Yes, You Can Write A Novel!

At it's most basic level, writing a novel is simply about exploring your imagination, and putting it together in a way that makes sense and is fun for you, the writer.

With the right blueprint, writing a novel can be both simple and fun, though it still requires the dedication to keep writing until it's done. Since you're reading this, I already know that there's a part of you that wants to write that novel! You've already got what it takes.

Sure, you may not be aware of how to find the best ideas and coax them into being the best they can be, or how to create fictional characters that live and breathe in the reader's mind. You might not know how to create plots that hook the reader and keep them turning the pages until way past midnight. Hey! Everyone has to start somewhere, right? If you have the desire, then you can write a novel!

Ideas can be found everywhere you look, you just have to pay attention. The great thing is, though, that once you decide to keep an eye (or an ear) out for them, you will get more than you can use.

You might overhear a bit of conversation at the diner that makes you wonder what in the world they're talking about. Suddenly, your mind wanders, asking "What if?" over and over until you've got a fantastic idea for writing up as a novel. Grab a napkin and write it down. Better yet, keep a small notebook in your coat pocket or your purse for just this reason. You never know where inspiration will strike.

Sometimes you need to come up with an idea quick, though. What do you do then? Mind-mapping is an excellent technique that can be used to connect with your Muse Mind and dig out wonderful story ideas. Here's some ideas for topics to create mind-maps about:

• Your favorite two or three genres


• What do you Love?


• What do you hate?


• What scares you?


• (pick your own topic!)

Once you've created a few mind-maps on different topics, you can easily get inspiration anytime you need it, just by looking over your maps and letting your thoughts "connect the dots".

Once you have your idea, your main characters should be fairly easy to discover. You probably have at least one or two of them right in front of you, buried in your story idea.

Some ideas don't really have characters in them, like ideas that are based around a setting. You can still find your characters by asking yourself a few simple questions.

"Who would this situation affect the most?" There's your hero.

"Who would stand in the way of the hero getting what they want?" There's your villain.

Those are the two most important characters to have, though I suggest you make sure you create a third character at this point: the Love Interest. I hear you! You're thinking, "But I'm not writing a romance." That's okay. You still need a love interest for your main character. She doesn't have to be a romantic interest, though. Just someone the main character would love. Could be a mother, sister, or orphan they've seen so many times they feel like they know them.

How much do I need to know about my characters?

At this point, not much! You want to write a novel, not write a biography of a fictional character. By just determining the information you need right now, you allow your Muse to inspire you as you're actually writing!

Jot down a few notes about appearance, any special physical habits or characteristics, unique speech patterns, and two or three goals. The first goal should be related to the overall story idea. The other two should be more personal.

While a lot of writers claim that outlining their novel robs them of the ability to create and be surprised during the writing process, I personally feel that a loose outline gives your anal conscious mind a chance to feel in control and shut up, thus freeing your Muse to re-write the story and make it better while you're actually writing, surprising you with how brilliant you are as you go.

One common mistake I've seen by quite a few amateur novel writers is that they like their characters so much that they're afraid to put them in harms way. You cannot do that! While reading your novel, readers will be constantly asking "So what?" and you had better be able to give them a reason to stick around. The more dire the circumstances are that you thrust your main characters into while writing your novel, the more you will hook the reader. So be evil to your favorite characters!

The easiest way that I know of to outline a novel is to follow three simple steps:

• Decide on an ending. Yup. Start here first. Your idea should give you an idea of where your story is going. So decide how you want the story to end. You don't need a lot of detail at this point, but you do need to know where you're going if you ever intend to actually get there, and not just wander aimlessly through the next few hundred pages.


• Pick an opening. The opening of your story should do two things. It must setup the ending by putting the hero in a situation that will inevitably lead to the ending. And it must show us the current life the hero is living, complete with the problems that make him/her actually need to do whatever it takes to keep moving forward toward the ending of the book, and not just give up.


• Plot it backwards. This is little more than connect the dots, but it does get the Muse and the conscious mind working together very nicely. Look at the end of your story and ask yourself what has to happen before that happens? That's a scene earlier in the book, so write it down. Keep asking yourself that question until you reach the beginning.


• Mull it over. Let your story plan sit for a day or two before coming back to it just to give your mind a chance to relax. Then read it over from beginning to end without stopping. Ask yourself what works, what doesn't, and why, then go back and tweak the scenes until they work.

Actually sitting down and writing the novel is probably the most difficult part, simply because of the amount of time it takes. Unfortunately, there aren't any shortcuts. But that doesn't mean there isn't anything you can do to help it go faster.

• Decide. First things, first. You have to decide that you are going to write this novel. Not just that you're going to write, but that you will finish this novel before going onto any other writing projects (unless someone's paying you, then by all means!).


• Write Daily. You have writing muscles and they work just like the muscles in your arms and legs. If you don't write every day (except maybe weekends) then the skill starts to atrophy. And you begin to slip out of the excitement of the story.


• Chunk It. For many people, it's easier to fit in the day if you can write chunks of your novel at different times of the day. Spending 10 or 15 minutes, two or three times a day, can really help you make some progress.


• Write Fast. While writing, do it fast. Don't stop to edit any mistakes. Don't think about what you're going to write (you've already plotted it out, right?) Writing your novel fast will help make your writing clearer, easy to understand, and filled with more energy and emotion. Plus, you'll get more written in a shorter time.


• Make weekly goals. A lot of writers set goals of 1000 words per day, minimum writing. That's great, but we all lead very busy lives. It's too easy to miss a night and then feel bad we didn't write and keep putting it off. Instead, give yourself a weekly goal of 5,000 words. That way you can survive the little bumps in life without missing out on your writing.

If you're writing your first novel, I suggest revising your novel after you finish each chapter. This helps you discover habits that you have in your writing that you need to break. Before you've written 100,000 words!

Here are a few things to look for when revising your novel, though the list is nowhere near exhaustive.

• Make sure the timeline works. No matter how much we wish we could be in two places at once, it just doesn't happen. Make sure it doesn't happen for your characters.


• Green Eyes, Blue Eyes. Check to make sure that your character descriptions stay the same throughout the novel. Unless you've explained it during the novel, your character's eyes won't magically change colors between chapter 1 and chapter 15.


• Be present. As much as possible, get rid of passive phrases. Look for words like "was" and "were" and rewrite the sentence to include more action. This alone will dramatically increase the quality of your writing.


• He-said-itis. Be very careful in your use of dialogue tags. And don't get cute with them. You should never have phrases like "he spat", "she chortled", or "he said swimmingly". Get rid of "he said" and "she said" if you can do it without making the dialogue confusing. If you need it, stick to "said".

If you made it this far in the process, then a celebration is in order! You've just done what millions of people say they want to do, but never actually get around to doing!

That's something to be proud of. Take yourself and your significant other out for a special dinner and just enjoy the feeling of having written a damn good novel.

Wait - There's more!
A single page like this just doesn't have room for as much information as it would take to cover all of the details of writing a novel. It's like Chess... it's very easy to learn how to play the game, but can take a lifetime to master.

To help out, I've created an online course that takes you through every step of writing your novel, from deciding on the genre to write, all the way through the plotting, writing, and revision steps. Each lesson is delivered right to your email inbox once a week (more often as needed) and contains the knowledge you need, when you need it, and gives you specific steps to follow for that week.

Visit Zero2Novel.com and get started writing your novel today.