Determine your target audience. The genre, setting, plot and characters of your novel will be different depending on who will be reading your book. Your audience could be a particular age group, such as children, teenagers, young adults or adults. You could also target specialized groups, such as religious readers, political junkies or food fanatics. Having a specific target in mind will keep you on track while you write.
Think about the goal of your novel. Decide if your novel will be for pleasure, to provoke thought, to influence the audience to come to a particular conclusion or to educate the audience. The goal you choose will help you determine your plot, events and conclusion of your story.
Consider using events or circumstances from your own life experience as you create your characters and plot. Use settings that you are familiar with or can easily research. Remember, what is most familiar to you will likely flow more smoothly from your pen.
Brainstorm with friends and family. Ask them what would interest them most or what they would most like to see in a character. Have them read over your drafts to make sure your story is engaging and understandable.
Read widely. Broaden your knowledge and idea database by reading a variety of authors as well as the great classics of literature. You will find that exposure to great writing will increase your vocabulary and your ability to write good sentences.