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An Introduction to Writing a Novel
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Those Things You Must Understand to Write a Novel

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Compliments of

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C. Patrick Schulze
TheBusinessOfWriting.WordPress.com
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Twitter.com/CPatrickSchulze
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 An Introduction to Writing a Novel

Table of Contents:
2
Introduction ........................................................................................................... 3
You are in Business ............................................................................................... 4
Meet Your Muse .................................................................................................... 5
Will Your Story Sell?............................................................................................. 7
The Major Components of Your Novel .................................................................10
The Heroic Character. ........................................................................................10
The Worthy Goal. ..............................................................................................10
The Villain .........................................................................................................11
Generous Amounts of Action and Conflict ........................................................11
A Climactic Scene of Heroic Proportions ..........................................................11
Judge the Strength of Your Story Elements ...........................................................12
Create Your Storyline ...........................................................................................13
Working Title: ...................................................................................................13
Characters ..........................................................................................................15
Dialogue ............................................................................................................16
Conflict ..............................................................................................................19
Setting ...............................................................................................................21
Combine the Elements of Your Novel ..................................................................22
Edit Your Novel....................................................................................................24
Final Thoughts ......................................................................................................27
 An Introduction to Writing a Novel

Introduction
In writing this booklet I have made a calculated assumption - you wish to succeed at writing a
novel. With that in mind, An Introduction to Writing a Novel intends to point you toward the
path of publication. It intends to introduce the novice novel writer to the major components of a
novel, show him how to combine these parts to create an interesting manuscript and how to edit 3
it in preparation for publication.

By no means will An Introduction to Writing a Novel make you a successful novelist, nor will it
guarantee publication of your manuscript. At best, it will give you a sense of whether or not the
world of the published author is right for you. It will
also give you that valuable first step in the right
direction.
WRITER’S TIP:
You‟ll find the journey from idea to publication of Creation of a
your novel difficult and it demands a dedication you financially successful
will never find hidden within the pages of this or any novel is a long and
other publication. You must bring with you a strong
arduous task.
desire to succeed. Without this, you will find it hard to
become proficient in the skills you need, or to push You must have the
past the many barriers you‟ll face, not to mention the drive and desire to see
many critics who are willing to see you fail. Without it through, if you are
this personal dedication, your potential success will be to succeed.
diminished a great deal.

Though unfortunate, creative writing is a subjective

business and success requires determination, study, practice, thick skin, a bit of luck and much
more.

Despite all this, I welcome you to the world of writing and hope this booklet will assist you on
your course to success.

***

I‟d now like to take a moment and explain why I use movies in lieu of books to showcase
examples in this book. The reason revolves around the way the human mind functions. The mind
works in pictures, rather than words. In fact, that very premise, in my opinion, makes books so
interesting. The reader uses his mind to create unique and personal pictures from the words you
create. These mental pictures are relevant to him, making the story more realistic and personal. I
hope to eliminate this interpretation when giving examples. When I give an example, I want all
students to have the same mental picture of the concept in question. Movies allow for this as they
provide the mental pictures for us. Books cannot do this. Once you understand the concept, then
I encourage you to paint your own pictures for your readers
 An Introduction to Writing a Novel

You are in Business

At this time you should subdue your creative side for a while and be honest with yourself. As
you begin walking down the long, difficult path toward publication, you have to understand and
accept a critical aspect of novel writing.
4
A novel writer is in the business of writing novels. Of course, you can plan not to sell your
book, or just that one copy to your mother, but then why bother?

With every word you put on the page you should consider the commercial aspects of your story.

There exists not a single agent in this world that cares

WRITER’S TIP:
If you don’t have a
story to tell, there’s no
need to tell it at all.
one whit about your book unless it has the potential to
make him money. There exists not a single reader,
excluding your mother, who wants to read your book
unless you entertain that reader.
In my opinion, the failure to acknowledge the business
side of writing has doomed more excellent writers to
obscurity than any other single aspect of the process.

Understand this; novel writing is, first and foremost, a

business.

With all that said, I‟ve never met an individual who said they were sorry they wrote their novel,
regardless the outcome.
 An Introduction to Writing a Novel

Meet Your Muse

There exists within each of us an aspect of being human that some call intuition. Others might
label it creativity. I tend to think it more as a cross between the two. However you define it, I call
mine My Muse.
5
She, as I think of her, springs from that voice in my mind that whispers to me about my writing.
She hints at such things as, “That character isn‟t strong enough, she needs to go.” At other times
She murmurs to, “Create a subplot with that character” or “Insert the smoking gun here.” I find
amazement in the fact My Muse always has the correct answer.

You, too, have a Muse. If you have yet to meet her, give her a name. She, or he if you prefer,
talks to you every day a hundred times. Have you paid attention to those conversations?

Sometimes My Muse disappears for a time. Writers call that situation writer‟s block. At those
times I‟ll stare at the computer screen until I give up.
Usually, however, She and I work quite well together.
Most days, words pour out of me and I know She‟s
WRITER’S TIP: sitting beside me, coaxing me on.
Your Muse may be the
most important With writers, their Muses may be the most important
component of your aspect of their writing for She tells them what to write.
writing career. She is, therefore, someone you‟d like to know.

I write novels set in mid-nineteenth century America.

One day my wife wondered if I might sell more books if
I wrote contemporary mysteries. Now, I find my wife an
intelligent woman whose opinion I trust, so I gave her idea some thought. I even went so far as to
outline a story. The next morning as we sat together sipping our first cup of coffee, I told her I
didn‟t think it wise for me to write that mystery. When she asked why, I told her My Muse
recommended my novels stay firmly ensconced in the nineteenth century. She understood and
we dropped the subject. The lesson here? Trust your Muse.

Your Muse will voice her opinion as to the novel you should create. She‟ll suggest the subject
matter of your novel. She‟s great with writing, editing and even selling your book, too. She‟s a
welcome friend in this venture you‟re considering.

Allow her into your writing life and trust her.

If you think about what about writing that calls to you, you‟ll see She‟s already told you to write
fiction. I know this because you‟ve accepted this gift and started reading this booklet. Listen and
She‟ll tell you what genre to write and which writing style, or voice, to employ. Should you write
Science Fiction, Romance, Historical Fiction? She‟ll give you some great suggestions.

You‟ll also find your Muse will direct you in every other aspect of your writing career. She‟ll
 An Introduction to Writing a Novel

point out your audience, or market. She‟ll indicate what edits to make and which agents to
approach.

Get to know your Muse and your success comes ever closer. Ignore her, and your success moves
farther from your grasp.

6
 An Introduction to Writing a Novel

Will Your Story Sell?

To answer that question, you need to understand what type of stories people want to purchase. In
general terms, you need a story unique in some way that will appeal to readers. And what
appeals to readers? A good story will do the trick every time.
7
Does the story you‟re considering call to you? Does your story interest you more than any story
ever has? Does you Muse tell you, you are the person to write this story? Do you feel you are the
right person to tell this story?

If you answered yes to these questions, next consider if

you can sustain your excitement for the story over the
WRITER’S TIP:
years it will take to write it. Do you love this story
enough that you can focus on that one subject for the As a novice novelist,
next three, four or even five years? you’ll either be
consumed by your
If answering these nebulous questions leaves you story, have too many
feeling positive about this prospect, your Muse has stories to consider or
called out to you. have no idea about
what it is you wish to
Next, ask yourself if you have the knowledge to make write.
your story authentic. If you do not, will you spend the
necessary time to research your subject matter? What
if it adds two more years to the project?

If you‟ve answered these questions in the positive, you‟ll find yourself in one of three categories
of writers. You‟re either consumed by a story, you have too many stories straining for release, or
you know you wish to write but have no idea of what story to write. Regardless your position,
I‟ll show you how to move ahead with what I hope will develop into your writing career.

Let‟s look at these categories one at a time.

 An Introduction to Writing a Novel

You Have No Idea of What Story to Write

In effect, your Muse has yet to call out to you on the subject. In that case you have two choices.
You can wait until your Muse speaks or forge ahead and give her some encouragement.

To jumpstart your Muse, try these ideas.

8
Look to past events. Read any material in which you have an interest. Stories are everywhere.
Just open your eyes and mind. Almost anything can be turned into a story. Would the fact a
thousand World War II soldiers die every day hide a story? What about that guy who dresses like
Elvis and hangs around the mall? Might there be a story in the cat lady down the street who
never has any visitors? Whatever strikes your fancy, follow up on it. Once you find something of
interest, review the questions in “Will Your Story Sell” to see if you‟ve found your topic. If not,
continue with your search.

Use the Internet. Take some time and just surf. Don‟t look for anything in particular, just surf.
Follow links, create a few bookmarks and just keep reading until something sparks an idea.

Create a Working Title for Your Manuscript. Nothing

WRITER’S TIP:
If you have no idea
about what you should
write, fictionalize your
own story.
gets you moving in the right direction as well as a title.
Keep it to five words or less but just put it down on
paper, so to speak. Once you have that, again check it
against “Will Your Story Sell.”
Create a Novel Based on Your Life. You do have a story
within you, and it‟s you. There will never be a character
you know any better. The secret, of course, lies in
fictionalizing your life‟s story.

Write the Opening Line of Your Manuscript. As with writing the title, this often jumpstarts your
Muse. Try it and see if She responds.

Look to Norman Rockwell. By this I mean to look to those local, weekly newspapers for stories
that never made it to the national news. They abound with interesting stories that have never seen
the printed page. Therein waits many a novel.

One of the most fertile locations of interesting fiction can be found among family anecdotes.
Here‟s one from my life. Every Christmas, my grandmother sent my family a huge box of pecans
from her orchard. She did this every holiday season as long as she lived. We‟d eat a third of the
pecans and toss the rest when the next box arrived the following year. One year we got to the
center of the package and what we found surprised us all. Stuffed into a white envelope she‟d
inserted five mint-condition silver dollars, one intended for each of the children in the family.
How many of these fine coins did we throw in the trash over the years? Can you see a story
being created out of that? I can.

What you should not do if you do not have a story in mind.

 An Introduction to Writing a Novel

Don’t Mimic Existing Stories. Someone already wrote “The Da Vinci Code.” Write something
else. There are too many others traveling down this particular road and hand-in-hand with them
walks a silent Muse.

Don’t Use Current Events. The world of news shifts

with great abandon and its stories are lost to the 9
dustbin of obscurity when the immediate interest WRITER’S TIP:
fades. By the time you‟ve completed your novel, the Pay attention to your
public‟s interest in the story will have long faded. Muse when choosing
which story to tell.
You Have Too Many Stories Straining for Release

Many new writers find themselves in this situation.

The secret here lies in finding the most important story
you have to tell. You simply allow your Muse to identify that most unique of stories.

To coax your Muse to help you find that unique story that needs telling you should to review
each storyline with the questions found earlier in “Will Your Story Sell?”

Once you‟ve identified the specific story you need to tell, don‟t lose your focus. Trust your Muse
and stay centered on that one story.

If you find you cannot focus on that one story, maybe your Muse thinks you should reconsider
the others.

You’re Consumed with a Story

If you find yourself consumed with a story, it‟s time to learn the “Major Components of Your
Novel.” Let‟s move to the next page and get to work.
 An Introduction to Writing a Novel

The Major Components of Your Novel

With few exceptions, every successful novel follows an outline, or formula, if you will. This
blueprint has some specific elements inherent to it. the Art of Storytelling includes, at least, these
components.
10
1. A heroic character
2. A worthy goal for your hero
3. A villain worthy of your hero
4. Generous amounts of action and conflict
5. A climatic scene of heroic proportions

There are many other aspects to a well-received novel, such as a certain mastery of the language,
effective dialogue and correct punctuation. However, without the five components listed above,
your novel will languish from its inception.

Let‟s consider these five essentials.

The Heroic Character.

Your major character must posses qualities that are upright, honorable and likable. He should
attempt to act in a moral fashion at all times. (This does not mean he has no flaws but rather
possesses an honorable character.) He should be unique in some fashion from every other
character you‟ve met.

This protagonist, or hero, need not be a mighty king with a sword forged in the bowels of hell.
He can be as humble as a shoemaker‟s assistant or
someone as lost as a young girl after the untimely death
of her father. Regardless the guise your hero takes,
WRITER’S TIP:
your reader must have a reason to follow him or they
won‟t read your book. Yes, your hero should be the Every good story has
good guy who needs to wear at least the metaphorical five essential
white hat. elements. Miss even
one and you have no
The Worthy Goal. story.

A good story will always have some sort of quest for

your hero. Does the journey you envision for your hero
have something of true value at the end? Does it have something so worthy of your hero‟s efforts
he‟s willing to die for it? Will your readers see this goal as worth of his effort?

Need this goal include the slaying of a mighty beast that devours innocent people? Not at all. The
worthy goal can be as ordinary as an early teen in junior high school trying to find a friend. It
need not be a world changing objective, but it must be worthy of the effort your hero will put
forth.
 An Introduction to Writing a Novel

The Villain

Every heroic character requires a foil and your villain must be of sufficient strength to challenge
your hero to the utmost. Can this scoundrel win his fight with your hero? No, but your reader
must, at some time, feel he can. If your villain cannot take everything of value from your hero,
he‟s not much of a villain. He‟s more an inconvenience.
11
Your rogue may be as nebulous as a feeling or as large as the sea. Regardless, it must be able to
destroy your hero or this rogue will not be worthy of the fight.

Generous Amounts of Action and Conflict

Every reader must be entertained, and that translates into action and conflict. This does not mean
there must be gigantic explosions with bullets flying. Nor does it mean numerous chase scenes
with multiple car crashes, though they do work well. It means characters, whether they be aliens,
humans or insects, must face dramatic decisions. These difficult choices may be internal or
external in nature. They can be as diverse as a woman suffering a brutal divorce to a mob boss
who kills people to harvest their organs. It matters not. What does matter are those remarkable
decisions that must confront your hero.

A Climactic Scene of Heroic Proportions

WRITER’S TIP:
Your reader must have
no doubt your hero is
about to die in your
climactic scene.
The ending of the novel must have some sort of scene
where you hero comes face to face with his literal or
figurative death. It must be a powerful and exciting
ending to your hero‟s quest.

Keep in mind there need not be an actual death-dealing

fight at the end of your story. It can be as commonplace
as a young boy who receives his first kiss or as grandiose
as the Battle for Berlin during World War II where half a million people died. It only matters that
this struggle, when it arrives, tests your hero to the utmost and entices your reader to an extreme.

Let‟s now see just how close you are to having those elements that make for a good story. On the
next page, I‟ll ask you to score the strength of your story elements.
 An Introduction to Writing a Novel

Judge the Strength of Your Story Elements

Each of the five elements to your story listed on the preceding pages should be of sufficient
strength or power to make your story entertaining. On this page, you‟ll judge just how strong
your elements might be.
12
Rate your elements in the chart below as to how well they fit the descriptions above.
(1 = weak, 5 = powerful)

Element 1 2 3 4 5
Boring Weak Average Interesting Exciting
Hero
Worthy Goal
The Villain
Action & Conflict
Climatic Ending

The way to interpret your ratings follows:

Hero: If you did not rate your hero at least a five, he‟s not much of a hero.
Either punch up your character or look for another story.

Worthy Goal: Your readers should care about your hero‟s goal. So, if you did not rate this as a
five, find some way to create a loftier objective for your hero. Success in your
hero‟s quest must seem almost impossible.

Villain: As with the other elements, the villain should be rated at five. If he does not
possess the power to introduce the prospect of your hero‟s failure, he‟s not tough
enough. Your reader must believe, at some point in your story, the hero will fail.
Only the most difficult of villains will cause your hero to lose.

Conflict: If your conflict isn‟t a five, you have too little to catch your reader‟s interest. Find
other ways to create difficult decisions for your hero.

Ending: Can you guess what level your ending must attain? As with every major element
of your story, this, too, must rate a five. Without the most chilling of climaxes,
your reader will feel cheated and disillusioned. They expect you to thrill them,
and so you must.

After you‟re rated the various elements of your novel, if any one of them does not measure up to
a level that thrills your reader, you do not have a novel that will make money or entertain.

In that case, you must do one of two things. Punch it up or move to another story. Remember,
you‟re writing fiction, and fiction can be whatever you make it.
 An Introduction to Writing a Novel

Create Your Storyline

There are five major steps you must take to build a novel. They are:

1. Choose Your Working Title

2. Develop your Characters 13
3. Write Dialogue
4. Create Conflict
5. Establish Your Setting

Working Title:

It may surprise you, but this something this simple can often the elixir that stokes the fires of
creativity within writers.

Take a moment and think about titles you know.

Consider, “The Andromeda Strain,” “Dances with
Wolves,” or “Jaws.” These titles evoke a mental picture,
WRITER’S TIP: don‟t they? That mental image gives life to your novel.
Choosing that perfect
title for your book is Your title will prove one of the most important selling
one of the most tools of your book. For now, you need only a single, all-
important marketing encompassing concept that tells the fundamental tale of
your book.
decisions you will
make.
My first manuscript told a story about a woman and
how war affected her life. I titled my this novel “Life
Amid the Ruins.” Though it described my storyline, it
didn‟t have the appeal I sought. It didn‟t roll off the tongue very well. I shortened it to “Amid the
Ruins” and that worked for me. You can see how those three words encompass the idea of what
happened in her life.

Some aspects to keep in mind when developing your working title are as follows:

Keep it short, five words or less.

Make it snappy or catchy. Ensure it “sounds” right.

Make certain it fits your market, or audience. “Sex and the Single Woman” would not fit
a western novel whereas “Six Shooters from Hell” would not fit the romance market.

Be cautious of dated words. “The Buggy Whip of Athena” just won‟t draw readers.

Consider book cover art and a movie in relation to your title. Will the cover you envision
make a viable movie poster? It should.
 An Introduction to Writing a Novel

Use words that readily relate to pictures, such as “The Sword of…,” or “The Murder
in...,” or “Wooden Stones…”

Here are some additional tips to assist in creating your working title.

Look to the story itself. As with my first manuscript, “Amid the Ruins,” the story of a woman 14
living with the consequences of war, the story led to the title. See if you can‟t condense your
story into five words or less. Do this by finding strong verbs or nouns with meaning behind
them. As in my manuscript the word “Ruins” described the results of war quite well. Play around
with it to see if anything delights your Muse. For
example, if your novel tells a story about World War
I, you might pick something like “Death in the
WRTER’S TIP:
Trenches.” This title exemplifies the First World
War, plus, you have specific and effective nouns in The use of alliteration
the words, “Death” and “Trenches.” or family anecdotes
are two tools that may
Another tip might be to find colloquialisms that help you decide on
fit. Of course, look for one that has a relation to your your working title.
storyline. As example, if you‟re writing about a
seamstress, a stitch in time save nine might become
“A Stitch in Nine Saves Time.” One woman I met
wrote a book about how to stay safe and healthy while visiting Mexico City. She chose the
working title “Revenging Montezuma.”

Use controversy. “How to Cheat on Your Spouse” would raise some eyebrows and encourage
sales, don‟t you think?

Consider alliteration that fits your theme. Consider as examples, “War of the Worlds” or “The
Great Gatsby.”

Think of phrases your family and friends use. Can one of those be altered to fit? “Wait „til
Your Father Gets Home!” might be a good example.

In reality, titles come from anywhere. Keep your mind open and have fun with it. Remember,
you‟re creating only a working title and has only one purpose - to keep you focused on your
story. It can change at any time and your will change it anyway. So find something that your
Muse likes for now and get to writing.
 An Introduction to Writing a Novel

Characters
After your working title come to mind, begin to think of your characters. Begin with three major
characters for your story. You‟ll need a hero, a villain and some sort third character that finds
himself bound to the first two in some fashion. This could be a mentor, a love interest or
whatever. Just develop three major players for your novel.
15
Once you have them in place, begin to make notes as to who these people are. Some writers use
note cards, others create a formal database. It matters not what technique you use, just begin to
identify these people, in detail. Not only do you need physical descriptions, but list their
strengths, weaknesses, morals, backgrounds, relatives, etc. Create dossiers, if you will, as to
everything you can imagine about these people. Keep in mind every character, including your
hero, has flaws. No one, not even created characters, has gained perfection.

Once you have written down who these people are, cut out photographs or drawings you find
that physically match these people. This little technique will help more than you can imagine
when you write about them later. And here‟s another tip.
Not all your characters belong in Vogue. Find the ugly,
too.
WRITER’S TIP:
As you get deeper into your novel, many more
For help in developing characters may emerge and you should go through this
your characters, cut same basic process for each of them. How much
out photos or information you develop for each of them depends on
drawings of drawings their importance in the story. Consider a bellhop in a
that look like the hotel who finds his way into your book. How much do
character you you really need to know about him if he only shows up
envision. once to carry the bags, then withdraws from the book?
Not much. A general physical description and his
clothing may be all you‟d need of him. What should you
do if you later decide your hero has a girlfriend? Write
her up in full.

Don‟t forget to name your characters. The importance of this cannot be underestimated.
Consider, if you will, a hero who must slay the proverbial dragon. Should this great hero‟s name
be Joe or Luxor the Great? Your readers will need to identify with your hero, so make sure his
name fits his role. How about that bellhop I mentioned? Should his name be Joe or Luxor the
Great? See my point?

One of the key secrets to writing a successful novel lies within your characterization. In addtioin,
the more you know about your characters, the better you‟ll write about them. So, get to know and
understand those people who will populate your novel. In fact, for your major characters, you
cannot know too much.
 An Introduction to Writing a Novel

Dialogue

Dialogue simply shows your characters speaking. However, you can write your entire life but
have created nothing but words on the pages without effective dialogue. Dialogue will make
your project shine or make it useless. No fiction writer will succeed without effectual dialogue.

Dialogue moves your story forward toward its conclusion. It develops your characters, and leads 16
toward conflict. In fact, if your dialogue isn‟t moving toward some sort of conflict, whether
minor or major, don‟t bother to put it in your story.

In almost every case your characters dialogue should

WRITER’S TIP: have them in some level of disagreement or leading up
to that disagreement.
Dialogue, at its most
basic form, is a The effective writer will not make his dialogue sound
writers’ trick. It is like the conversation of actual people. In fact, it cannot
nothing like real sound like real conversations at all. Normal
conversation but must conversations are full of “uhm‟s” and “ah‟s,”
sound like it is. inconsequential statements, incomplete sentences,
grunts, physical gestures and such. Though you may
write in the occasional physical movements, dialogue
will contain none of the other aspects to actual human
speech.

There exists a learnable skill to make dialogue seem real when it is not.

Here are a few tips to consider.

Incorporate not a single useless word. If the dialogue does not move the story forward, don‟t
use it. For example, consider how the following conversation will interest a reader.

“Hey, Mark! What‟s happening, dude?”

“Not much, bro. What‟s up with you?”

“Nothing to crow about. School and work is about all I ever do.”

This sort of conversation will bore your reder, and as we saw from the earlier graphic, nothing
about your book and can boring.

You Use dialogue as a tool to show a character’s personality. Does he speak quickly? Does
he have a drawl? Does he come from the Deep South or maybe England? What educational level
has he attained? Might he be uneducated? Do his words show contempt, worry or sorrow?

All these characteristics and more can be shown through the words you put in your characters‟
mouths. An example of how one‟s education can be shown via dialogue follows. I‟ve also
 An Introduction to Writing a Novel

included an example of how dialogue can show the emotion contempt.

Education: “I ain‟t got no reason to go with you.”

Contempt: “You sicken me!”

Do not write in long-winded diatribes. It‟s tedious 17

to readers. If your story calls for one, break it up long
conversation with physical actions. Though I‟ve
shown a shortened example, it follows. I‟ve identified WRITER’S TIP:
the action with italics.
Use specific, powerful
“I will not come with you!” She shook her verbs and nouns for
head with vehemence. “I must stay here and more effective
tend to my father‟s health.” dialogue.

Use dialogue to build suspense and conflict. Here

again I‟ve given a simplistic example.

“What happened to Joan?”

“I don‟t know.” His face filled with fear. “Isn‟t she with you?”

“No! I thought she was with you!”

As you can tell, this dialogue both moves the story forward towards what will happen next and
shows conflict.

When writing dialogue, use strong verbs and nouns. The more specific the verb or noun, the
more power it will have for your reader. Without precise verbs and nouns, your reader uses their
imagination to fill in the blanks and they may not create the image you desired. Consider these
two sentences and notice how the weightier words carry more strength.

“I‟ll not go with you. I don‟t know you well enough.”

Or

“I‟ll not get in the car with you! I don‟t know you well enough.”

In the first sentence “go with” could mean walking, running or even pogo-sticking with the other
character. If the reader imagines pogo-sticking, and their imagination will fill in any gaps in your
writing, there isn‟t much danger or conflict here. In contrast, getting into a car with a stranger
holds much more potential danger. “Getting in a car” offers a more specific action and therefore,
stronger than merely “going.”

Avoid clichés. Never use them, period. Be creative. If your character needs to say something
 An Introduction to Writing a Novel

like, “All‟s well that ends well,” reword it. Try something that makes the meaning clear but uses
other words. For example:

“All‟s well that ends well,” might become, “At least I did what needed doing.”

***
18
Dialogue has such a critical part to play in your novel I strongly recommend you consider further
study in this arena.
 An Introduction to Writing a Novel

Conflict

People read your books for the conflict and without it you have no novel. You must thrill them.
In fact, people will put down your book if nothing exciting or dangerous happens to the hero.
This applies to a romance as well as a novel about soldiers in war.

Understand the major difference between action and conflict. A reader founds action in things 19
that happen; explosions, car chases, arguments, and the like. However, the reader finds conflict
in the emotions your characters feel during that action.

Imagine your hero watching a television show about a building razed by professionals. Although
you see a great deal of action, explosions, a collapsing building, dust rising in billowing clouds,
noise that rattles the earth and so on, you see no emotion attached to the event. In contrast, create
the exact same situation, except this time your hero finds himself trapped in that building. Your
action turns to conflict because of the emotions involved.

With that in mind, might you have a scene bursting

with conflict but little action? Of course, you can. What
if two people argue, but they use more physical WRITER’S TIP:
gestures then actual fisticuffs. An example could be a
wife who listens quietly while an out of control Conflict is created
husband yells at her. When he gets winded, she flips when your hero must
him off then leaves the room. There‟s little action in make difficult
this scene. He shouts, she gestures, but nothing at all decisions he’s never
explodes or crashes down a mountainside. Regardless, before faced.
imagine the conflict that exists between the two
characters. You‟d see his anger, her resentment and
possible hate, etc. There‟s great conflict but little
action.

Every chapter must have some level of conflict. A character may want simply to be left alone or
they may want someone else to die. Regardless, in every chapter somebody must want
something.

So, just how do we create this conflict?

Putting your hero in unfamiliar situations will offer you opportunities to increase the emotional
conflict in your story. The moral decisions he must make creates the conflict.

If your character never finds himself forced to make difficult decisions, he‟ll never encounter
conflict. Must a woman leave her husband? If she does, will she lose her children? How will her
choice affect the children? Should a character kill an intruder? Will your hero have to shoot that
unarmed hostage? Must your hero steal to feed his family? All these thorny and unfamiliar
decisions are what make for conflict.

Dialogue, your characters‟ spoken words, proves your best tool for developing conflict. You
 An Introduction to Writing a Novel

should have conflict in every word spoken by your characters. If they are not specifically
discussing conflict, their words should be leading in that direction. Having every spoken word
you write lead to or show direct conflict can be a
difficult task to master, but master it you must. Let‟s
study how to do this.
WRITER’S TIP:
Dialogue is the major First, show movement. When your characters‟ speak, 20
tool available to the have something move. The drapes might rustle or
writer to heighten or lightning could burst forth in the background. Maybe a
develop conflict. dog barks. This technique heightens the effect of the
dialogue.

Show emotion. What if your character flinches when the

lightning flashes? Maybe they turn to the sound of the
dog‟s bark and shiver as they wonder aloud what might cause the animal to get excited.

Use nonverbal exchanges. Have your character wrinkle their forehead in question. Let them put
up their hands in a defensive fashion. You might even have them perspire from the emotional
pressure. Regardless the physical action, use it to evoke more conflict.

Whatever methods you choose, you must not forget the essential nature of conflict to all words
of fiction.
 An Introduction to Writing a Novel

Setting
The third major component of your novel you must identify even before you begin writing is
your setting.

Setting, that time and location where your novel takes place, has as much importance as any
other aspect of your novel. It serves to cement your readers with your story. Does your hero live 21
in the sixteenth century? Does he live in the year 2598?
Only in your hero‟s mind? Then your setting exists in
those times or places.
WRITER’S TIP:
Don‟t forget everything becomes part of your setting.
The weather, the material shoes are made of, even the If you make errors in
color of the mud could end up being a part of you setting, readers will
setting. With setting, you transport your reader to lose confidence in you
another time and place. That transportation must be as a writer and stop
complete or he will not stay there for too long. reading.

The more realistic your setting, the more your readers

can get involved with your writing. The converse will
also be true. One mistake in setting will cause you readers to set your book down. Imagine a
Templar Knight who reads the sun to determine the time of day. Now consider that same Knight
looking at his wristwatch. The imaginary bubble you‟ve created for your reader explodes and
that one error may mean he never trusts your work again.

To establish an effective setting, fill out a note card or database with Setting as a character. As
with characters, the more detailed and complete your setting, the more your reader will enjoy
your work.

Even though you understand everything about your setting, don‟t give your readers all you know
about it. Just give them enough to make the story real. For example, if you know the color of the
mud, but your story never takes place on a rainy day, you have a detail you need not include.

Moreover, as with characters, collect photos or drawings of your setting. In one short story I
wrote about woodland creatures, I took actual photos of overturned tree stumps. It took a bit of
imagination, but I found abstract images within the root systems and soil that gave rise to the
creature‟s homes. (Worked like a charm.)

Get to know your setting as well as you know your hero.

 An Introduction to Writing a Novel

Combine the Elements of Your Novel

Now that you have the major components of your novel organized, it‟s time to start putting them
together to formally begin the writing process.

Your novel will consist of a series of scenes linked together like a chain. 22

What, you may ask, comprises a scene? It‟s a part of your novel that includes character
interactions that moves your story forward. It places your reader in a position to “see” what takes
place. Therefore, a narrative of the landscape does not make a scene as there are no characters
speaking to each other. In contrast, two characters describing the landscape make it a scene.
Master scenes will have the most conflict, while all other scenes have lesser amounts of the
same.

Scenes have a purpose. They:

 Move your story forward and toward its end

 Introduce and flesh out your characters
 Create a problem or heighten it
 Solve a problem
 Set up the scenes to follow
 Create setting or atmosphere

Within the concept of scenes, you have what are called, “Master Scenes.” These portray the most
critical moments in your manuscript. They are turning
points in the story. For example, two people describing
the landscape as above creates a scene, but isn‟t a master
scene. Include the enemy army charging over that
WRITER’S TIP:
landscape toward the speaker and you may well have a
Your story must have master scene.
at least three master
scenes. You may have By combining the five critical elements of your story,
more, but you cannot title, characters, dialogue, conflict and setting into
have fewer. scenes, you create your novel. The method of how your
link these scenes together creates another critical aspect
of your novel. You need to write your story so that the
intensity of your story rises and falls to generate
excitement for your reader. The end of your story will find the climactic scene the highest point
in this series. Study the chart on the next page and it will show how to link your scenes together
to accomplish this.
 An Introduction to Writing a Novel

I‟m About to Die! I

OMG! E H
Great! D F
Exciting! A C G K
Interesting B 23
Not So Interesting
Bored
Napping
Asleep
Dead
Scenes as They Lead to the End of Your Story

As you see from this graphic, your Master Scenes would be E, H and I. These would have the most
tension and interest for your reader and your hero. The other scenes build to these crescendos by always
“setting up” the Master Scenes to come.

The last scene, in this case K, brings your reader way down in intensity. This comprises your “Happily
Ever After” scene.

Further, you see that your story should never, ever, be the least bit “Not So Interesting.” At all times, your
reader must be enthralled by the events taking place.

Must your story follow this exact graphical guideline? Not really. In this example, I have three Master
Scenes. Your story may have more, though it should have no less.

Can you have more peaks and valleys than shown here? Absolutely! Just make sure your downs always
lead to another up.

A secret to creating all these scenes is found in writing your climatic scene first. After that, create your
other pivotal scenes, then fill in. For many, this makes the story much easier to write.
 An Introduction to Writing a Novel

Edit Your Novel

Despite the importance of all the things you‟ve learned so far, they pale in comparison to editing.
When I wrote my first manuscript, it took me ninety days to write the story. Editing, by
comparison, took four hundred and fifty.
24
However, my recommendation is to write first draft of your story, then think about editing. On
my current manuscript, I‟m on edit number six. Does that give you an idea of how much work
one of these things takes?

When writing your first draft, just write. Don‟t worry too much about spelling and grammar.
After you do your preparation, such as developing characters and all the rest, just toss words onto
the page. Of course, you keep all your guidelines in
mind as you create your masterpiece, but still, it‟s a first
draft and a dozen or more may follow.
WRITER’S TIP:
Almost anyone can Many authors first outline their story, then write it, then
write a story. Only fix it. You might wish to consider this method for you‟ll
those who are best at have ample time to make it shine later.
editing will have a
story that will make Some writers have a tendency to edit as they go along.
money. Of course you may do things as you see fit, but I prefer
and recommend you write now, edit later.

As you edit, you‟ll find entire scenes disappear, or

appear, or even reappear. You‟ll see the same thing happen to your characters, too. They come,
they go, they grow and they shrink. Your Muse will help with this, so don‟t worry.

As you get deeper into your writing career, you‟ll find the writing of your story makes up the
lesser part of the craft. Editing makes your story shine and earns its money.

So, how do you got about editing your novel?

Well, it‟s mechanical in nature. This means you go through various steps in the editing process.

Format your manuscript.

There are specific rules for the way a manuscript should look. They include:

Double-spaced typed lines. This allows for easier reading and simplifies the deeper
editing yet to come.

Write on only one side of the paper.

1-inch margins around the entire page, top, bottom and both sides.
 An Introduction to Writing a Novel

Justify the left margin but not the right. (Like this booklet.)

Number pages at the top or bottom. (Unlike this booklet.)

Place the working title, followed by a dash and your last name, in the header.
25
Never bind your manuscript. Leave it as loose pages.

Use only 20lb or 24 lb, white paper, printed on one side.

Use only Times New Roman, Courier or Bookman fonts in 10 or 12 point.

Use only a single space between words and sentences.

Other fundamental editing techniques follow.

Check for spelling. A misspelled word or two will not necessarily disqualify your manuscript
for publication, but if you have too many, it might.

Review each character as to his necessity in your

story. If he does not contribute something to the story,
get rid of him. WRITER’S TIP:
Only those who review
Review each scene for usefulness. If it does not move
each word of their
the story toward its conclusion, cut it. If it will have
manuscript for
more effect elsewhere in your novel, move it.
purpose and
correctness will
Double check your research. No watches on Templar
succeed in having
Knights allowed.
their story published.
Find any “-ly” words and evaluate each one of them.
Reword them if you can without losing the meaning of
the sentence. Adverbs such as these are ineffective and weak. Rewrite them. Here‟s an example.

“Our drive was terribly long,” might become, “Our drive was long and boring.”

“Long and boring” contains more description, i.e., stronger, than “terribly long,” which does not
necessarily convey “boring” at all.

Eliminate exclamation points from your writing.

Use action to highlight the seriousness of a situation. As example, “I‟m afraid!” might become,
“I‟m afraid,” she said. The goose bumps on her arms confirmed her fear.”

Get rid of all dialogue tags except, “said” or “asked.” That means any dialogue preceded or
followed by words such as, “he chuckled” or “she smiled” or “he sneered” should be reworded.
 An Introduction to Writing a Novel

Instead, you can eliminate them with more descriptive writing or you might replace them with a
sentence. As your example, consider this dialogue.

“No, I won‟t go with you,” she sneered.

Eliminate the tag, “she sneered” and replace it with a sentence meaning the same thing.
26
It might become, “She sneered at him and said, “No, I won‟t go with you.”

Eliminate your ellipses. (…) Novice writers can always be spotted by the many ellipses they
WRITER’S TIP:
Editing for correct
punctuation is as
important as editing
for words, phrases and
sentences.
use. New writers use them to indicate an incomplete
thought or a pause. Let your words show these ideas.
Eradicate ill-used words the middling won’t twig.
Rather, don‟t use words your average reader won‟t
understand.
Cut long phrases down to size. Look for such things as
“in the event that” and “in order to.” Replace them with
more simple constructions such as, “if” or “to.”

Get it’s vs. its correct. “It‟s” is a contraction whereas

“its” means the possessive. I remember it this way. “It‟s”, has four typed characters in the word,
as do the two words it replaces – “it is.”

Allright contains two words, alright, all right?

Correct all errors in single vs. plural nouns and verbs. You need to find and fixed all this
common errors. I mean all these common error. Or rather, I mean you need to find and fix all
these common errors.

When it comes to editing, this booklet gives you only the lightest of insights as to the many
issues you must consider. If you remember the money in not in the writing, but in the editing,
you‟ll spend the time you need to get it right.

***

For additional information on the subjects in this booklet, check out my blog at
TheBusinessOfWriting.wordpress.com

***
 An Introduction to Writing a Novel

Final Thoughts
Thank you for taking your valuable time to read this booklet. I trust this digest has proved
of value to you and hope it inspires you to discover that writer‟s skill that lies within you. It
would be wonderful to know when you look back on your writing career this simple
publication offered a tiny sparkle that pointed you toward the path of publication. I do so 27
hope you find that spark.

It‟s important you realize this booklet‟s is a primer as to how to write a novel. It will not
guarantee you success. Nor will it guarantee representation or publication. It will not
transform you into a novelist as if by magic. It has one only purpose - to give you a rough
guide as to the many skills you must master if you expect to one day attain that lofty
designation of “published author.”

If you feel your Muse calls you to write that novel hidden within you, I plan to author
additional eBooks, including:

The Art of Storytelling,

Characterization Count
Creating Effective Dialogue
The successful Use of Setting in Fiction

More on that later as things develop.

Thanks for reading “An Introduction to Novel Writ ing.”

I wish you only best-sellers.

C. Patrick Schulze