How do you write a novel?

[Zaboem]

Not to take away from any of the above answers, but I have a very organized method to suggest if that appeals. A friend of mine, Lonnie Ezell, wrote an instructional manual for this. It's a very small book titled From Zero 2 Novel. I think it is still available as an ebook.

Lonnie lays out a series of specific exercises. His book reads sort of like a workbook in that way. If you follow the exercises, you end up with a complete outline for your novel at the end of the course.

I wouldn't attempt to lay out the process from memory. I will do give you an example however of the sort of exercise Lonnie has you do. On a blank sheet of paper, write a list of your favorite stories spread throughout the page. From each of these stories, list two to four themes from that story in a circle around its title. Look over the entire page and see which themes appear multiple times. Circle those. Pay attention to which theme appears most often. When you finish this exercise, you will know what theme and genre the book that you should be writing will have.

[directorador]

totally true for many writers and authors. there are some styles that are brutal to learn. I have been considering releasing a recent story on site. but I'm not sure I should.

I love stories though, I think if we're patient we can write new tropes and new tales of adventure that enthrall.

[lunaartemisasama]

For me writing a story is like playing dollhouse just that the characters are more interesting and all happens in my head. But I don't write too much.

[tulemag93]

To be honest everything I right comes from my imagination.

How you may ask? well I like to get inspiration from other works, both published and unpublished. Now please take note that when I say 'get inspiration' i don't mean plagiarizing, i mean appreciating someones creativity in the writing style they use and pretty much the method they use to get their story across. In other words, i look at other works to learn something new everyday.

Another inspiration is music, yes music, with a healthy dose of imagination. How does that work? Well i simply imagine the song or playlist am listening to as a background music to a scene in which my story is taking place, write a spider diagram of things i want to make sure i get down, imagine the scenes again and again, till i get what am looking for.

I won't lie, I am an impulsive writer, even if i make plans, i'll find myself changing a few specific scenes to suit whats playing in my mind as I write so yeah....taking all that inspiration and putting it down is a lot of work and dedication. One chapter can take me six to seven hours to get down what i want to write, with the correction of grammatical errors and inconsistencies in the story telling being the bane of my existence.

So yes, its tough, but worth it. I believe that work done with passion and dedication is worth it, so didn't let my words get you down, its good to be realistic with your reality but willing to fight for what you want. Mistakes happen, you may not like what you write after a while but hey, learning from our mistakes make us better writers and better people.

so i wish you the best! and remember don't give up!

[off_brand_barbie]

EXACTLY!!!!!! Couldn't have said it better myself!

[MariMontoya]

You should give it a try! And I definitely feel the same way

[ratscout]

I'm not sure I'm the best person to ask as my methods are pretty unorthodox, but I'll tell you my weird method. Most of the time I don't outline at all, but if I do the only outlining I do for an entire story is written down on a physical piece of paper about very general things about story direction and characters. It's typically a page long if even that and it looks like this--
Characters:
World:
Story:
The thing with me is that my stories often take really different directions than I originally intend them to so I don't bother writing down much info.

Here are some other helpful tips: Storymaking is hard and can get complex and out of hand quickly. Some authors can write really long thousand-paged epics with dozens of characters and somehow keep things consistent, but I am not one of those people and I reckon most people aren't. So I suggest you keep things really simple and easy to follow with only a few characters (maybe three main ones and a few minor ones).

Another tip is to just have fun with it. A lot of authors stress themselves out so much about writing that they eventually find it to be torturous and give up on their stories. My advice for having fun with it is just to remind yourself that this is your first novel and it's a good experience for you regardless of how it turns out.

Another suggestion is to write a few short stories first. I tried to jump into my first novel too early and it didn't turn out so good. After that I began writing a lot of short and simple short stories that I found to be very enjoyable until I finally got to a place where I felt like trying a long-form story again. But definitely don't pressure yourself to write a short story if you're not feeling it. Just go for the novel if you're really passionate about it.

I know other people advise against this, but I also suggest you write in your novel as often as possible to keep up steam and your own interest in it--even if you're having writers block. Anything that stimulates your amygdala and brings out powerful emotions in you can also really help you become inspired to write. A sad song, a beautiful book, etc. Otherwise, just go for it and follow your heart!

[Merui]

This is similar to how I write! My problem then is that I find it hard to consistently release chapters for my on-going story T-T

[ratscout]

Try making a deadline for yourself to meet and keep yourself inspired by your story by consistently thinking of interesting thing you want your characters to do and interesting ways for them to grow! I also find going on walks and runs can really stimulate your creativity, too!

[Penni]

exercise does wonders for the creative process!

[AllynCrowe]

Personally I just write as I go. I have some idea of the story outline in rough sketches, which I write my draft around, but interactions, scenery and details are left open. Then I write my rough draft like a madman. Edit. Edit. Edit.

Somehow I then have a novel.

I am not the most organised writer.

[cocoasninja]

I, uh, honestly don't have any idea what I'm writing for my next chapter until it's written. Which is super helpful advice and makes me wonder why I replied to this post