Writing a novel can be both a lifelong dream and a daunting task. While ideas and visions for your novel, characters, and story might be abundant, translating those thoughts into a physical manuscript often seems impossible.

As a Writing Coach, I’m asked the same question again and again: Can Anyone Write?

My answer is yes. With the right tools, support, and mindset anyone has the ability to not only write, but complete their dream project. The question is not if, it’s how.

I am a firm believer that you do not need to go to school to learn how to write. In fact, all that most aspiring writers are missing is confidence…and a plan. Writing classes, writing coaches, and writing workshops can be a great place to start to slowly build that belief in your writing, but these options come at a cost.

To build confidence you need consistency. You are not going to become a great writer overnight. But, with a great plan, you can become one over the next few months. And that journey can start now. Today. With this very blog post.

How to Write a Novel?

The biggest mistake I see as a writing coach, is clients jumping straight into a novel without any preparation or strategy. Your ideas may be overflowing, but without a plan of attack, you will most likely burn out, get lost in your plot, or veer so far away from the intended story that you lose track of what you were trying to do in the first place.

Here’s my creative writing advice: Don’t overlook development.

My background is in film production and screenwriting, you can read about that in From Screen to Page. In the film industry, it is common to spend months (sometimes years) developing the story for one screenplay. Sure, this is overcomplicated by executives and producers who all want a piece of the pie, but the concept of investing time in the creation of the story before committing to writing it is something iI think is sorely overlooked in the world of novels.

The secret to writing a novel is in the development.

This is the exploration of plot, characters, and details to create a road map for exactly what your story is and how you want it to unfold. This is where you can PLAY and really have fun through experimentation. Try out new ideas, explore different scenarios, and change up every character until they feel just right.

To help you with this novel-writing journey, I have created my 7-Day Writing Challenge to develop a story to be novel-writing-ready. Each day consists of an activity that will take ideally around an hour of dedicated time but even 20 minutes will be enough to move closer to your goal of a completed novel.

At the end of one week, you’ll have no excuse not to start on chapter 1.

The One-Week Guide to Planning Your Novel

Day 1: Stream of Consciousness

Today is the first step toward finishing your novel. Showing up and committing to this challenge is committing to your goal. Take a moment to appreciate the work you’ve already done to get to this point. Starting is always the hardest step.

The good news is that Day 1 is going to be fun! The Stream of Consciousness exercise is an invitation to let your mind run wild. Open a new document or turn to a fresh notebook page and just WRITE. Put down on the page any and all ideas for your novel from characters to settings and fall down as many thought rabbit holes as you can.

Try to carve out at least 60 minutes of free time to simply explore your imagination and grant yourself permission to play. There are no wrong answers on Day 1, and every new idea is a win!

Day 2: Research

After yesterday’s brain dump, you should have a rough idea of what this story is and who it is about. As a result, you’re probably going to have some questions. They may be about a character’s profession or a city in which the story will be set.

Alternatively, this time can be used to research existing novels within your genre or subject matter to see what is already out there and what might be missing. I always encourage new writers to read everything and anything they can, so you may choose to spend this time creating a reading list to support your writing.

Day 3: Character Profiles

I strongly believe that a novel can only be as good as its characters. As humans, we look for human stories and connections (even if the characters are not human at all) and it is crucial to build well-rounded characters with backstories, motivations, and faults. A great character has depth. A reader can buy into them as real, and as a result, truly care about what happens to them.

This ‘character depth’ comes from delving into all elements of the character OUTSIDE OF what exists in your novel. When I read a book, I want to be able to understand who a character is on every level, not just in the scenarios the author places them in.

To achieve this, you will need to write answers to the following prompts for your main characters, protagonists, and antagonists. Write based on who the character is at the beginning of the story, before any action or adventure has taken place.

Appearance

Age:

Ethnicity:

Physical description:

Information

Occupation:

Income:

Hometown:

Current location:

Living Situation:

Family members:

Relationship with each family member:

Values, Belief, World View

Religion:

Priorities:

Personality:

Loves:

Likes:

Dislikes:

Hates:

Greatest Fear:

Greatest Desire:

Backstory

How do we meet this character:

What is their situation at the start of the novel:

Who is their friend/ally:

Who is their worst enemy/do they not get on with:

What causes their life to change:

Day 4: Plot Building

You may well have a clear plot in your mind already, but Day 4 is all about the WHY. What is the reason behind your actions and chapters? Today you are not creating a complete outline, but you are chipping away at a greater picture to begin carving out the details.

A plot needs to have direction and motivation to lead to a satisfying end. Answering these questions should help you explore plot and pace with intention.

The Origin

How does this story begin?

Why does the novel start at this moment?

What are the opening stakes of the situation?

The Human Hook

What makes a reader care about this story?

How does the situation change to create interest?

Why does the reader want to keep reading?

Action

Where are your characters midway through the story?

What have they overcome so far?

What have they learnt?

What do they not yet know?

Climax

Which moment is the climax of this story?

What is at stake?

How will they overcome this climax? What happens if they don’t?

Highlights

Why is this story special?

What is the most important moment in the novel?

What are the most memorable story beats?

Open Road

What question will the reader be left with?

What might happen next?

Day 5: Character Arcs

Now we know who our characters are, the adventure they are facing, and what happens to them by the end of your novel. On Day 5, we’re unlocking their arcs. This means exploring how these characters change physically, emotionally, and mentally through the beginning, middle, and end of your novel. The way we write our characters should shift and change as they do, so mapping out exactly who they are at what point in the novel writing journey is a huge advantage.

Answer these questions for each of your main characters.

Beginning

What is your character’s end goal:

What is driving this goal:

What do they lack to achieve this goal?

What happens if they fail?

What does your character value most?

Describe their physical appearance:

How would your character describe themself?

Middle

What obstacles will your character have to face?

How will they overcome these obstacles?

What decision/s will they have to make?y

What does your character lose?

How have their relationships with other characters changed?

How has their appearance changed:

How would your character describe themself?

End

What has your character learnt about themself?

What have they learnt about the world?

How have these challenges changed them:

Do they achieve their goal:

What does your character look like now?

How would your character describe themself now?

What situation does the character end in:

Day 6: Story Outline

So many new writers have an aversion to writing a story outline ahead of writing your novel – I know I did. When I began writing my debut novel, I wanted to dive straight in. I thought the planning stage would be boring and steal from my creative energy. The truth? It only adds to it. A plan enables you to have more freedom when writing as you are no longer worrying about logistics. If you know where a chapter is heading, you don’t have to pause mid-sentence to consider what happens next. It means when you are novel writing, you are 100% focused on novel writing.

By Day 6, you’ve already completed everything you need to easily write your plot outline, and I’m going to give you the template to do it.

Beginning:

Opening Situation:

Story Set-Up (introduce characters and world-building):

Inciting Incident (the event that sparks the plot):

Middle:

Action Point #1 (the thing that throws the balance off) :

Mid-Point:

Action Point #2:

Crises:

End:

Climax:

Resolution:

Day 7: Chapter Breakdown

The final piece of your novel writing prep. On Day 7, there are some decisions to make. Firstly, is how you want to break up your story. This may be in 2 or 3 larger Parts, you may choose to use Acts, or there may even be a ‘Before’ and ‘After’ element if your story is not chronological.

Within these larger sections, you will likely want to use chapters to break up your words. There are no rules when it comes to chapters. They can be different lengths, be written from different character perspectives, and even jump around in time. It’s completely up to you.

Your book research may inform this decision, but ultimately the goal is to find the method that allows you to best tell this story. Consider various structures, and use your completed Story Outline as a guide to how you want to split up your novel.

As you write, this chapter breakdown is likely to shift and change, but going into novel writing it is best to at least have a guide to lead you through your first few chapters.

I recommend using the following prompts for at least the opening few chapters to create the start of your breakdown. You may also come back to them as you move through the novel writing process to make sure every chapter is written with intention.

Chapter Number:

What Happens:

Why it is important:

Main conflict/character’s agenda:

Emotional arc:

Creative Writing Tips to Ensure Success

To set you up for success on this 7-Day Writing Challenge, I’ve compiled a few key writing tips and hacks to eliminate distraction and assist in entering your creative flow:

• Each day has an ideal work length of at least 1 hour. If possible, schedule that time into your calendar before starting out so you have nothing standing in your way of getting to work.
• If you want to be a professional author, you have to treat your novel writing time as serious work. This means respecting each day’s task and showing up mentally as you would to a day at the office.
• Start each day with a Writing Exercise. These take between 5 and 15 minutes and can be the perfect way to get into your creative flow for a productive writing session.
• Reduce distraction by working in an empty room or using headphones and putting your phone on Do Not Disturb. Starting something new is HARD and your mind very well might want to wander and find a distraction from doing the work.
• Change it up! Rotate between working at home and going to a Coffee Shop, check out my guide on How to Work from a Coffee Shop (and actually be productive) for tips and hacks.

Still struggling? If you’re serious about completing your writing project then it might just be time to outsource your accountability to a professional. Working with a Writing Coach for the first few weeks of a new project can alleviate the challenge of self-doubt and writer’s block to get you on the path to success. If you have questions about what working with a Writing Coach might look like, you can Get In Touch or book a free consultation here.