Choices in Writing Your Novel

Writing your novel is a large endeavour. Here are some of the things that it can be helpful to consider before you start, or to keep in mind as you move along.

What Are You Writing?

1. What Type of Book? Assuming you've chosen fiction over non-fiction, what are you going to write? Choose a genre: literary, mystery, thriller, romance, sci-fi epic, and more. Then choose a subgenre.
2. What are You Wanting to Say? But I just want to write a book. Sure, but if you want it to be great, it's helpful to have something powerful or unique to convey. Why would anyone want to read your story?
3. Literary vs Genre Fiction. The main style choice is whether your novel will be "literary" or "genre" fiction. If you want to dwell on meaning-of-life themes and have lots of self-indulgent introspection, choose literary. Genre fiction should be written in an immersive in-the-moment style.
4. Pick a Trope, Then Twist. Most books follow a "trope," which is a particular story structure. There are many tropes: the hero's journey (The Hobbit), orphan saves the world (Harry Potter), the legend foretold (Dune; Kungfu Panda), enemies-to-lovers romance (Pride and Prejudice), underdog makes good (Rocky), and many more (search the internet for lists). Try to find a way to make your story unique. Twist it, reverse it, mess with it.
5. Pick a Character. You probably already know what you want to write about, so invent a character to suit. You can either start with a very vague outline, or go deep into your character's mind with extensive profiles.
6. Pick a Setting. Where does the action take place? In a small town or big city? What country? What timeframe? Is it historical, modern, or futuristic?

How Are You Writing It?

1. Planner or Pantser? A "planner" is an author who uses extensive outlines. A "pantser" is one who "flies by the seat of her pants" through the story, without knowing where the characters will go. Both methods can be successful, and it's simply a personal choice. You might not even know which you prefer until you start writing.
2. Neither Planner nor Pantser. There are many ways to write, and some writers use hybrid organization styles. One way is to follow a general outline, with a lot of placeholders in your manuscript, and then gradually fill it out.
3. Fragments are Good. A lot of writers collect fragments for use in novels. In this way, you can add to word length as you get inspired, and then later weave the fragments into a novel. Fragments can be anything from just a two-word note about an idea to a fully-fledged scene.
4. Structured Outlines. Most good books follow one of the many typical structures (i.e., "tropes"). You can find many of these structures or "tropes" for use on the internet, and it's a good starting point, irrespective of whether you're a planner or pantser.
5. Past Tense or Present Tense? Do you want to write in the present ("I say" or "he says") or in the past ("I said"). Both are fine. Present tense is slightly more modern, favored by younger readers.
6. First Person or Third Person POV? Point of View (POV) is choosing who to tell the story. General advice is that "I" (first person) is more immersive than "he" or "she" (third person), but it's a personal choice. Don't even consider second person ("you") or fourth person ("us" or "we") for a novel; they're fun to write for short stories.

Getting Started

1. What's the Ending? One good way to get started it to write your fancy twisted ending first. If in doubt, choose happy rather than dramatic, because it's easier to write. Do you have a good ending in your mind already? If I had to bet, I'd say that you're wrong! Most of the time, as a novel grows, the ending has to change. Even the fully-completed first draft often gets it wrong (or so the editors say). But you (usually) need a destination to get started on your writing journey, so pick an ending for now. Just don't get too wed to it.
2. Choose a Beginning. You need a place to start. If in doubt, start in the middle of some kind of action (called "in media res"), rather than having your viewpoint character waking up in bed. Get things rolling without too much setup. If it's a thriller, someone better die soon. And if it's a romance, the two lovers better meet early (and they either instantly swoon or they hate each other on sight). It's hard to get a perfect beginning, but just start. Don't worry; we'll fix it in post.
3. Write Fragments. You probably have a head full of good ideas, so write them down. Another way to get a novel moving along is to write lots of fragments, even whole scenes, without any structure, and then gradually weave them into a story later on.

Keep Going!

1. Forget About the Middle. If you've got a great beginning and a great ending, that's the core of the book. The middle is always a muddle. There will be plot holes to fix up and some boring scenes that are excruciating to write. Do your best to get your characters from A to B with as little wordiness as possible. That's a first draft.
2. How Many Words? Don't get too concerned about word counts, unless they motivate you. Think of it as a short story of just a few thousand words when starting out. For a novel, 10,000 words is a good goal for getting the basic mechanics of the plot out on the page. A minimum first draft goal is about 20,000-30,000 words, which is called a "novella." It's certainly publishable as an ebook and print-on-demand book at that length. A full novel first draft probably should aim to be around 40,000-50,000 words. However, you'll find that many editor's suggested revisions will be "show-don't-tell" and fixing these scenes will massively expand your word count with extra dialogue and descriptions. Technically, it becomes a "novel" at 40,000 words. A standard 400-page printed novel is probably around 80,000 words, and 100,000-120,000 words is not unusual, but some genres, like epic sci-fi, can go up to 200,000 words.
3. Stop agonizing. Just write. Words.
4. Forget perfect. It won't be. There's a reason every writer's first draft is called a "vomit draft" in the industry. Instead, aim for interesting and entertaining, leaving perfection to be your editor's problem.
5. Find Your Author Voice. This is the last one on the list, because it happens slowly and you can't force it. Don't try too hard to copy the styles of famous authors. Instead, find the way to write that feels natural to you. Focus on telling your unique story in the best way that you know. Choose your words well; use variety to make it entertaining and interesting. When you're finished your novel, you can look back at your writing style: that's your author's voice right there.