There are many different ways to go about starting your first novel. Some people prefer to just write and go with the flow, whereas others insist on planning out every detail. Others plan a bit, then write, then get stuck, then write some more. Those are called ‘pantsters’, and that is generally what I personally do when I’m writing.
First of all, it’s great if you want to start a novel! Now the next question is: What should your novel be about?
This is something that does require some time. After all, your first concept of a plot is going to be what sets you off on a long writing journey.
Hopefully, you have some idea of what genre you want to write in. I prefer fantasy, but there are many other genres you can write about!
The next step would generally be a bit of loose planning. I had a document filled with notes, and then as my story, plot, fantasy world and characters developed, I added more and more to it to help me keep track of everything.
Some people prefer to scribble all of this down on paper and that is totally fine. Another option, whilst a tad bit strange, is to speak out loud to yourself and record it. It really helps you get those thoughts out.
You don’t need too many ideas at the start before you can just start typing away on your novel. For me, I had many brainwave at random times. I first started my novel without any idea what was going to happen; all I was focused on was an intriguing start. I had barely gotten a few pages in before a massive brainwave hit me, and I spent the next few weeks plotting out the story and also building my fantasy world.
World building would be a whole other article, but generally, try lay down a set of rules for your world and make it believable. You don’t have to cover every single detail, but try not make any lose gaps in what you tell the reader. For example, you don’t need to directly tell the reader how many people live in this fantasy village, but if you stated ‘it was a small village with not many people in sight’, it wouldn’t make sense if in a later scene there was an issue with overpopulation and it was stated ‘the millions of villagers living here were distraught…’ Keep your details consistent and keep track of what you write.
So basically the first steps of planning is just getting that general idea of what you want your story to be about. Try develop your characters, and also keep in mind your target audience for the book and age range.
It’s not a bad idea to just start writing and see what happens. Your first draft will be messy. You can edit that wayyy later on, if – or when! – you’ve finished your book.
The main thing here is motivation and persistence. Set aside some time each day, or each second day, or even each week, and just focus on your story. Get support from peers to make you feel more motivated. Invest yourself into your story and fall in love with the plot. Just keep going and before you know it, you’ll have the plot planned out and you would’ve written your first few chapters.
You can also turn to the internet for inspiration and story ideas, or base it off true experiences. If you were planning a mystery/crime story, you could research some actual criminal events to get some inspiration and make it more realistic.
Happy planning 🙂
