Decide what the novel will be about. Will it be literary fiction? Will it be genre fiction, such as science fiction or romance? Will it be a small story about family or relationships or will it be an epic? What themes will the novel be about? Themes can include man vs. nature or coming-of-age.
Choose the plot and characters. Once you’ve decided on what the novel will be about, determine the type of plots or characters that will work best in the story. For instance, if the novel is a coming-of-age, young adult novel, determine the type of characters and plots that are most interesting to you.
Flesh out the characters. Determine who the characters are in the novel. What do they want? How will they go about getting what they want? What type of attributes do they have? Determine each character’s back story. What happens before the plot begins?
Flesh out the plot. Most stories have plots, including novels for literary fiction. Some plots are more noticeable than others. A plot is generally determined by what the character wants and how he goes about getting it. Once this is established, then the plot of the novel should become more clear.
Choose the setting of the novel. Will it take place in a small town, a major city or will it take place in a spaceship circling Earth? Determine the setting based on what will work best for the characters and the plot of the story. For instance, setting can heighten tension, such as a claustrophobic space station where two enemies are trapped.
Choose the tone for the novel. The tone will affect the way in which the novel will be written. For instance, if the novel is a funny story about dating, then develop a humorous or ironic tone for the novel that will fit the story.
Write preliminary exercises for the novel. Writing exercises are brief pieces that will offer some idea on how to proceed in writing the novel. These exercises can be based on the character, tone, setting or any other element that will be included in the novel. Exercises can also involve the novel's opening sentence or paragraph. Write these exercises in a notebook or journal or on a word processing file.
Outline the novel. An outline is generally a synopsis of what will happen in each chapter. An outline will also provide a general idea of how long the novel will be and how to pace the story in terms of rising and falling action.