How to Write a Novel: 6 Key Steps + Why They Work

Discover the truth about writing a novel in 2024, the most effective strategies for developing a solid first draft, and tips for novel writing success. 

By Julie Tyler Ruiz

Novel writing process: what you should know in 2024

Writing a novel offers many rewards. By going through the process, you build important writing skills and see yourself in a new light, as someone with the vision and stamina to complete a large project. When you reach the end of the process, you get to see your work in print and offer readers an engaging reading experience.  

Now that you're at the outset of your novel project, you have the opportunity to take ownership of the entire process, every word, every sentence, and write from your heart and soul. This endeavor is especially important in the age of AI, a watershed moment for all content creators, when tools like ChatGPT and Copilot can generate pages of text on command. As a storyteller, your job is to create what AI cannot, an original novel inspired by your unique worldview, authentic passion for storytelling, and understanding of the human experience.  

Keep reading to begin your novel writing journey. 

How to write a novel: 6 steps

In this novel writing guide, I'm taking you beyond storytelling basics and into your story's very soul. There, you will hear your most authentic voice, unearth your most exquisite ideas, and reveal the truth about the human condition. With these deep insights, you can:

• Build a strong framework for your novel.
• Progress logically and skillfully through the writing process.
• Inspire readers and even change their lives. 

1. Summarize your story idea using profound language. 

This foundational step works wonders for any kind of novel---epic fantasy, dystopian sci-fi, literary fiction, light romance, or cozy mystery---because it asks you to express your ideas with clarity and conviction. This step can also boost your confidence and give you fuel for the journey ahead.  

Let's unpack the assignment: 

• By definition, your summary must be short, just a few sentences in length. Who's the main character? What's this character's predicament? What's at stake? In limiting your summary to a few sentences that answer these questions, you focus on the elements that form your story's basis, without getting caught up in too many details. 
• Using profound language encourages you to identify the story's message and emotional impact, factors that will drive the narrative and your process.

Here's an example: 

A retired librarian, content living alone in a house full of books, reconnects with a former lover, who rekindles her passion for life and deep desire for companionship. A few weeks into their steamy affair, however, the librarian discovers her lover's terminal illness. He has a fast-progressing cancer; doctors estimate he has only a few months to live. How will the librarian face losing her soulmate a second time and content herself again with books as her only company? 

2. Discover your protagonist's deepest secret. 

Characters are the heartbeat of every story. For readers to follow a protagonist for 300 pages, the protagonist needs a rich inner life. Psychological and emotional dimension adds meaning and intrigue to everything the protagonist faces throughout the story.

Start building this inner life by brainstorming what the protagonist is keeping secret from everyone. Depending on the kind of story you're telling, the secret could be range from the extreme to the mundane. Here are some examples:

• A crime or violent act the character committed (and got away with).
• A memory of a humiliating moment.
• A lifelong dream the character never fulfilled.
• A heartbreak that still hurts.
• A rare gift the protagonist received and doesn't want others to know about. 

The point is: all humans have private thoughts, memories, mistakes, or traumas that we don't tell a soul. Sometimes we may bury these secrets in the darkest folds of our psyche, hiding them even from our conscious minds. And it's often our secrets that are running the show, and not our reason or logic. 

Find out what secret is running the show in your main character's life. You'll be amazed at the amount of story fodder this character development exercise offers you:

• How has the protagonist lived, as a result of this secret?
• How does it hinder the protagonist in some ways, propel him in others?
• How might the secret influence the protagonist's actions within the plot?
• Will the protagonist address this secret at any point in the story and what impact will this have on the plot?

TIP: Create a detailed character profile for each of the story's significant characters. A useful profile explores a character's values, beliefs, goals, personality, life before the story starts, and bearing on the main plot. Watch my video tutorial, "Build Better Characters with 5 High-Impact Questions," to explore your characters in more depth. 

3. Draft a character-driven, high stakes scene (or two).  

Using insights from the deepest secret exercise, imagine the protagonist in a specific situation in which the secret comes into play, even if the protagonist remains unaware of it. The purpose of this exercise is to observe your protagonist in action, leverage this character's inner life, gain more insight into the novel at large, and practice drafting an actual scene. 

Here's your strategy:

• Choose a situation from any point in the story: the very first moment, something that happens in the middle, or something that happens at the end.
• Create a challenge for the protagonist to face, something that stands in the way of what the protagonist most wants.
• Raise the stakes in the situation, so that that protagonist has something to lose. 
• Then, outline what actions the protagonist will take to overcome the challenge. How does that secret influence his actions? How will this particular situation turn out? 

Let's continue the retired librarian example:

I could choose the moment when the retired librarian runs into her former lover, who's in town for an important doctor's appointment. After living just fine on her own for decades, old feelings surface, leaving her giddy and vulnerable at the same time. By the end of this encounter, the two agree to meet later for dinner. Is this a date or just catching up for old time's sake? Unsure what to wear, what to think, or how to behave, the librarian puts on her nicest dress and jewelry and prepares to confess her feelings over dessert, come what may. To the librarian's surprise, her former lover has the same idea. He arrives wearing a crisp Oxford and blazer and confesses his feelings before the main course. 

Once you have a clear idea of what happens in the scene, write a rough draft of it. Focus more on the protagonist's actions and motivations and the outcome, rather than the quality of the sentences. You can always polish the scene at a later point in your process.

4. Map out a life-changing journey for your character. 

In this exercise, you'll build a strong framework for the entire story. Basing your writing off of a framework can help you make more informed decisions about what to write next. It also reduces the chances of getting stuck. 

While many writers refer to this step as outlining the events in the order in which they occur, I want you to think of it as a thorough exploration of the protagonist's experience:

• What does this character have to go through to get to the outcome?
• How will this character change, for better or worse, by the end?
• What does this character learn along the journey? 

Answers to these questions are what readers are really after when they pick up a good book, whether they realize it or not. The satisfaction of reading a story lies not only in finding out the ending but also in seeing the protagonist undergo a fundamental shift.  

Complete this exercise by listing all the major plot points of the story, starting with the inciting incident, or event that catalyzes everything, and going all the way to the resolution. Remember that plot points are consequential events that either propel your protagonist closer to his goal or set him further behind. They include triumphs, setbacks, opportunities, and losses. 

Once you have a list of the major plot points, you can add details and notes on the impact each event makes on the protagonist.

Planner vs pantser: These are terms to refer to different approaches to writing a novel. A planner is someone who prefer planning out a novel before writing it, whereas a pantser prefers to "fly by the seat of their pants," writing whatever comes up in a given moment. In my experience as a writer and coach, planners tend to achieve more success. That said, everyone's writing process is unique. See "Writing a Novel Outline: Purpose, Benefits, and Common Challenges" for more insights.   

5. Build volume.

Now that you've explored your protagonist's inner life, actions within a sample scene, and entire journey, the next step (and the one that will take the longest) is to write a full draft of your novel. Here, you're turning your ideas, notes, and outline into an actual manuscript, a rough version of what readers will eventually get to read. Volume is your goal here, not perfection. 

It's common during this phase for writers to come up with ideas for new scenes, characters, worldbuilding details, and subplots to explore. In general, you should welcome these changes, because they usually signal that your writing skills are improving. Be sure to add changes to your outline to keep track of how the story evolves. 

To stay organized as your files will grow, choose your writing software, or "content management system," carefully. Simple software like Google Drive or One Drive may suffice, as long as you clearly label your documents and folders. Some writers prefer more robust software, such as Plottr, Scrivener, and Novlr. These writer-focused programs offer different functions, like drag-and-drop organization, templates, distraction-free mode, and goal-setting.    

6. Establish your novel's voice. 

The voice of your novel combines your writing style, the narrative point-of-view you take, and the main message the story conveys. As a storyteller, you should strive to develop an authentic voice that reflects your own worldview and love of language. 

In building the first draft, you may start to discern a distinct voice. Once you have most of the scenes and chapters in place, now is a good time to establish the most salient features of the novel's voice, so that you can later refine them.

• What tone or mood do you want the novel to create? What word choices, sentence structures, punctuation, and other stylistic elements contribute to the novel's tone and mood?
• Who's the narrator, the "official storyteller" in charge of how readers encounter story? Through what vantage point do readers view the story's events? How much access does the narrator offer into characters' thoughts and feelings? 
• What big idea or takeaway will readers understand once they reach the last page? What do you want to reveal about humanity through this novel? What elements of the story help you deliver its message?

There are many ways you can design your novel's voice. Keep in mind that it should come across as natural and appropriate for the kind of story you're telling. It should also help readers navigate the plot. Even if you've added layers of meaning, such as an unreliable narrator, multiple narrators, or switching between time periods, a well-developed voice can create order and eliminate chaos. 

NOTE: The next step in writing your novel is to revise your draft. Stay tuned for my article, "How to Revise a Novel."  

Additional tips for writing a novel

Writing a novel requires you to complete different kinds of tasks, manage a growing file, and master your craft. To help you reach your highest potential, I've compiled the following tips: 

Take creative writing classes. 

Sign up for writing classes or online courses on different topics related to writing a novel. These could be focused on developing characters, building a plot, or even how to choose your best story idea. When searching for writing courses or classes to enroll in, look for ones that offer in-depth strategies and techniques and that allow you to connect with a knowledgeable and passionate teacher. 

Get writing support.

With the right support, you can potentially write your novel faster and more skillfully. Your support system should include a network of fellow writers, writing mentors, and publishing industry experts. You can follow mentors and experts on social media and even hire a coach or developmental editor to give you personalized advice on how to finish your book. You can also join a writing group to get peer feedback on your work and brainstorm new ideas. 

Check out The SoulTruth Journal, a physical creative writing workbook with over 30 in-depth writing prompts (and examples of answers from real writers), to find inspiration and confidence within.

Stay abreast of publishing industry and reading market news. 

Educating yourself on what's happening in the reading and publishing world means you can make powerful decisions about your writing. These insights are especially important in a social media driven world, in which the act of reading is hashtag-able and worthy of posting about. Market trends shift rapidly, meaning that what readers want to read today may not be what they want tomorrow. While you should always prioritize timeless, authentic storytelling over catering to the trends of a given moment, understanding your readers' preferences means you can make your novel stand out and market it effectively. 

For ideas on how to boost your creativity in writing, see my article, "How to Write Creatively: A Guide to Turning Ideas into Masterpieces."