Writing a novel as a project: 5 simple steps to become the next Tolstoy
So you are up to write a novel. You may have a brilliant story running in your head. You feel it, you live it inside and out. You know a protagonist better than your mom or your ex (well, definitely better than your ex). Or you may not have any particular story and characters on your mind yet. But still this overall emotion, this message of your novel drills you, trying to find its way out to the world. What to do next?
Well, this is not a million-dollar question. Just start to write your novel now. And below are 5 steps to actually finish it.
Yes, this project will be long-term and overwhelming. There are no set templates or guidelines to follow. For your very own novel, you need to develop those from scratch while you write, edit and rewrite, one month after another. But better to spend the next few years actually writing a book rather than procrastinating and taking another course in creative writing, right?
Anyway, as I have already finished that unending marathon and as I love making things simple (as any other Comms person)... here you are, I have mapped out 5 simple steps to accomplish your goal and finally write a novel. Eventually, you will!
Anyway, as I have already finished that unending marathon and as I love making things simple (as any other Comms person)... here you are, I have mapped out 5 simple steps to accomplish your goal and finally write a novel. Eventually, you will!
Step 1. Literally, start writing. It may be a brief plan, a synopsis, an interview with one of the characters, a first chapter, a last chapter, an eleventh chapter, or a dialogue most important . Whatever. Just make your first step, start writing. You may work on paper or on a laptop. Well, it may be a phone, too: yes, stop scrolling social media in your free time and start writing instead. Your plan, your synopsis your eleventh chapter may be not ideal at all (believe me it won't be). Well, at least you will have them. And what is more important, now you can officially state: you have started to write a novel.
Step 2. At this point,you may develop a proper serious plan for your novel, with a brief (or not brief) description of each chapter, develop a portfolio or an interview for each character, and think of relevant language for each character and a narrator. There are plenty of other smart exercises you may do, please find them in any book on creative writing. You can skip this step altogether too and just go with your initial super-brief plan, or without any.
Step 3. Now write the actual text or your first draft, to be precise. Either follow a very detailed and smart plan you have developed as part of the previous step or write from the scratch going with the flow. Here discipline is the key. Anyway, just write, whatever crap you may discover as an outcome. At the moment you are an artist, you are a creator. The world needs you. Write. You will have plenty of opportunities to judge your own writing later, when you put on your other, Editor's hat. While writing your first draft, you may set your own milestones and deadlines. Alternatively, you may join some crazy writing marathon like NaNoWriMo, where you commit to write daily and accomplish a 50K words draft in a month. I had joined this marathon for my very first draft of the first novel - which probably is the only reason it was ever completed.
So now... As I was told in my course at Oxford: when you finish your first draft, you finally understand what your novel is about - now it's time to write it.
Step 4. Though before this... do proper research. Of course, you probably have done a lot of research and reading while you were developing the very idea of your novel. But now, when you have your first draft completed, you may clearly see which parts are missing or need a throughout research. The sources for your research may include fiction and non-fiction books, videos and online courses, the actual scientific researche on the topic (believe me, if I found a University research on life at a tobacco farm in Rhodesia at the beginning of XX century, you may find anything online or in classy libraries). Go to the museums, talk to the people who have a certain life experience or piece of knowledge. Now, as you actually have a written story, you can apply there directly everything you find out.
Step 5+ Here you are. At this point need to reread and rewrite everything, reread edit it again. Repeat. This step 5 may easily convert to Step 6, Step 7, Step 8, etc., depending on the goals you set in this text as an author. Remember, it is only you who develops all the guidelines, for your creative project, and you do it as your project goes. To reread your text more effectively, you may play with the font and colors of the text and the background on the screen. You may read your manuscript in a pocketbook, out aloud a number of times. Rewrite and edit it again if you feel so. You may want to share your draft novel with a few beta-readers for their feedback. When you know that the story is finally complete, you may want to make another round of editing, now trying to find the perfect language to tell this completed story. You may hire a professional Editor to help you to polish the language and outline possible logical or stylistic mistakes. I promise I will write a separate post on this step as I have A LOT to say. Click here to subscribe to my blog.
Alternatively, if you are rather a goal-oriented person, you may want to hire a professional Editor straightaway after completing your first or second draft. Again, it is your game, and you set the rules.
So here you are. It's time to put the last dot. You did it. You wrote a novel.
Now time to start pitching your novel to agents and publishers or publishing it by yourself. But this is a different journey...Will share it too though, stay tuned)
And what about you, have you started your novel? Which stage are you on and which challenges are you facing now? Please share your experience in the comments and feel free to ask an advise or help others with your life hacks) I will make sure to answer all the questions, too.
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