How to Write a Novel in Ten Steps

Are you writing your first novel or have you always wanted to write one? If so, you probably already know there has never been a better time to do so. The publishing industry has changed a lot, and continues to change, making it easier than ever to publish your work. I self-published my debut novel, Rachel’s Folly, early last year and I just recently signed on with a publishing company that’s going to republish it in April.

Growing up, I never dreamed of being a writer, much less an author of a novel. But, when I was thirty-eight years old, I woke up one day with an idea for a story. And, perhaps because of the impending “four-oh” on the horizon, I decided to write a novel. Granted, it ended up taking four years to get it to a point where I thought it was ready for publication, but I did it.

After I published Rachel’s Folly, I was amazed by how many people told me they wanted to write a novel, or how they had started writing, but ended up abandoning their manuscript. So many people have a story they want to tell, but never do. That’s so unfortunate, because believe me if I can do it, you can too. It just takes some planning and willingness to see it through.

I’ll be the first to admit, it’s not easy. There were definitely times I wanted to give up. I remember one time in particular, when I was ready to throw in the towel. I was sitting in a writer’s workshop wondering what I was doing there feeling pretty inadequate and disheartened. The workshop wasn’t very good, but the instructor did say something I still carry with me to this day …

She told me I should never feel like my stories aren’t worthy enough to write. She said I didn’t have to be a famous acclaimed author to be a successful writer.

She told me that not everybody is going to like my work, but, there will be people who do. These people will be glad I wrote my story. These people will be my tribe. I should write for them.

That was the epiphany that changed the way I approached writing. All of a sudden, I understood I didn’t have to strive for perfection with every word and I allowed myself to just do the best I could. What she told me helped me keep chugging away until I finished. And what she told me is true for you, too. There are people who want to read your story. You should write it.

So, here’s what you need to do to write your novel:

1. Set time aside to write and give yourself realistic goals. How much time during the day can you sit down and write? An hour or two? Thirty minutes? Do you have long commutes? Could you record your ideas on your way to work and type them out before you go to bed? Whatever it is, make a commitment to yourself and keep it. And try to write at the same time everyday and without any distractions (e.g. turn off your cell phone, get off facebook). This will help you establish good writing habits.

2. Aim for a minimum daily word count. When I first started, my goal was to complete a mere 250 words per day. On good days, I would write much more than that. But, there were more days when just meeting those 250 words were a struggle. Whether you choose to use an outline for your story or just write by the seat of your pants, you need to write something daily.

3. Don’t get discouraged. If you find yourself in the middle of a creative doldrum, just know it happens to everyone. I had to give myself a break for a few weeks and then come back to it. I read a couple of suspense thrillers in the meantime, to take my mind off my writing while paying attention to the author’s writing style. The important thing is that you come back to it. Detours are a way of life.

I also have habits that help me deal with writer’s block, you can read about them on my last post, Overcoming Writer’s Block.

4. Try to write your first draft without editing it as you go. There will be plenty of editing before it’s over, but the rough draft is just that – rough. It’s more important that you get your story down. It’s the shitty rough draft as Anne Lamott so eloquently calls it. If you haven’t already read her book, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, I highly recommend you do. It’s an awesome resource for writers.

5. Once you finish your rough draft, celebrate! That’s a huge accomplishment. Pat yourself on the back and take some time away from your manuscript.

6. After a few weeks, it’s time to read your manuscript, put your editing hat on and start the rewrite. I had to rewrite my manuscript several times before I felt like I could share it with anyone.

7. When you think it’s ready, recruit a few beta readers to read it and give you their feedback. Make sure you chose people you know will be honest with you. Tell them you value their opinion and you’re looking for ways to improve the story. I had four beta readers read my manuscript. It was so interesting to hear how each one interpreted the story and had very different ideas on how to enhance it.

8. Thank your beta readers and take some time to think about their suggestions. Only make revisions on the things that really resonate with you. You can’t make everyone happy. In the end, it’s your story. You’re the only one who understands the motivations of your characters. Perhaps you just need to make those clearer. You’ll know which ideas feel right and which ones don’t.

9. Once you’ve done the post beta-reader rewrite it’s time to find a professional editor. Yep. Unless you’re lucky and happen to have a friend who’s an editor, you’ll need to hire one. And, you need to make sure it’s a good one. Ask them for a sample before you make a decision on which one to hire. I know a lot of writer’s think they don’t need editors, but the reality is they do. Even the best writer’s have editors.

A good editor helps you tell your story in a better way. And a great editor asks the right questions to help you uncover things you never knew you had in you. They see your blind spots and help you build the bones and expose the soul of your story. I worked with Justine Tal Goldberg at WritebyNite and Amanda Kimmerly at Polished Pear Creative Editing, I highly recommend both of them.

10. After you work with an editor to get the manuscript print ready, you’ll need to hire a proofreader. This should not be your editor, they are too close to your work and you need a set of fresh eyes to go through your manuscript with a fine tooth comb.

After the final proof, you have a manuscript that’s ready for publication. You wrote a novel. Yay! You can really celebrate now.

At least for a little while …

You’ll need to think about what you’re going to do with this manuscript.  After all, you need to find your tribe so they can read your story.

Do you want to seek an agent or a publisher? Would you rather self-publish? You should actually be thinking of these questions before you finish your manuscript. For marketing purposes, you’ll need to establish a social media presence (create a platform) regardless of which way you chose to publish. And, if you do decide to self-publish, you’ll need a professional book cover. This is crucial. You don’t want your novel to end up on Kindle Cover Disasters.

I’ll do a follow-up post in a few weeks on how I self-published and marketed my novel and then how I later found a publisher.

In the meantime, write your novel. You can do it!

How about you? Do you have any writing tips to share? I’d love to hear from you.

Here are some more tips for writing a novel:

How to Write a Book in 4 Steps & Why Deadlines are Important

Six Monstrous Ways to Turn a So-So Story Into a Great One

The One-Two Punch Approach That Finally Got Me Writing

A Novel Idea: Week One {5 Key Plot Points}