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Advice From Publishers on How to Write a Novel

Make no bones about it, writing a novel is a gargantuan task many begin but fail to finish. It's hard enough for some people to read a novel, let alone dedicate all of their free time to writing something that might never be read by anyone. In order to increase the chances of successfully tackling the novel, you must prepare yourself as if you were going mountain climbing. After all, you wouldn't tackle Mount Everest in your underwear for the same reason you wouldn't write a novel without some sort of preparation.

Instructions

    • 1

      Formulate the main plot arc. The main plot arc is the support of the novel; it consists of a starting point, a beginning step, a journey and an ending. Outline the flow of the novel by carefully increasing the gains and set-backs of the hero of your story until the climax.

    • 2

      Identify the protagonist. Choose the gender, race, creed, etc. of the hero. Every choice is a premeditated thought with a larger purpose to the story. Know everything about this character: where he is from, where he went to school, who his first kiss was, secrets he has, etc. His personality must gel with his back story. For instance, if he grew up in Arkansas and discusses his fantastic upbringing in chapter one, he cannot have good reason to curse his parents and bemoan his roots in chapter 12 without a specific reason vital to his story.

    • 3

      Give the protagonist something to want. All protagonists must have something they want or stand to gain or lose. He may want multiple things resulting in conflict of his true wants. His personality should capitalize on this. Think of Hamlet as the eternal procrastinator, several times failing to get what he wants because of his personality.

    • 4

      Model the setting of the story. The setting does not have to be stagnant. The best settings are living just like the characters -- rich with history and in the midst of change. For instance, a world on the brink of war, peace, new values, etc.

    • 5

      Give the setting a personality. For instance, the world can be humorous, evil, uncaring, etc. The personality of the setting should play out in the events of the story. Try to add an unfamiliar aspect to the setting that changes the way the audience looks at their own world.

    • 6

      Climax the novel by giving the protagonist his biggest conflict of the story to overcome. The climax should carry the heaviest weight and evoke a certain emotion from the audience. For example, the audience should laugh with the hero, cry with the hero and celebrate as the hero overcomes the conflict. Your novel is in danger if the audience laughs when they should be worried and cries when they should be laughing.

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Literature

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