Determine how much time you can devote each week--or, preferably, each day--to the novel you want to write.This is measured by page output or by an hourly quota, but it must be consistent for you to maintain the discipline to see the project through. Set a projected time frame for completion and do the math from there.
Come up with a sustainable conflict that hits the ground running from the first pages and lasts until its resolution in the final chapter. Sustainable conflicts revolve around themes of reward, revenge or escape. Your protagonist must not only take escalating risks, but cannot walk away from the problem without incurring major repercussions for herself and those she loves.
Identify your novel's core players. At a minimum, you need a protagonist and an antagonist who are equally matched in their strengths to constitute a fair--and watchable--fight. Keep in mind that the good guys aren't 100 percent perfect, nor are the bad guys 100 percent rotten. Each brings to the table a respective set of flaws, fears and endearing qualities reinforcing that their differences aren't that great. Ascribe motivations to their actions that are plausible as well as easy to relate to. Provide them with helpmates in the form of family, friends, confidantes, henchmen and co-workers, but never let these peripheral players steal the spotlight.
Experiment with different genres, settings and time periods. Authors typically gravitate toward genres they're fond of as readers. This usually serves them well because they're already familiar with the rules governing a particular style of storytelling. As for backdrops and time periods, you'll need to do research if you're writing about places and centuries with which you're unfamiliar. Consider as well the knowledge and resources available to your characters. A contemporary mystery, for instance, would likely be easier to solve than one set in an era that predates high-tech communications and forensics.
Create a working outline listing the events and significant plot points and revelations that occur in the beginning, middle and end of the novel. You may want to write these notes on index cards so that you can lay them out like a storyboard and rearrange the order as new ideas occur to you.
Resist the urge to edit a project while you're in the midst of writing it. If you agonize about composing the perfect sentence or finding exactly the right word, you're likely to never finish your book at all. Just put down everything you want to say and save the editing until you're completely finished.
Subscribe to monthly publications such as "Writer's Digest," "The Writer," and "Writer's Journal," all of which contain articles on how to hone your craft, as well as interviews with literary agents, editors and successful authors. When you get ready to start shopping your project, study the submission guidelines in annual resources such as "Writer's Market," published by Writer's Digest Books.