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A Novel Idea App

  • Others use a note-taking app. If you don't have an idea for a theme before you start a novel or as you write it in the beginning, do not worry because.
  • A guest from some foreign country was bragging that in HIS country there is 79 different ways to make mad passionate love.
  • There’s magic in turning your idea into a real app. You may dream of earning through selling, or entertaining, or delivering a novel new service.

As part of our learning in INF532 we are expected to select, test/trial and evaluate the use of online tools that we are unfamiliar with. I thought I would discuss the ones that I already use to help me get started on this. The list of tools I would like to try includes:

Track your novel's religions, clans, companies, countries, weapons, spells, or anything you want along with any number of fields to describe them. Your new types will appear in Hiveword like they were there all along.

  • Diigo
  • Google Maps
  • Symbaloo
  • PearlTrees
  • Nings
  • QR Codes
  • Project Gutenberg
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit
  • Paper.li

The ones I am already using are:

  • Facebook – I am part of several networks on this social media site. English Teachers’ Association, Library Matters NSW and Drama Peeps are the main ones I engage with but I do have a few smaller groups that I follow. The way I connect with other educators is by writing posts when I have a question about something or I contribute an answer to someone else’s question. In evaluating the benefit of these networks I would say I have found them very useful. You often receive replies quite quickly. That immediate help often makes me feel quite relieved because I have been agonising over how to do something and often go to the network as a last resort rather than as a first option. I think I should engage with them much sooner before that.
  • Listservs – I joined the OzEdTL Listserv after it was recommended to us during one of my subjects last year. I can’t say I love it. It floods my inbox at work and it is not visually appealing. I often end up deleting a good majority of the emails because I just don’t have time to read them. If I adjusted my email preferences to not receive them that often I think I still wouldn’t read them. I’m not sure if one of the curating sites could help with this. I tend to find my answers in other ways or I will save ones that I want to come back to and read later but I often find I don’t make time to do this so I’m not sure it is the most effective tool for me personally.
  • Pinterest – I curate a whole range of things and have two categories one for books and library ideas. I like the function of making some boards private. It’s particularly good for visuals. I find you still have to click on some links to check that they’re credible but it’s amazing how many resources you can build up. The search terms have a lot of sub-categories many of which I had never thought of. That is quite helpful. Most of the links are to blogs so I’m not sure that it would be the best type of curation site for research in an academic capacity but it could be used as a good model to connect students to concept of content curation.

How to write a novel is a legitimate question. It can be a scary and overwhelming concept.

Novels go unfinished all the time, and novel writers everywhere get frustrated and discouraged.

If you are able to break it down into some simple, practical, and actionable steps, however, writing fiction can become less daunting.

Everyone is different, and some things willwork for some that won’t work for others, but there are some guidelines thatcan help anyone get started.

This is the ultimate step-bystep guide on how to write a novel - it will walk you through the following steps:

  1. Settle on an idea
  2. Create your writing space
  3. Find some tools
  4. Create goals and set deadlines
  5. Eliminate distractions
  6. Do research
  7. Create an outline
  8. Write plenty of tension and conflict
  9. Create believable characters
  10. Don't edit before completing the first draft
  11. Learn to edit well
  12. Take classes
  13. Find support and mentorship
  14. Get feedback
  15. Call yourself a writer!

Keep in mind that these steps are not set in stone, and can be done in whatever order makes the most sense to you.

Following these steps will make sure you don't forget anything. They will help you with each part of the process. In addition to this, using a template will help you plan and organize them even better:

A novel-writing template gives you a road map of the entire process so you don't get lost or overwhelmed. Writing a novel is still hard work, but it keeps the story on track and moving forward. Now let's jump into the entire process of writing a novel.

What are the Rules forWriting a Novel?

Novel writing is no mystery. It requires hard workand dedication, combined with a bit of discipline. Great novelists and writersalways follow these rules to achieve their goals:

  1. Keep your targeted audience’s interestsin your mind.
  2. Give yourself daily goals.
  3. Add suspense and plot twists inyour story.
  4. Continually refine your ideasby reading other authors.
  5. Get inspiration from otherwriters, but don’t imitate.
  6. Don’t stress over your firstdraft.
  7. Don’t give up on the practice.
  8. Never forego research.

Above all, always try to keep track of your storyand take some breaks to allow your brain to reboot.

How Do You Write a Novelfor Beginners?

Try following these steps when starting to write anovel:

  1. Think of an idea and a themefor your story. Create characters and their roles in your story. Making avisual sketch of your characters before writing your story helps you be morecreative.
  2. Always scribble your randomideas and add them to your story roadmap.
  3. Try to create enticing openinglines of your story and end it with a bang.
  4. Take frequent breaks, but trynot to get too distracted.

Taking a systematic approach toward novel writing will make the job astress-free, fulfilling, and rewarding experience.

With that out of the way, let’s take a look at a more thorough, step-by-step process.

What is the Format for aNovel?

Compiling your novel in a proper format makesreviewing and editing easier. Take care of the following format basics andyou’ll be good:

  1. Choose a font that’s easier toread.
  2. Apply margins (1-1.5 inch).
  3. Create a title page and mentionthe author.
  4. Add a chapter title page. Achapter should start on a new page with a centrally aligned title.
  5. Remember adding the pageheaders, numbers, line spacing, paragraphs, etc.
  6. Justify your content.
  7. Use proper indentation.
  8. Add scene breaks.

Publishers and agents prefer aptly formatted novelsover unformatted chunks of text. Therefore, make sure to fulfill allpre-requisites before submitting it to a publisher (or even if you’reself-publishing, as it’ll make the editing and reviewing phase a lot easier).

Is it Hard to Write a Novel?

Writing a novel is hard.

Sure, the entire process comes naturally tosome people, but if anyone could do it, we’d all be successful authors.

It requires a lot of struggle, includingbrainstorming ideas, planning, actually writing the story, and staying up allnight fixing plot holes. It’s cumbersome to resist yourself from goingoff-track and a grueling job to mesh your ideas together to maintain yourstory's fluency.

And when you’re done writing, there’sediting, which is a completely different story.

Even if you’re a great writer, you mighthate even your tenth draft and still continue to find rooms for improvements.

But when you do add the final touches, get your novel approved by a publisher/publish it yourself, and see people buying its copies, it'll all be worth it.

How to Write a Novel in 15 Steps

1. Settle on an Idea

If you’re reading up on how to write a novel, chances are you already have a story idea in mind. Make sure it is an idea you love and can get excited about. Make sure it is an idea that can be fleshed out enough to be a whole novel.

The market is saturated with novels these days – of varying quality and originality. Don’t settle for something small or overdone, go for a concept that will get people excited.

Write something that your readers will want more of. Create a storyline they have never read before. If you're stumped on what to write, try using this writing prompt generator. It's a simple but useful way to spark some creativity if you're struggling with writer's block.

Here are a few techniques to generate ideas to start writing for your next novel:

  1. Brainstorm
  2. Mind mapping
  3. Roleplaying
  4. Research
  5. Storyboarding

2. Create Space

If you are going to be a serious writer andwrite a novel to completion, you need a good place to do it.

If you have an office, or room for one inyour home, this is ideal.

If you don’t already have a desk, get onethat you are comfortable with that has lots of space. Having an office toyourself will give you a quiet, personal space to do productive work. You candecorate the walls with art, pictures, quotes – anything that brings you peaceand inspiration.

If you aren’t able to set up an office for yourself, that’s okay. Find a quiet space for your desk to go, and make it as personalized as possible. Ensure you have room for all your tools and essentials.

Get a good quality chair, and make itcomfortable.

3. Find Your Tools

Once you have your space set up, it is time to determine what you will need to get this done. Notebooks, pens/pencils, and of course your computer are your physical necessities.

Next, you need to decide what you are going to use to actually write the book. Many will default to Microsoft Word, but this is not your best option. Word has its benefits, but at the end of the day, it is clunky, linear, and not ideal for writing anything longer.

For a complex and comprehensive fiction writing software, you can check out Scrivener (read the full review here). It is a popular option among novelists, and it will help you in a lot of incredible ways.

Novel

If you want something sleek and simple, butstill more powerful and organized than Word, you may find you like Squibler.

Both of these choices also come withoptions to assist you in the publishing process when the time comes!

A lot of writers also like to utilize otherbook writing software like Grammarlyand Hemingway.

These are free programs that scan your work and edit for things like grammar, syntax, and even readability. If you want to learn how to write a novel, these programs can help you. They are especially helpful when crafting that first novel when everything is a little overwhelming.

Here’s a PDF you can use that wespecifically made for you. You can download the entire 5-page PDF on “TheComplete Guide to Writing a Novel” right here.

4. Set Goals and Deadlines

Many writers get overwhelmed with the sheer amount of work that is required to finish a novel. They stare at the blank page in front of them, and they don’t know where or how to begin.

You can overcome this mental overload bybreaking up your project into smaller goals.

Goals will be different for everyone depending on their lifestyle, but a good place to start can be a daily word count. Commit to writing at least 200 words every day. If you think you have more free time, make it 1000. If you have nothing to do but write, make it 5000.

Use a spreadsheet to track your daily, weekly, and monthly word count goals.

Once you have analyzed your availability,create a schedule and stick to it. Don’t hesitate to use book writing software that will help you createand manage your schedule.

Write every morning, write every day afterlunch, or write each night before bed – whatever works best for you.

But put it in your schedule, and do not deviatefrom it. This will create good habits, and it will ensure that writing yournovel doesn’t drag on for years and years.

5. Eliminate Distractions

Especially when you get stuck and/or hit with writer’s block, everything can turn into a distraction. Leave unnecessary papers off your desk, and keep your cell phone on silent and in another room while you work.

It may also be a good idea to find an app that blocks the internet for a given period of time. This will eliminate the temptation to check Facebook or look at silly things.

LeechBlock NG is a perfect Chrome extension that will block websites that stop you from doing your work. Writing a bestseller takes hard work, and distractions have no place in the process.

6. Do Your Research

Most – if not all – novels require some research of some description.

A Novel Idea App

Some people outline like crazy and need to have every piece of the plot all planned. Others keep it all in their head.

When it comes to research, don’t ignore, rush, or skip this part of the process. You want your novel to be believable and accurate where necessary. Especially something like psychological thrillers or historical fiction, these things require extreme accuracy with a lot of small details.

This is where notebooks can come in handy, or you can insert your research right into your projects with the aforementioned book writing software and programs like Squibler and Scrivener.

7. Create an Outline – or They Don’t

Outlining is a touchy part of the writingprocess.

Some people outline like crazy and need tohave every piece of the plot all planned out. Some only create a brief andsimple outline that can be changed and worked with. Others still will writewith no outline whatsoever.

Do whatever works for you, and don’t bepressured by people who try to say that you mustcreatean outline, or that outlines are a waste of time.

Outlines don’t define how to write a novel. That being said, most bestselling authors do recommend an outline if you're aiming for The New York Times bestseller list.

8. Fill Your Story with Tension and Conflict

Conflict is the backbone of every singlestory.

Even soft, light-hearted romantic comedies need it. Conflict is what drives the plot. Think of any novel you’ve ever read, and try to come up with some of the conflicts the characters experienced. It probably didn’t take you long. If you try to think of a novel where no conflict existed, you probably can’t.

So create conflict.

Put your main character in dangerous and compromising situations. Create tension between characters, and write interesting dialogue. Don’t be afraid of drama. Use perspective to your advantage.

First person and third person are the two most common when it comes to point of view. Both of these have the potential for conflict. Third person is great for creating dramatic irony, and first person gives a lot of insight into the mind of certain characters.

Second person can be a fun and dramatic way to write, though it's not used often and isn't as effective for many types of stories.

9. Create Compelling and Dynamic Characters

Nothing kills a story faster than flat,boring characters.

Spend some time before you dig into yourstory, and flesh out yourcharacters. Create a deep and developed personality. Write a list oftheir likes, dislikes, and interests.

Some of these things may not come up in thestory at all, but knowing their personality will help you write them in acompelling, believable, and consistent way.

It can be helpful to create a physicalappearance for them as well. This can be done mentally, or you can find apicture online that you think resembles what you want them to look like. Thesepictures will be for your own reference.

Don’t be afraid to let your charactersdictate things at times.

Once they have a personality of their own,you may find that they do and say some unexpected things as you write.

That’s totally okay!

Let them go where they want. This willbring them to life and have your readers totally invested in them.

10. Don’t Edit Before the First Draft is Done

This is extremely important.

Editing has its place, but the first draftis definitely not it.

If you are constantly worried about quality, editing for every typo, and re-reading every line, you will never get anywhere. Lock up your internal editor until your first draft is finished and don’t use any writing software.

It is helpful and important to rememberthat no first draft is ever great. Good quality writing and a well-developedplot don’t come first try – for anyone.

If you’re writing and you just know that it’s a little bit horrible, keep going. Fix it later. This is how you are going to get to the end. Pantsers tend to be good at this, but many writers struggle to turn off the inner-perfectionist. But you must.

11. Learn How to Edit Well

Once it has come time to edit, you want tobe able to edit well. Editing is more than just fixing typos and breaking uprun-on sentences.

First of all, finding every little grammatical mistake will probably take a few read-throughs as our minds will sometimes overlook the little things.

It is also a good idea to get someone elseto edit your draft – a fresh set of eyes will often catch things you didn’t.You will also want to watch out for things like awkward sentences and poor wordchoice.

A Novel Idea Application

Finding plot holes is a big thing too. Thingsthat don’t make sense or don’t add up. Facts that contradict each other, orcircumstances that are impossible. These are common occurrences and willrequire some reworking of your story. Learning how to do this is essential infiguring out how to write a novel.

You will also find parts that you don’tlike or don’t fit with the story. Don’t be afraid to remove an entire sectionbecause you spent time writing it. You will likely find yourself rewritinglarge portions and even rearranging scenes.

Don’t let this upset you or throw you off. It’s completely normal.

It's also always advisable to hire a professional. Go ahead and do lots of editing yourself, it will save you money. But, a good quality, successful novel won't come to fruition without work by a professional editor.

12. Take Classes

Even if you are a natural-born writer, there is always something you can learn. You need to learn how to write a book even if you know a lot about it already.

Don’t be afraid of taking some classes.Your local college or university may offer some classes that could help you, oryou can check out the library. Failing both of those, there are many greatonline classes available.

Classes will help you develop your skillsin all areas of novel creation:

  1. Plot development
  2. Character development and character arc
  3. Research skills
  4. Worldbuilding
  5. Writing with good flow
  6. Editing techniques
  7. Story structure
  8. And many more

Udemy is one of the best places to find novel writing classes to improve your skills.

13. Find Support and Mentorship

Novels are rarely written without externalinput.

Writing is a crazy, mind boggling-processand you are going to need some support. If you don’t have any friends who arewriters, try to find a local group. Many libraries and community centers haveclubs you can join.

If none are available, there are someonline resources.

Many forums, communities, and chat rooms exist where you can connect with other writers and get some encouragement.

Here is a list of leading communities that you should join to find some critique and writing tips:

If possible, it is also very helpful tofind a mentor. This relationship may develop naturally if you are able to joina group of some sort, but be on the lookout for someone who can fill this role.Having an experienced and established writer walking the journey with you willbe exponentially helpful.

14. Get Feedback

Many writers, especially those who havenever been published and have recently learned how to write a book, can be shyand have a hard time sharing their work.

If this is you, fight through it. Try starting with some short stories. These are small pieces of writing and can be less scary to share than an entire novel.

Do not be afraid of constructive criticism and good feedback. It is essential to creating a great story. A novel is nothing without readers, so figure out how the readers are going to react to your story early on in the process. Especially if you plan to try self-publishing on Amazon- your manuscript will pass through fewer professional hands and quality is important.

There are a few ways to go about this.

You can start a blog, you can post parts of your work on platforms like the very popular Wattpad, or you can simply share the document with others.

Here is a great writing feedback tool that you can use. However you do it, make sure you do it!

15. Call Yourself a Writer

Start calling yourself a writer!

A Novel Idea App Download

Even if you have never been published or never even finished a first draft, if you write, you are a writer. Even if you don’t know how to write a book yet, you need to call yourself a writer.

A Novel Idea App Gone

Don’t back down from the title because you don’t feel like you fit the typical image. When people ask what you do, go ahead and tell them you’re a writer. Hopefully, these steps allow you to feel like you have everything you need to get started.

A Novel Idea Apple

This will build your confidence and putyour name out there – at least within your circle – as a writer. You willbecome known as a writer, and eventually, this will make you feel like awriter.

A Novel Idea Writing App

When you feel like a writer, you will be excited about writing.