How to start writing a novel

I speak to many people who are itching to write but have no idea how to start writing a novel.

I remember being in the same place myself and mulling over possible plots. It was easy to come up with ideas to start a story but I had no idea where it was going to go after that. For some reason, I didn’t think I should start writing until I was clear about the whole thing. So for years I didn’t start.

Don’t be like me. Don’t waste all that time!

Here are my top tips on how to start writing a novel…

Get yourself a notebook

Buy a notebook to keep all your thoughts together. Use it to doodle, draw mind maps and play around with ideas.

It is also essential to keep a list of characters, names, ages etc. as well as information about time lines and locations where key events happen. There are a lot of details to keep track of! Use your notebook as your central reference document, where you can also jot down any background research as you go along.

I like a spiral bound one as they sit flat and are easy to use. My notebook also has colour coded sections, which is really handy!

Decide on your genre

This is important as every genre has a different rhythm and format. They also have a different tone and style to the writing. So this is your first decision.

I would suggest you try to write whatever is your favourite genre to read – you will instinctively be familiar with the types of story lines and the structure of these books.

If you’re not sure what genre your book idea fits into, you will find a handy summary here. There are of course many sub-genres, but let’s keep things simple at this stage!

Write the ‘hook’

What is a hook? I hear you ask!

The hook is the central premise of the story. For example in my second book, Love You Gone, the hook is this: a woman goes to meet her family in a rented holiday home only to find they are missing.

It’s fun to play around with story ideas until you find one or two sentences that describe a plot which you feel is compelling and different. You need to be excited by it – you’re going to be spending a lot of time developing this idea into 80,000 words of a book!

Start writing

What? Already?!

Yes, now, start putting words on the page. Spend a bit of time experimenting. You will only learn how to write by actually doing it. You can’t edit and improve what isn’t there!

Obviously, it’s great if you can plan out your book, maybe know the beginning middle and end, but it’s not essential to know this before you get started.

From my experience, thinking that you need all the details before you start is the biggest barrier to actually putting words on the page.

Visualise scenes, then write what you see

Visualise the scenes in your mind, as if you’re watching a movie, think about what your characters might say to each other. Then just get some words on the page. You can worry about grammar and punctuation later. At this point the important thing is to get the ideas flowing. Get used to creative writing.

Writing is a craft. Any craft takes time and practice. Books on structure and technique won’t mean a thing until you’ve had some experience of actually writing. So spare yourself the brain ache and just dive in.

Try an online course on fiction writing

I took part in a great online creative writing course by The Open University which is run for free on FutureLearn – Start Writing Fiction. The focus is on creating characters and I found it really helpful and enjoyable. In fact, that’s where the opening scene from my second book, Love You Gone, came from!

The beauty of the online courses is you are part of a community of learners, so don’t feel quite so alone. You also get feedback to help your writing improve.

Now you can read a book on writing!

Once you’ve got a few chapters under your belt, I would suggest you read How Not to Write a Novel. It’s a fun read, full of excellent advice which you can take on board as you write. Now you’ve done a little bit of writing, the points will make more sense.

Find your writing tribe

I would encourage you to find your writing tribe for mutual encouragement, advice and feedback.

You may be able to find a local writing group that you can join, but if you’re shy this might be a step too far and put you off rather than encourage you to advance.

When I started writing, I joined an on-line writing group which offered peer reviews. This was brilliant for getting constructive criticism and because it was anonymous, I think it was easier to take!

Have a look on the internet and see what you can find that appeals to you. On twitter there is the #Writing Community and there are plenty of Facebook groups. It’s lovely to talk to people who are on the same journey, especially if you’re stuck!

Don’t get lost in editing

It is very easy to go over and over the piece you’ve written, refining and re-writing until you’ve lost all confidence in your writing ability.

We’re not too bothered about quality at this stage! That comes later… I would suggest that you limit yourself to one edit of each chapter when you’re doing a first draft. Then move on – keep the story flowing until you reach… THE END!

When you’ve typed those words, you’ll know you’ve got it in you to write a novel. You did it!

I’ll do a separate post about editing and resources I’ve found useful.

So that’s how to start writing a novel – go on, buy yourself a notebook and get started!