Starting work on a novel is never easy. It’s not unheard of to stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead and still nothing comes forth. However, there are a few simple steps that can get you going in the right direction. I’ve outlined them below:
- Put Your Ideas Together: For me, I don’t think about an idea. They come to me in their own time and once they do, I start scribbling very fast before I forget them. If you don’t have an idea yet, you could do some research or read a few things to generate ideas and then start writing them down. It doesn’t really matter if they don’t make sense, just write every last bit of crap down.
- Pick a Genre: Decide what genre your idea fits into and who your target audience will be. This will help you to narrow down what you have written down and focus on the right idea.
- Outline & Define Your Characters: Close your eyes and imagine your main characters. Give them names, identities and little quirks that make them who they are, then write them down. A few lines on each character will be fine at this time. I run amok a little at this stage and give characters all sorts of idiosyncrasies.
- Choose a Voice: Are you going to tell the story in 1st, 2nd or 3rd person? All 3 have pros and cons. What would fit your idea best? I have started stories with 1 voice and changed it to another later on because the latter sounded better in my head or my muse said it sounded better. You can play around with all 3 or something else at the beginning and see where it leads before settling on one.
- Write a Synopsis: This is an abridgement of what you want the story to look like. I usually write 20 – 25 lines. I don’t think too much at this stage. I just outline the general idea on paper.
- Create Adversity: Everybody loves a good conflict in a novel. Something in the way of the antagonist or protagonist. This is what keeps readers glued to the page. At the centre of even the most basic story, there is always a conflict.
- Where: Pandora? Narnia? Outer Space? 6 feet under? On earth? Where is your novel going to be set? It could be somewhere simple or somewhere fantastic. Whichever location you choose, make sure it fits the tone and plot of the novel.
- Write a Plot Summary: This is a tad cumbersome and not everyone would like to do it. I take the time to write out a chapter-by-chapter summary of the events as it unfolds in my mind. I’m not bound to it and it changes a lot before I’m done but it helps me to work better. You can do 3 – 4 lines per chapter or rant for 10 – 15 lines like I do.
- Start: Yes, all the above was preliminary work. There was no actual novel writing involved. Now that you’ve got all the tools required, it’s time to shut everyone out and begin work on the novel. I procrastinate a lot in the process of 1 – 8 above but it gets done sooner or later and I have to face that blank page and put it all together. Tougher than it sounds!
Remember, all the preliminary work isn’t set in stone. The ideas, summary, scenery, etc you put down at the initial stages can change as you go along. The important thing is to keep going until you finish.
Starting work on a novel is never easy. It’s not unheard of to stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead and still nothing comes forth. However, there are a few simple steps that can get you going in the right direction. I’ve outlined them below: 
