Have you ever wanted to write a novel, but found it difficult to get started? Indeed, the hardest part of writing a novel is often getting started. However, starting a novel in the right way is equally important. The opening section should show the color of the novel as well as grab the reader's attention, without rushing into the story or explaining too much. There are several strategies you can use to start your next novel.
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Part 1 of 4: Developing Your Story
Step 1. Find ideas for your novel
Most novels start with a little inspiration. Maybe you have an idea about a cool character, an interesting setting, or a unique issue that you'd like to bring up in your novel. Whatever the idea, you can use it as the basis for developing a novel.
- Write down what you know, or at least like. If you were inspired to write a novel about Russia in the 17th century but are completely blind to that era and have no interest in Russian culture, perhaps you need to rethink the idea!
- Try taking a background, theme, or culture you know as the basis of the novel. A novel will feel authentic when the author writes it based on his experience.
Step 2. Dig further into your idea
Get a notebook and take your favorite stationery. Describe what kind of novel you want to write. Choose a place to write that sparks ideas and helps you focus, such as a quiet garden, a great library, or even a quiet room at home. Write down the most enjoyable part of your future novel (whether the characters, situations, or even the setting) and let your thoughts flow naturally. You can also ask some important questions to start with:
- What does this novel want to highlight? Is it purely for entertainment or do you want to raise a political or moral issue?
- Who are the readers of this novel? Who will be interested in reading it?
- What is the genre or category of this novel? Romance, family drama, science fiction, crime or detective drama, teen fiction, or a mix of genres?
Step 3. Develop the characters in your novel
Even if you don't want to tell a lot about the characters in the first pages of your novel, you still need to know the characters' backgrounds to understand their motivations. Take the time to explain the background of each character. Some questions that you can use as a guide to develop the background of the characters include:
- Where does it come from?
- How was he raised?
- What values are held by the characters in the story?
- What do story characters hate?
- How does he look? How to talk? How to behave?
- What conflict does this character experience? How does he deal with this conflict?
Step 4. Get to know the setting of your novel
You can compose a rich, complex or simple setting. Whatever your choice, both are equally important. Before you start writing, take some time to think about setting questions such as the following:
- What settings do writers in your genre use a lot?
- What kind of nuance or atmosphere will you develop in the novel? How are you going to bring it up?
- Is your story real or imaginative? Set in urban or rural areas? Big or small?
- What are the names of the towns, villages, roads, and buildings in your story?
- Do you need to do research to learn more about the setting of the novel?
Step 5. Make a storyboard
The storyboard is where you put your entire plan and make sure all the elements come together to form a coherent and compelling story. You don't have to put it all into the novel. So now is the time to decide which ideas work, how to make them flow, and what your story structure will look like.
- You can make a storyboard in the form of a large poster or chalkboard. Or, you can create it on a piece of paper or a computer file. If you're making them on a whiteboard, make sure to shoot them as clearly as possible and in good photo quality when you're done putting them together. Surely you don't want all this hard work to be accidentally erased, do you?
- Start with a "character list": Any character who appears more than once must appear here, accompanied by their name and brief description. For example, age, gender, and salient physical traits, and their role in the story.
- Write down each chapter along with an outline of what happened throughout the chapter. You don't need to include every detail, just the important elements in the story which are developments from the previous chapter.
Part 2 of 4: Start Writing
Step 1. Determine your story introduction style
Sometimes writers begin with a dream, a conversation, or a description of the setting or main character. Meanwhile, the other writers jump straight into the action sequence. Whatever your choice. make sure the style, feel, and point of view used are consistent throughout the novel.
- If your introduction tends to be as long-winded and descriptive as Charles Dickens's, the rest of the chapters should be as well. On the other hand, if you use a short introduction and hit the target, the rest of your book will use that style as well.
- Make sure you write from a consistent point of view throughout the story. For example, if you write from a first-person perspective in the opening section, write the next section from that point of view.
Step 2. Start writing
The first time you pen (or start typing) a draft, remember, there's no need to strive for perfection. His name is still a draft of writing.
- The initial sentences of the novel must be able to grab the attention of the reader to continue listening. These sentences must be well written. Avoid using odd or confusing phrases. This way, readers will notice your writing style and want to read more.
- However, if you're having trouble composing these initial sentences, don't let your passion for writing die. Just jump in and keep writing. You can always go back to the beginning of a chapter and add better sentences when you get the right writing momentum.
Step 3. Introduce some important figures
The opening section of the novel is the right place to provide insight and description to the reader about the character who will welcome them as well as an introduction to the main protagonist. Thus, the reader will get a character that they will follow the story from the beginning.
- Be careful about describing the physical appearance of the characters. It's okay to write down some detailed instructions to help the reader imagine the visual appearance of the character. However, after all, what keeps readers hooked on a story is the character of the characters in their own imagination. For example, if you mention that the protagonist is handsome, a reader will imagine his own version of handsomeness. When you mention that the character has a pointed and firm chin, the reader may find him unattractive and thus find it difficult to sympathize with him. Too many details will also make it difficult for readers to memorize the characters.
- Get rid of the need to develop the main character completely right away. Save some important information for later sections. Just prepare the background story according to the needs of the storyline and leave a few puzzles.
- Remember, you don't have to introduce each character in detail at once. Readers who try to get to know each character in the story will find it redundant. So stay focused!
Step 4. Get the reader hooked on the problem or dilemma that binds the whole story
Many amateur writers spend time developing the setting and characters when it is actually considered boring by the reader. After you have explained the setting and several important characters, you should not waste the reader's time. Immediately present a problem, dilemma, or simply a hint that a problem is imminent. This is what will make the reader move to continue following the story.
Give hints about the next part of the story. The beginning of the novel should indicate (without divulging of course) where the story is going, what the problem is, or what the reader will gain if he continues reading. Think of this as a tool to tempt the reader to continue reading
Step 5. Show relevance
The opening section should relate to the whole story and the problem presented, not just a background, context, or introduction. Make the opening an important part! Every chapter, including the first chapter, is a piece in a puzzle!
If you brought up a problem or dilemma in the opening section and quickly found a solution in the next chapter, be sure to raise a problem that is relatively large and takes a while to resolve. You can also create a small mystery that becomes the focus of the details that appear in the introduction
Part 3 of 4: Avoid Common Mistakes
Step 1. Don't reveal too much information
The opening section of the novel should set the stage and convey enough information to keep the reader's interest. Don't leak out important details. You have to keep the reader's attention!
- Try to avoid exposing the book's plot or descriptions of upcoming events. Let people continue to guess the course of the story.
- You also don't need to tell the background story or the whole story of the characters in the opening section. Better yet, insert the background into the main story as needed to support the ongoing plot. Remember, it's not the backstory that you're going to highlight in a novel!
Step 2. Avoid clichés
It becomes clearer, unfortunately, most readers don't like clichéd openings and overly general and predictable character descriptions. While of course there will always be exceptions, avoid:
- Opening with a dream without telling the reader that it is a mere sleeping flower. Readers will find it annoying as well as a hoax. Likewise, avoid opening with a newly awakened or awakened character.
- Begin with a description of a set of characters, such as a family, householder, or school.
- Descriptions of the characters' faces or bodies that show that they are perfect and charming in every way. Most readers prefer a main character who is close to their lives than someone who is flawless and too improbable to exist.
Step 3. Make a short novel opening only
The average opening of the novel should be as short as possible. If possible, open the conflict on page 1. Don't let readers wait 50 to 100 pages for the fun part!
- Don't get lost in boring descriptions. Readers want action and plot that keeps moving, rather than dwelling on detailed descriptions of rural areas or the faces, bodies, clothes, and personalities of the main characters.
- The introduction should be long enough to present the subject, but still be concise so it doesn't feel boring. Interesting and curious introductions will immerse the reader in the story so that they want to continue to follow the sequel.
- Provide sufficient detail according to the needs of the reader to understand the setting and familiar enough with the characters so that it is easy to imagine their appearance. Most readers like to use their imagination to bring characters to life, so there's no need to feel compelled to describe anything about the characters.
Part 4 of 4: Continuing the Writing Process
Step 1. Fix the opening part of the novel
Once you're done with the opening chapter of the novel, you need to take the time to refine it so that it makes sure that the story and details are in line with your description of the novel. Take at least a few days to reread the opening chapter of the novel and examine its continuation, clarity, and development. Some of the questions you will need to answer include:
- Does what happened in the opening make sense? Has it flowed smoothly?
- Is there a drastic shift in nuance that could confuse readers? If so, what nuance adjustments need to be made here?
- Are there points or details in the opening of the novel that could confuse the reader? Is it possible to justify and/or expand on these passages?
Step 2. Edit the beginning of the novel
Once you've completed your full initial content fix, you'll need to take the time to edit it. Read the entire chapter to check for errors such as spelling, writing, and grammar.
- Reading aloud is a great way to spot minor mistakes. You can also try reading the first chapter in reverse, aka from back to front, to make it easier to spot minor mistakes.
- If you encounter errors, a way to check for similar errors is to take advantage of the find and replace feature in MS Word. For example, if you find the saltic “bsia” when it should be “can”, search for the word “bsia” and replace all the words with “can”.
Step 3. Ask someone else to read your draft
After you've edited the first chapter well (but not yet perfectly–because it's only a matter of time to be perfect), call a friend or teacher and ask him or her to be the first reader of your novel.
- The ideal first-time reader is someone who understands the language very well, loves to read novels, and can give honest feedback.
- Ask the reader if the opening chapter of the novel made him want to continue reading the whole novel, and is there still a question. Readers can tell if your story makes sense as well as how exciting it is. Remember that the opening of the story is the most important part! If the reader is bored at the opening, he probably won't finish it.
- You can ask more than one person to get different opinions. This is the best time to join a writing workshop or creative writing class.
Step 4. Continue writing the rest of the novel
Once you've mastered the writing of the opening novel and received feedback from readers, don't waste any more time and start writing chapter 2. You must keep writing while you have the momentum to avoid writer's block!
- Remember to stay consistent with the writing style, point of view, and characters that you worked so hard to develop the opening of the novel.
- Also remember to solve any problems, dilemmas, or mysteries you left uncovered at the beginning of the novel.
- Read this helpful wikiHow article for more tips on getting on with your novel.
Step 5. Read your first chapter again after after
First, celebrate your successful completion of a novel! Writing a novel isn't easy, and you should be proud of how successful it is. Then, go back to the first chapter and reread it. Has anything changed since you wrote it? Are there any new characters or plots that you think need more attention? How do you rate the quality of the writing? Take note of these points and take some time to think about them before starting the second draft.
Tips
- You shouldn't take the plot for granted and replace it with strong characters (or vice versa) and expect readers to be completely hypnotized by your story. Try to get the reader to know your characters personally. Readers need to pay attention to the characters so that they feel curious about what the characters will experience and will their journey be successful.
- Write a short prologue. The presence of a prologue helps add suspense to the story as well as makes it easier for you to write parts that attract readers.
