How to plan a novel from START to FINISH?

H O W    T O    P L A N    A    N O V E L    F R O M   

S TA R T    T O    F I N I S H ?

Have you ever wondered why an author with a single debut novel suddenly finds themselves on bestseller lists, while another author who has published multiple books still struggles to sell even a hundred copies? Their opening paragraph, or sometimes even a single sentence, can make all the difference. Before a reader becomes your reader, you must first capture their attention. For example:

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."

From A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.

OR

"It is a truth universally acknowledged,

that a single man in possession of a good fortune,

must be in want of a wife."

From Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

Opening line matters. It acts like the mirror reflecting the whole essence of the novel. It is a promise to the readers, building the curiosity, setting the tone and giving them a reason to keep turning the pages. Consider the quote from ‘A Tale of Two Cities’. What worked so well? The writer immediately presented a sharp contradiction between the best of times and the worst of times. He created a paradox nobody would want to put down before solving it. Even Jane Austen, through her simple opening statement in ‘Pride and Prejudice’ painted a picture of wit, irony and social commentary of her time. She introduced readers to a world where marriage, wealth and social expectations worked hand in hand.

Today when the online platforms and book markets are overflowing with novels, readers have become impatient and too picky. They won’t simply buy a book and invest their time in it if the initial paragraphs don’t capture their attention. An author may have spent years crafting a story, but a reader is quick enough to make a judgment within seconds. Question arises how do you create an engaging and compelling opening paragraph, especially being a first-time writer? I’ll answer you in few simple steps from my experience of having been a writer for over 15 years of writing:

Step 1: Finding the Catalyst

The decision to write a full-length novel doesn’t occur to any author without any motivation. There’s always a local catalyst working at the back of their head silently, guiding them through the whole process from scratch to finish.

Who acts as the catalyst? It may be a sudden situation or any idea worth exploring; any article in the newspaper or offshoot from any existing novel itself. You don’t even need the complete storyline in the beginning; only a small spark capable enough of making you curious.

My idea of writing my first debut novel originated from the thought of empowered women trends. I wondered if women are becoming empowered these days, why not write something based on one such woman as my female protagonist, who in turn will become the pillar of support for the male protagonist. For once, women can also shoulder the responsibilities of men when they are in distress.

‘A pang of sympathy cut across my chest as he laid his head next to my bosom and allowed me to caress his hair. His chest touched mine, and I could feel his heartbeat pounding heavily against my skin. He was running short of breath and needed a little time to compose his nerves.’

His Destiny Her love | Chapter 4

Step 2: Building the Premise

Now when I am almost convinced that I have a solid story flake worth writing, I start preparing a series of questions so that I don’t stutter in the middle of writing the whole of it. These questions can mostly act as your catalyst and help you build the core premise of your story. Some examples can be:

A) How many main characters will I recruit for my story?

B) What can be roles of the selected main characters?

C) What is the purpose I want to achieve by writing this particular story?

D) What are the hurdles my main characters can face in the story?

E) Are my main characters capable of solving their hurdles?

F) What is the worst-case scenario if they fail?

Last and most important, G) Do I feel curious to read my own story?

Step 3: Creating the Characters

Now since I know who my main characters are, I need to create character profile detailing for each of them. Most often, dedicated authors delve deeper into the minds of their characters. They don't just know what their characters look like; they also know what keeps them awake at night, what they fear most, what they long for, and how they'll react when life pushes them to their limits. I also tend to keep my characters flawed so that the story settings will feel real.

A) Basic information such as the name of the characters, nicknames, age, occupation, education, etc.)

B) Their physical appearance (height, weight, skin tone, body type, eye and hair colour, face shape, and any other distinguishing features.)

C) Personality (dominant traits, temperament, core values, etc.)

D) Background (family, friends, childhood memories, any life changing events, etc.)

E) Internal Conflict (Secrets, biggest regrets, any guilt, etc.)

F) External Conflict (Rivals, obstacles, etc.)

G) Any romantic interest

H) Hobbies and lifestyle

I) Any talents

Last, but not the least,

J) Psychological profile (Their fear, pain, joy, anger, and any other emotions they may experience in the entire story).

Step 4: Understanding the Villain

Villains are the real time catalysts who move your story forward. Whatever their actions are in the story are always justified at the back of their minds. You need to plan the character profile of your villain as minutely as you would do for your main characters. As writers, we cannot judge our villains. Instead, we must seek to understand their psychological mindset.

Apart from all the points stated in Step 3, you must also include the following points while creating the character profile of your villain:

A) Origin Story (what led them to become the villain?)

B) Relationship with the protagonist

C) Moral Justification (how can their actions be justified?)

D) Symbolism (do they have any special identification that distinguishes them from the rest?

You may use heroes to tell your story but villains are the ones actually driving it forward. A villain acts and a hero reacts to it. A powerful villain is the one who can create an unforgettable story for the readers to remember.

Step 5: Outlining the Major Plot Points

Here comes the mammoth task of outlining the major plot points. At this stage, you don’t need to write down the whole story. You only need to create an outline or a flowchart of all the major events you want to showcase through writing the story. These generally include:

A) The prologue where you introduce your readers to the mystery you want to solve without revealing too much of the story.

B) The opening chapter where you may want to introduce your readers to the protagonist or the antagonist. You should frame it in such a way so that the readers can quickly connect to your characters emotionally.

C) An inciting incident which may disrupt your protagonist’s normal life immediately and push them towards a path from where their mode of actions activate.

D) A major turning point where your protagonist may be compelled to make a forceful decision or fall into a turbulent circumstance.

E) Focus on more rising conflicts. Jot down new obstacles, challenges, rivalries and unexpected situations with the flow of every new chapter.

F) Plan a midpoint ahead where you may choose to make a significant revelation or a devastating setback, marking the center point of your novel. This is where the emotional intensity of your story will rise and change the direction of the whole mood.

G) The darkest hour where your protagonist may have lost all hope or an important mission. It is where they find themselves at sea.

H) Now comes the moment every reader or writer eagerly waits for, the climax. This is where all your major plot points form a confluence. This is where the protagonist and the antagonist may confront each other. This is where you may also choose to make major revelations.

I) The story slows down here. It is the resolution time. It is where you should choose to resolve unanswered questions or unsolved mysteries. It is where you must show the character growth of your characters, which may or may not include the antagonist. It is where you aim at bringing your story to an emotional closure after all the roller-coasters.

J) Writing down the epilogue. This part is optional, but if you are planning to write a series, you cannot skip the epilogue. You may leave it on a cliffhanger or hint at a different adventure altogether.

Step 6: Organizing Chapters

Here comes the most difficult part: to organize your plot points into chapters without missing out on any of them. You have to plan every chapter beforehand, keeping the following points in mind:

A) How the chapter starts?

B) Which characters are prominent here?

C) Which information you want to reveal?

D) How does the chapter help in advancing the story?

E) Which cliffhanger you can tag at the end of the chapter to make your readers curious about the next?

It’s not necessary that every chapter will come out exactly as you have planned, but it will at least give you a road map to propel your engine ahead.

Step 7: Writing the First Draft

This is a topic which needs a separate blog post. In short, let me tell you whatever you have planned so far is now on the verge of execution. When you sit to write, your only goal should be to keep your writing as simple as possible. Your main motive is to complete writing the whole story, even if the kind of writing fails to impress you. Your first draft will never be perfect, but it will give you a base to organize further when you sit to edit and restructure it.

Step 8: Revising and Refining

This is the deadliest part of writing a novel. Your main focus must be on the following points:

A) The pace of the story

B) The plot consistency

C) The character development

D) The scene structures in every chapter

Here, you may want to add some scenes or delete some completely. You may want to brush through the dialogues and omit unnecessary ones. This style is, however, unique to every writer. That doesn’t mean your creativity is limited. While writing your first novel, you will feel that your style of writing is evolving with every chapter, with each passing day.

By this point, you will also realize that your story has travelled a long time from being only a simple idea in your head to a whole finished novel. Be proud of yourself even if your first draft or the edited chapters don’t seem perfect to you. You should be satisfied for the amount of hard work and consistency you’ve put in to write a whooping 50,000 or more words!

If you’ve read this far, will you mind letting me know in the comments whether you are a detailed planner, a spontaneous writer or someone who discovers the story one chapter at a time?