of where the story is going to go, and who is going to lead the story.
Many writers or aspiring writers start novels but never finish them.
If you want to start a novel properly then you need to plan to finish it before even starting it! This means ensuring that you have scheduled in sufficient writing time into your daily or weekly timetable to enable the book to not only be started...
but finished too! Having outlined your plotline (even briefly) and decided upon your lead characters, you're ready to start your novel right? Not quite! You next need to know the environment within which your book will be set.
If you're writing a book that is set in a country, time period or town that you don't know very well then this is extremely important.
You need to ensure that your story is going to be authentic from the start and this means understanding the world in which it will be set.
By doing your research and learning all about the world in which your story is going to be set from the very start, you'll not only ensure that the quality of the story is significant from the outset, but you'll also reduce the number of amendments you have to make to your book once the first version of the novel is drafted.
So, characters, plotline, and environment are all determined.
What's next? It is important to have considered who you'll audience will be ahead of actually writing your novel.
By considering who will read your book you'll be able to tailor the voice of either the lead character or you, the narrator, to the specific audience's needs.
Furthermore, by identifying your audience you'll also be able to identify early on the specific genre that your story fits into, and the leading themes that your story should embrace to keep your audience interested as the novel progresses.
