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How to Write a Novel Fast

A story needs at least 50,000 words in today's literary market for consideration as a novel, according to the UCLA extension writers' program. Writing fast often forces the author to rely on creativity and make twists and turns, which may not have occurred without a push. An outline with a timeline for the story keeps an author on track with the original plot. Deviations from the outline offer more substance, but need to be tied to the main story throughout the plot. Giving background information about the main characters, explaining why or how the story is progressing, offers more depth to the novel for the author to draw the reader in.

Instructions

    • 1

      Write a short plan of what occurs in your novel. Include any ideas, locations and facts needing research. Gather the needed information in an organized area, for reference as you write. Describing details surrounding the characters helps make the story come to life and seem more realistic. Choose places and things you are familiar with to shorten research time.

    • 2
      Novels include many more categories than just romance.

      Outline the story by listing highlights, when characters enter the story and possible conflicts in a timeline. Rough out how the story ends, leaving options open as the story progresses while writing. Creativity often leads outside a structured path.

    • 3

      Write and let the story in your mind unfold without worrying about spelling, punctuation and grammar. Editing afterward is more conducive to writing a novel than stopping to fix simple errors each time they occur.

    • 4

      Write at least 1,700 words per day for 30 days. Some days you write more, some days less, depending on interruptions and attitude. Push yourself to write the minimum of 1,700 words per day for a draft of your novel.

    • 5
      Describing smells and sights help the reader imagine the story setting more clearly.

      Read your work at the end of 30 days. Fix weak areas and ideas, add more description where needed and remember the five senses when describing---smell, sight, sound, touch and taste. Draw the reader into the story with written words by describing the surroundings.

    • 6
      Read your rough draft and have someone else read it also to offer feedback.

      Edit for spelling, grammar and punctuation where needed. Most word-processing programs have spell checking and other features to point out any errors. Do not interrupt the flow of storytelling by fixing errors until the end. Have someone you trust read your draft and give feedback to make it better.

    • 7
      The title may be blank until the story is written.

      Add the title for your novel. As you write a novel, a theme, point or main character most likely emerges, giving it a name. If you gave it a title at the beginning, that's fine, but don't worry if one is not found until finishing the novel.

Fiction

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