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Takeaways from Writing My First Novel - Series Summary
by Delicia A. Vaz
With hectic schedules, finding the time to research and read articles about writing novels can be tricky. It’s difficult to figure out where to begin due to a wealth of easily accessible information. There’s a need for an efficient way to understand what goes into writing a novel and what comes after your book is finished.
This is the last installment of my seven-part series—Takeaways from Writing My First Novel. It contains a high-level overview of the previous articles in the series.
Centered around my version of the writing process tailored for novels, as shown in Figure 1, here are the twenty-five takeaways grouped by stages:
Stage 1 – Preparation
Set yourself up for a good experience by building a proper foundation (Figure 2).
1. Research every single thing – Look up subjects you aren’t familiar with. Learn what goes into writing a book. Develop this habit as it bleeds into the other stages.
2. Know your genre and word count – Determine your genre. Your tone of writing should reflect it. Be mindful of its associated manuscript word count.
3. Figure out your plotline – Take the main idea for your story and condense it into a couple of sentences. It doesn’t hurt to build a collection of plotlines for future stories.
4. Organize your story development – Expand on your idea by answering the who, the where, the what, the when, the why, and the how (Five Ws + One H). Ensure answers connect with the idea.
5. Your layout is your blueprint – Arrange the answers of the Five Ws + One H into scenes. Group scenes into tentative chapters. This crucial step keeps you away from pointless tangents.
Stage 2 – Formatting
Configure your blank document before writing the first words of your story (Figure 3).
6. Follow guidelines – They are there to ensure uniformity among the numerous manuscripts agents and editors receive. Your draft shouldn't stand out for the wrong reasons.
7. Don’t fret, it’s easy – Be methodological in your approach to setting up the document. Once it’s done you don’t have to tinker with it.
8. Save the template – By adding your manuscript template as a preset style in your word processor, you can start a new draft without needing to tweak the settings again.
9. Get acclimated with the software – Learn about the various tools, tricks, and shortcuts the software has to offer. It enhances usage.
10. Be mindful of chapter lengths – Keep chapter lengths consistent or as close to the average as possible. A large difference in pages from one chapter to the next can break the flow of the story.
Stage 3 – Writing
Type what you’ve envisioned, planned, and developed from start to finish (Figure 4).
11. Choose and stick with your narration style – A narration point of view (POV) impacts the story’s atmosphere and its effect for readers. Find one that works for your story during the first draft. It can be changed later.
12. Don’t let content stray from the plotline – Write scenes following your planned layout. Plot threads of your story should have connections with your main plotline.
13. Be patient with yourself and your story – A first draft can take one to three months to be completed. If you don’t like how certain characters or scenes are framed, then refine those sections based on the direction of your story.
14. Develop and maintain a routine – Creating a schedule for writing ensures a consistent amount of time is dedicated to it. It helps you balance other commitments.
15. Don’t fixate on errors – It’s your first draft, errors are acceptable. Focus on forming a story that connects with your plotline.
Stage 4 – Revision and Editing
Review and correct your manuscript with a fine-tooth comb (Figure 5).
16. Tackle different aspects of revision – Read your first draft with a critical eye and note sections that need more work. Make your way through the 4Rs—Remove/Add, Reword, Rearrange, and Rewrite.
17. Get picky with editing – Complete at least one round of editing by yourself before bringing in a professional line editor. Check for erroneous taps of the Space and Tab keys as well.
18. A style sheet is a lifesaver – Create one using your development pages, and use it to ensure characters, buildings, layouts, etc. remain consistent across the pages. It helps professional line/copy editors and proofreaders as they help review your work.
19. Alpha and beta readers provide fresh perspectives – An alpha reader reviews the first draft while a beta reader gets the draft that’s as close to the final version as possible. Their feedback is valuable.
20. Criticism is good – Your team’s feedback helps improve your writing. Find commonalities among the comments you’ve received, evaluate them, and make revisions as needed.
Stage 5 – Pitching
Develop an attention-grabbing pitch to “sell” your book (Figure 6).
21. Have a riveting query letter – Keep it to one page. Include a good introduction, your plot, your bio, and a couple sentences thanking the literary agent. Mention you can send additional material.
22. Create synopses of different lengths – Each agent has different preferences. Prepare one-page, two-page, three-page, and four-page synopses.
23. Build an online presence – Choose social media platforms of your choice and start building a following. Keep your interactions organic.
24. Develop a strategy for submissions – Find agents and publishers that are looking for work similar to yours. Adhere to their submission guidelines. Send out a consistent number of queries each month.
25. Rejections don’t indicate a doomed project – Continue pitching efforts when you receive rejection. Evaluate them and incorporate changes if required. Rejections can be the way to find the right agent who is passionate about your work.
Concluding thoughts:
The writing process is a labor of love. Coming up with an idea is thought-provoking. Articulating it with finesse is a separate challenge. Navigating various paths can seem strenuous. There are plenty of online resources available to make the process easier. Take advantage of them.
As mentioned in the first article of the series, these takeaways are based on my experience. They kept me focused as I worked on my second book. I hope these insights serve as a handy resource for those with a passion for writing or fuel the fire of those with an unfinished draft.
Happy writing!
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