fiction writing basics

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Fiction Writing Basics

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

This resource discusses some terms and techniques that are useful to the beginning and intermediate fiction writer, and to instructors who are teaching fiction at these levels. The distinction between beginning and intermediate writing is provided for both students and instructors, and numerous sources are listed for more information about fiction tools and how to use them. A sample assignment sheet is also provided for instructors. This resource covers the basics of plot, character, theme, conflict, and point-of-view.

Plot is what happens in a story, but action itself doesn’t constitute plot. Plot is created by the manner in which the writer arranges and organizes particular actions in a meaningful way. It’s useful to think of plot as a chain reaction, where a sequence of events causes other events to happen.

When reading a work of fiction, keep in mind that the author has selected one line of action from the countless possibilities of action available to her. Trying to understand why the author chose a particular line of action over another leads to a better understanding of how plot is working in a story

This does not mean that events happen in chronological order; the author may present a line of action that happens after the story’s conclusion, or she may present the reader with a line of action that is still to be determined. Authors can’t present all the details related to an action, so certain details are brought to the forefront, while others are omitted.

The author imbues the story with meaning by a selection of detail. The cause-and-effect connection between one event and another should be logical and believable, because the reader will lose interest if the relation between events don’t seem significant. As Cleanth Brooks and Robert Penn Warren wrote in Understanding Fiction , fiction is interpretive: “Every story must indicate some basis for the relation among its parts, for the story itself is a particular writer’s way of saying how you can make sense of human experience.”

If a sequence of events is merely reflexive, then plot hasn’t come into play. Plot occurs when the writer examines human reactions to situations that are always changing. How does love, longing, regret and ambition play out in a story? It depends on the character the writer has created.

Because plot depends on character, plot is what the character does. Plot also fluctuates, so that something is settled or thrown off balance in the end, or both. Traditionally, a story begins with some kind of description that then leads to a complication. The complication leads up to a crisis point where something must change. This is the penultimate part of the story, before the climax, or the most heightened moment of a story.

In some stories, the climax is followed by a denouement, or resolution of the climax. Making events significant in plot begins with establishing a strong logic that connects the events. Insofar as plot reveals some kind of human value or some idea about the meaning of experience, plot is related to theme.

Character can’t be separated from action, since we come to understand a character by what she does. In stories, characters drive the plot. The plot depends on the characters' situations and how they respond to it. The actions that occur in the plot are only believable if the character is believable. For most traditional fiction, characters are divided into the following categories:

• Protagonist : the main or central character or hero (Harry Potter)
• Antagonist : opponent or enemy of the protagonist (Dark Lord Voldemort)
• Foil Character : a character(s) who helps readers better understand another character, usually the protagonist. For example in the Harry Potter series, Hermione and Ron are Harry's friends, but they also help readers better understand the protagonist, Harry. Ron and Hermione represent personalities that in many ways are opposites - Ron is a bit lazy and insecure; Hermione is driven and confident. Harry exists in the middle, thus illustrating his inner conflict and immaturity at the beginning of the book series.

Because character is so important to plot and fiction, it’s important for the writer to understand her characters as much as possible. Though the writer should know everything there is to know about her character, she should present her knowledge of the characters indirectly, through dialogue and action. Still, sometimes a summary of a character’s traits needs to be given. For example, for characters who play the supporting cast in a story, direct description of the character’s traits keeps the story from slowing down.

Beginning and intermediate level writers frequently settle for creating types, rather than highly individualized, credible characters. Be wary of creating a character who is a Loser With A Good Heart, The Working Class Man Who Is Trapped By Tough Guy Attitudes, The Lonely Old Lady With A Dog, etc. At the same time, keep in mind that all good characters are, in a sense, types.

Often, in creative writing workshops from beginning to advanced levels, the instructor asks, “Whose story is this?” This is because character is the most important aspect of fiction. In an intermediate level workshop, it would be more useful to introduce a story in which it is more difficult to pick out the main character from the line-up. It provides an opportunity for intermediate level fiction writers to really explore character and the factors that determine what is at stake, and for whom.

Conflict depends on character, because readers are interested in the outcomes of people’s lives, but may be less interested in what’s at stake for a corporation, a bank, or an organization. Characters in conflict with one another make up fiction. Hypothetically, a character can come into conflict with an external force, like poverty, or a fire. But there is simply more opportunity to explore the depth and profundity in relationships between people, because people are so complex that conflict between characters often gets blurred with a character’s conflict with herself

The short story, as in all literary forms, including poetry and creative nonfiction, depends on the parts of the poem or story or essay making some kind of sense as a whole. The best example in fiction is character. The various aspects of a character should add up to some kind of meaningful, larger understanding of the character. If the various aspects of a character don’t add up, the character isn’t believable. This doesn’t mean that your characters have to be sensible. Your characters may have no common sense at all, but we have to understand the character and why she is that way. The character’s motives and actions have to add up, however conflicted, marginalized or irrational they may be.

Whether you’ve been struck with a moment of inspiration or you’ve carried a story inside you for years, you’re here because you want to start writing fiction. From developing flesh-and-bone characters to worlds as real as our own, good fiction is hard to write, and getting the first words onto the blank page can be daunting.

Daunting, but not impossible. Although writing good fiction takes time, with a few fiction writing tips and your first sentences written, you’ll find that it’s much easier to get your words on the page.

Let’s break down fiction to its essential elements. We’ll investigate the individual components of fiction writing—and how, when they sit down to write, writers turn words into worlds. Then, we’ll turn to instructor Jack Smith and his thoughts on combining these elements into great works of fiction. But first, what are the elements of fiction writing?

Introduction to Fiction Writing: The Six Elements of Fiction

Before we delve into any writing tips, let’s review the essentials of creative writing in fiction. Whether you’re writing flash fiction , short stories, or epic trilogies, most fiction stories require these six components:

• Plot: the “what happens” of your story.
• Characters:  whose lives are we watching?
• Setting: the world that the story is set in.
• Point of View: from whose eyes do we see the story unfold?
• Theme: the “deeper meaning” of the story, or what the story represents.
• Style: how you use words to tell the story.

It’s important to recognize that all of these elements are intertwined. You can’t build the setting without writing it through a certain point of view; you can’t develop important themes with arbitrary characters, etc. We’ll get into the relationship between these elements later, but for now, let’s explore how to use each element to write fiction.

1. Fiction Writing Tip: Developing Fictional Plots

Plot is the series of causes and effects that produce the story as a whole. Because A, then B, then C—ultimately leading to the story’s  climax , the result of all the story’s events and character’s decisions.

If you don’t know where to start your story, but you have a few story ideas, then start with the conflict . Some novels take their time to introduce characters or explain the world of the piece, but if the conflict that drives the story doesn’t show up within the first 15 pages, then the story loses direction quickly.

That’s not to say you have to be explicit about the conflict. In Harry Potter, Voldemort isn’t introduced as the main antagonist until later in the first book; the series’ conflict begins with the Dursley family hiding Harry from his magical talents. Let the conflict unfold naturally in the story, but start with the story’s impetus, then go from there.

2. Fiction Writing Tip: Creating Characters

Think far back to 9th grade English, and you might remember the basic types of story conflicts: man vs. nature, man vs. man, and man vs. self. The conflicts that occur within stories happen to its characters—there can be no story without its people. Sometimes, your story needs to start there: in the middle of a conversation, a disrupted routine, or simply with what makes your characters special.

There are many ways to craft characters with depth and complexity. These include writing backstory, giving characters goals and fatal flaws, and making your characters contend with complicated themes and ideas. This guide on character development will help you sort out the traits your characters need, and how to interweave those traits into the story.

3. Fiction Writing Tip: Give Life to Living Worlds

Whether your story is set on Earth or a land far, far away, your setting lives in the same way your characters do. In the same way that we read to get inside the heads of other people, we also read to escape to a world outside of our own. Consider starting the story with what makes your world live: a pulsing city, the whispered susurrus of orchards, hills that roil with unsolved mysteries, etc. Tell us where the conflict is happening, and the story will follow.

4. Fiction Writing Tip: Play With Narrative Point of View

Point of view refers to the “cameraman” of the story—the vantage point we are viewing the story through. Maybe you’re stuck starting your story because you’re trying to write it in the wrong person. There are four POVs that authors work with:

• First person—the story is told from the “I” perspective, and that “I” is the protagonist.
• First person peripheral—the story is told from the “I” perspective, but the “I” is not the protagonist, but someone adjacent to the protagonist. (Think: Nick Carraway, narrator of  The Great Gatsby. )
• Second person—the story is told from the “you” perspective. This point of view is rare, but when done effectively, it can create a sense of eeriness or a personalized piece.
• Third person limited—the story is told from the “he/she/they” perspective. The narrator is not directly involved in the lives of the characters; additionally, the narrator usually writes from the perspective of one or two characters.
• Third person omniscient—the story is told from the “he/she/they” perspective. The narrator is not directly involved in the lives of the characters; additionally, the narrator knows what is happening in each character’s heads and in the world at large.

If you can’t find the right words to begin your piece, consider switching up the pronouns you use and the perspective you write from. You might find that the story flows onto the page from a different point of view.

5. Fiction Writing Tip: Use the Story to Investigate Themes

Generally, the themes of the story aren’t explored until after the aforementioned elements are established, and writers don’t always know the themes of their own work until after the work is written. Still, it might help to consider the broader implications of the story you want to write. How does the conflict or story extend into a bigger picture?

Let’s revisit Harry Potter’s opening scenes. When we revisit the Dursleys preventing Harry from knowing about his true nature, several themes are established: the meaning of family, the importance of identity, and the idea of fate can all be explored here. Themes often develop organically, but it doesn’t hurt to consider the message of your story from the start.

6. Fiction Writing Tip: Experiment With Words

Style is the last of the six fiction elements, but certainly as important as the others. The words you use to tell your story, the way you structure your sentences, how you alternate between characters, and the sounds of the words you use all contribute to the mood of the work itself.

If you’re struggling to get past the first sentence, try rewriting it. Write it in 10 words or write it in 200 words; write a single word sentence; experiment with metaphors, alliteration, or onomatopoeia . Then, once you’ve found the right words, build from there, and let your first sentence guide the style and mood of the narrative.

Now, let’s take a deeper look at the craft of fiction writing. The above elements are great starting points, but to learn how to start writing fiction, we need to examine the craft of combining these elements.

Primer on the Elements of Fiction Writing

First, before we get into the craft of fiction writing, it’s important to understand the elements of fiction. You don’t need to understand everything about the craft of fiction before you start keying in ideas or planning your novel. But this primer will be something you can consult if you need clarification on any term (e.g., point of view) as you learn how to start writing fiction.

The Elements of Fiction Writing

A standard novel runs between 80,000 to 100,000 words. A short novel, going by the National Novel Writing Month , is at least 50,000. To begin with, don’t think about length—think about development. Length will come. It is true that some works lend themselves more to novellas, but if that’s the case, you don’t want to pad them to make a longer work. If you write a plot summary—that’s one option on getting started writing fiction—you will be able to get a fairly good idea about your project as to whether it lends itself to a full-blown novel.

For now, let’s think about the various elements of fiction—the building blocks.

Writing Fiction: Your Protagonist

Readers want an interesting protagonist , or main character. One that seems real, that deals with the various things in life we all deal with. If the writer makes life too simple, and doesn’t reflect the kinds of problems we all face, most readers are going to lose interest.

Don’t cheat it. Make the work honest. Do as much as you can to develop a character who is fully developed, fully real—many-sided. Complex. In Aspects of the Novel , E.M Forster called this character a “round” characte r. This character is capable of surprising us. Don’t be afraid to make your protagonist, or any of your characters, a bit contradictory. Most of us are somewhat contradictory at one time or another. The deeper you see into your protagonist, the more complex, the more believable they will be.

If a character has no depth, is merely “flat,” as Forster terms it, then we can sum this character up in a sentence: “George hates his ex-wife.” This is much too limited. Find out why. What is it that causes George to hate his ex-wife? Is it because of something she did or didn’t do? Is it because of a basic personality clash? Is it because George can’t stand a certain type of person, and he didn’t realize, until too late, that his ex-wife was really that kind of person? Imagine some moments of illumination, and you will have a much richer character than one who just hates his ex-wife.

And so… to sum up: think about fleshing out your protagonist as much as you can. Consider personality, character (or moral makeup), inclinations, proclivities, likes, dislikes, etc. What makes this character happy? What makes this character sad or frustrated? What motivates your character? Readers don’t want to know only what —they want to know why .

Usually, readers want a sympathetic character, one they can root for. Or if not that, one that is interesting in different ways. You might not find the protagonist of The Girl on the Train totally sympathetic, but she’s interesting! She’s compelling.

Here’s an article I wrote on what makes a good protagonist.

Also on clichéd characters.

Now, we’re ready for a key question: what is your protagonist’s main goal in this story? And secondly, who or what will stand in the way of your character achieving this goal?

There are two kinds of conflicts: internal and external. In some cases, characters may not be opposing an external antagonist, but be self-conflicted. Once you decide on your character’s goal, you can more easily determine the nature of the obstacles that your protagonist must overcome. There must be conflict, of course, and stories must involve movement. Things go from Phase A to Phase B to Phase C, and so on. Overall, the protagonist begins here and ends there. She isn’t the same at the end of the story as she was in the beginning. There is a character arc.

I spoke of character arc. Now let’s move on to plot, the mechanism governing the overall logic of the story. What causes the protagonist to change? What key events lead up to the final resolution?

But before we go there, let’s stop a moment and think about point of view, the lens through which the story is told.

Writing Fiction: Point of View as Lens

Is this the right protagonist for this story? Is this character the one who has the most at stake? Does this character have real potential for change? Remember, you must have change or movement—in terms of character growth—in your story. Your character should not be quite the same at the end as in the beginning. Otherwise, it’s more of a sketch.

Such a story used to be called “slice of life.” For example, what if a man thinks his job can’t get any worse—and it doesn’t? He started with a great dislike for the job, for the people he works with, just for the pay. His hate factor is 9 on a scale of 10. He doesn’t learn anything about himself either. He just realizes he’s got to get out of there. The reader knew that from page 1.

Choose a character who has a chance of undergoing change of some kind. The more complex the change, the better. Characters that change are dynamic characters , according to E. M. Forster. Characters that remain the same are  static  characters. Be sure your protagonist is dynamic.

Okay, an exception: Let’s say your character resists change—that can involve some sort of movement—the resisting of change.

Here’s another thing to look at on protagonists—a blog I wrote: https://elizabethspanncraig.com/writing-tips-2/creating-strong-characters-typical-challenges/

Writing Fiction: Point of View and Person

Usually when we think of point of view, we have in mind the choice of person: first, second, and third. First person provides intimacy. As readers we’re allowed into the I-narrator’s mind and heart. A story told from the first person can sometimes be highly confessional, frank, bold. Think of some of the great first-person narrators like Huck Finn and Holden Caulfield. With first person we can also create narrators that are not completely reliable, leading to dramatic irony : we as readers believe one thing while the narrator believes another. This creates some interesting tension, but be careful to make your protagonist likable, sympathetic. Or at least empathetic, someone we can relate to.

What if a novel is told in first person from the point of view of a mob hit man? As author of such a tale, you probably wouldn’t want your reader to root for this character, but you could at least make the character human and believable. With first person, your reader would be constantly in the mind of this character, so you’d need to find a way to deal with this sympathy question. First person is a good choice for many works of fiction, as long as one doesn’t confuse the I-narrator with themselves. It may be a temptation, especially in the case of fiction based on one’s own life—not that it wouldn’t be in third person narrations. But perhaps even more with a first person story: that character is me . But it’s not—it’s a fictional character.

Check out my article on writing autobiographical fiction, which appeared in  The   Writer  magazine. https://www.writermag.com/2018/07/31/filtering-fact-through-fiction/

Third person provides more distance. With third person, you have a choice between three forms: omniscient, limited omniscient, and objective or dramatic. If you get outside of your protagonist’s mind and enter other characters’ minds, you are being omniscient or godlike. If you limit your access to your protagonist’s mind only, this is limited omniscience. Let’s consider these two forms of third-person narrators before moving on to the objective or dramatic POV.

The omniscient form is rather risky, but it is certainly used, and it can certainly serve a worthwhile function. With this form, the author knows everything that has occurred, is occurring, or will occur in a given place, or in given places, for all the characters in the story. The author can provide historical background, look into the future, and even speculate on characters and make judgments. This point of view, writers tend to feel today, is more the method of nineteenth-century fiction, and not for today. It seems like too heavy an authorial footprint. Not handled well—and it is difficult to handle well—the characters seem to be pawns of an all-knowing author.

Today’s omniscience tends to take the form of multiple points of view, sometimes alternating, sometimes in sections. An author is behind it all, but the author is effaced, not making an appearance. BUT there are notable examples of well-handled authorial omniscience–read Nobel-prize winning Jose Saramago’s Blindness  as a good example.

For more help, here’s an article I wrote on the omniscient point of view for  The Writer : https://www.writermag.com/improve-your-writing/fiction/omniscient-pov/

The limited omniscient form is typical of much of today’s fiction. You stick to your protagonist’s mind. You see others from the outside. Even so, you do have to be careful that you don’t get out of this point of view from time to time, and bring in things the character can’t see or observe—unless you want to stand outside this character, and therein lies the omniscience, however limited it is.

But anyway, note the difference between: “George’s smiles were very welcoming” and “George felt like his smiles were very welcoming”—see the difference? In the case of the first, we’re seeing George from the outside; in the case of the second, from the inside. It’s safer to stay within your protagonist’s perspective as much as possible and not describe them from the outside. Doing so comes off like a point-of-view shift. Yet it’s true that in some stories, the narrator will describe what the character is wearing, tell us what his hopes and dreams are, mention things he doesn’t know right now but will later—and perhaps, in rather quirky stories, the narrator will even say something like “Our hero…” This can work, and has, if you create an interesting narrative voice. But it’s certainly a risk.

The dramatic or objective point of view is one you’ll probably use from time to time, but not throughout your whole novel. Hemingway’s “Hills like White Elephants” is handled with this point of view. Mostly, with maybe one exception, all we know is what the characters say and do, as in a play. Using this point of view from time to time in a longer work can certainly create interest. You can intensify a scene sometimes with this point of view. An interesting back and forth can be accomplished, especially if the dialogue is clipped.

I’ve saved the second-person point of view for the last. I would advise you not to use this point of view for an entire work. In his short novel Bright Lights, Big City , Jay McInerney famously uses this point of view, and with some force, but it’s hard to pull off. In lesser hands, it can get old. You also cause the reader to become the character. Does the reader want to become this character? One problem with this point of view is it may seem overly arty, an attempt at sophistication. I think it’s best to choose either first or third.

Here’s an article I wrote on use of second person for  The Writer magazine. Check it out if you’re interested. https://www.writermag.com/2016/11/02/second-person-pov/

Writing Fiction: Protagonist and Plot and Structure

We come now to plot, keeping in mind character. You might consider the traditional five-stage structure : exposition, rising action, crisis and climax, falling action, and resolution. Not every plot works this way, but it’s a tried-and-true structure. Certainly a number of pieces of literature you read will begin in media re s—that is, in the middle of things. Instead of beginning with standard exposition, or explanation of the condition of the protagonist’s life at the story’s starting point, the author will begin with a scene. But even so, as in Jerzy Kosiński’s famous novella Being There , which begins with a scene, we’ll still pick up the present state of the character’s life before we see something that complicates it or changes the existing equilibrium. This so-called complication can be something apparently good—like winning the lottery—or something decidedly bad—like losing a huge amount of money at the gaming tables. One thing is true in both cases: whatever has happened will cause the character to change. And so now you have to fill in the events that bring this about.

How do you do that? One way is to write a chapter outline to prevent false starts. But some writers don’t like plotting in this fashion, but want to discover as they write. If you do plot your novel in advance, do realize that as you write, you will discover a lot of things about your character that you didn’t have in mind when you first set pen to paper. Or fingers to keyboard. And so, while it’s a good idea to do some planning, do keep your options open.

Let’s think some more about plot. To have a workable plot, you need a sequence of actions or events that give the story an overall movement. This includes two elements which we’ll take up later: foreshadowing and echoing (things that prepare us for something in the future and things that remind us of what has already happened). These two elements knit a story together.

Think carefully about character motivations. Some things may happen to your character; some things your character may decide to do, however wisely or unwisely. In the revision stage, if not earlier, ask yourself: What motivates my character to act in one way or another? And ask yourself: What is the overall logic of this story? What caused my character to change? What were the various forces, whether inner or outer, that caused this change? Can I describe my character’s overall arc, from A to Z?  Try to do that. Write a short paragraph. Then try to write down your summary in one sentence, called a log line in film script writing, but also a useful technique in fiction writing as well. If you write by the discovery method, you probably won’t want to do this in the midst of the drafting, but at least in the revision stage, you should consider doing so.

With a novel you may have a subplot or two. Assuming you will, you’ll need to decide how the plot and the subplot relate. Are they related enough to make one story? If you think the subplot is crucial for the telling of your tale, try to say why—in a paragraph, then in a sentence.

Here’s an article I wrote on structure for  The Writer : https://www.writermag.com/improve-your-writing/revision-grammar/find-novels-structure/

Writing Fiction: Setting

Let’s move on to setting . Your novel has to take place somewhere. Where is it? Is it someplace that is particularly striking and calls for a lot of solid description? If it’s a wilderness area where your character is lost, give your reader a strong sense for the place. If it’s a factory job, and much of the story takes place at the worksite, again readers will want to feel they’re there with your character, putting in the hours. If it’s an apartment and the apartment itself isn’t related to the problems your character is having, then there’s no need to provide that much detail. Exception: If your protagonist concentrates on certain things in the apartment and begins to associate certain things about the apartment with their misery, now there’s reason to get concrete. Take a look, when you have a chance, at the short story “The Yellow Wall-Paper.” It’s not an apartment—it’s a house—but clearly the setting itself becomes important when it becomes important to the character. She reads the wallpaper as a statement about her own condition.

Here’s the URL for ”The Yellow Wall-Paper”: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/theliteratureofprescription/exhibitionAssets/digitalDocs/The-Yellow-Wall-Paper.pdf

Sometimes setting is pretty important; sometimes it’s much less important. When it doesn’t serve a purpose to describe it, don’t, other than to give the reader a sense for where the story takes place. If you provide very many details, even in a longer work like a novel, the reader will think that these details have some significance in terms of character, plot, or theme—or all three. And if they don’t, why are they there? If setting details are important, be selective. Provide a dominant impression. More on description below.

If you’re interested, here’s a blog on setting I wrote for Writers.com: https://writers.com/what-is-the-setting-of-a-story

Writing Fiction: Theme and Idea

Most literary works have a theme or idea. It’s possible to decide on this theme before you write, as you plan out your novel. But be careful here. If the theme seems imposed on the work, the novel will lose a lot of force. It will seem—and it may well be—engineered by the author much like a nonfiction piece, and lose the felt experience of the characters.

Theme must emerge from the work naturally, or at least appear to do so. Once you have a draft, you can certainly build ideas that are apparent in the work, and you can even do this while you’re generating your first draft. But watch out for overdoing it. Let the characters (what they do, what they say) and the plot (the whole storyline with its logical connections) contribute on their own to the theme. Also you can depend on metaphors, similes, and analogies to point to the theme—as long as these are not heavy-handed. Avoid authorial intrusion, authorial impositions of any kind. If you do end up creating a simile, metaphor, or analogy through rational thinking, make sure it sounds  natural. That’s not easy, of course.

Writing Fiction: Handling Scenes

Keep a few things in mind about writing scenes. Not every event deserves a whole scene, maybe only a half-scene, a short interaction between characters. Scenes need to do two things: reveal character and advance plot. If a scene seems to stall out and lack interest, in the revision mode you might try using narrative summary instead (see below).

Good fiction is strongly dramatic, calling for scenes, many of them scenes with dialogue and action. Scenes need to involve conflict of some kind. If everyone is happy, that’s probably going to be a dull scene. Some scenes will be narrative, without dialogue. You need some interesting action to make these work.

Let’s consider scenes with dialogue.

The best dialogue is speech that sounds natural, and yet isn’t. Everything about fiction is an artifice, including speech. But try to make it sound real. The best way to do this is to “hear” the voices in your head and transcribe them. Take dictation. If you can do this, whole conversations will seem very real, believable. If you force what each character has to say, and plan it out too much, it will certainly sound planned out, and not real at all. Not that in the revision mode you can’t doctor up the speech here and there, but still, make sure it comes off as natural sounding.

Some things to think about when writing dialogue: people usually speak in fragments, interrupt each other, engage in pauses, follow up a question with a comment that takes the conversation off course (non sequiturs). Note these aspects of dialogue in the fiction you read.

Also, note how writers intersperse action with dialogue, setting details, and character thoughts. As far as the latter goes, though, if you’ll recall, I spoke of the dramatic point of view, which doesn’t get into a character’s mind but depends instead on what characters do and say, as in a play. You may try this point of view out in some scenes to make them really move.

One technique is to use indirect dialogue, or summary of what a character said, not in the character’s own words. For instance: Bill made it clear that he wasn’t going to the city after all. If anybody thought that, they were wrong .

Now and then you’ll come upon dialogue that doesn’t use the standard double quotes, but perhaps a single quote (this is British), or dashes, or no punctuation at all. The latter two methods create some distance from the speech. If you want to give your work a surreal quality, this certainly adds to it. It also makes it seem more interior.

One way to kill good dialogue is to make characters too obviously expository devices—that is, functioning to provide background or explanations of certain important story facts. Certainly characters can serve as expository devices, but don’t be too heavy-handed about this. Don’t force it like the following:

“We always used to go to the beach, you recall? You recall how first we would have breakfast, then take a long walk on the beach, and then we would change into our swimsuits, and spend an hour in the water. And you recall how we usually followed that with a picnic lunch, maybe an hour later.”

This sounds like the character is saying all this to fill the reader in on backstory. You’d need a motive for the utterance of all of these details—maybe sharing a memory?

But the above sounds stilted, doesn’t it?

One final word about dialogue. Watch out for dialogue tags that tell but don’t show . Here’s an example:

“Do you think that’s the case,” said Ted, hoping to hear some good news. “Not necessarily,” responded Laura, in a barky voice. “I just wish life wasn’t so difficult,” replied Ted.

If you’re going to use a tag at all—and many times you don’t need to—use “said.” Dialogue tags like the above examples can really kill the dialogue.

Writing Fiction: Writing Solid Prose

Narrative summary :  As I’ve stated above, not everything will be a scene. You’ll need to write narrative summary now and then. Narrative summary telescopes time, covering a day, a week, a month, a year, or even longer. Often it will be followed up by a scene, whether a narrative scene   or one with dialogue. Narrative summary can also relate how things generally went over a given period. You can write strong narrative summary if you make it specific and concrete—and dramatic. Also, if we hear the voice of the writer, it can be interesting—if the voice is compelling enough.

Exposition : It’s the first stage of the 5-stage plot structure, where things are set up prior to some sort of complication, but more generally, it’s a prose form which tells or informs. You use exposition when you get inside your character, dealing with his or her thoughts and emotions, memories, plans, dreams. This can be difficult to do well because it can come off too much like authorial “telling” instead of “showing,” and readers want to feel like they’re experiencing the world of the protagonist, not being told about this world. Still, it’s important to get inside characters, and exposition is often the right tool, along with narrative summary, if the character is remembering a sequence of events from the past.

Description :  Description is a word picture, providing specific and concrete details to allow the reader to see, not just be told. Concreteness is putting the reader in the world of the five senses, what we call imagery . Some writers provide a lot of details, some only a few—just enough that the reader can imagine the rest. Consider choosing details that create a dominant impression—whether it’s a character or a place. Similes, metaphors, and analogies help readers see people and places and can make thoughts and ideas (the reflections of your character or characters) more interesting. Not that you should always make your reader see. To do so might cause an overload of images.

Check out these two articles: https://www.writermag.com/improve-your-writing/fiction/the-definitive-guide-to-show-dont-tell/ https://www.writermag.com/improve-your-writing/fiction/figurative-language-in-fiction/

Writing Fiction: Research

Some novels require research. Obviously historical novels do, but others do, too, like Sci Fi novels. Almost any novel can call for a little research. Here’s a short article I wrote for The Writer magazine on handling research materials. It’s in no way an in-depth commentary on research–but it will serve as an introduction. https://www.writermag.com/improve-your-writing/fiction/research-in-fiction/

For a blog on novel writing, check this link at Writers.com: https://writers.com/novel-writing-tips

For more articles I’ve published in  The Writer , go here: https://www.writermag.com/author/jack-smith/

How to Start Writing Fiction: Take a Writing Class!

To write a story or even write a book, fiction writers need these tools first and foremost. Although there’s no comprehensive guide on how to write fiction for beginners, working with these elements of fiction will help your story bloom.

All six elements synergize to make a work of fiction, and like most works of art, the sum of these elements is greater than the individual parts. Still, you might find that you struggle with one of these elements, like maybe you’re great at writing characters but not very good with exploring setting. If this is the case, then use your strengths: use characters to explore the setting, or use style to explore themes, etc.

Getting the first draft written is the hardest part, but it deserves to be written. Once you’ve got a working draft of a story or novel and you need an extra set of eyes, the Writers.com community is here to give feedback: take a look at our upcoming courses on fiction writing, and check out our talented writing community .

Good luck, and happy writing!

I have had a story in my mind for over 15 years. I just haven’t had an idea how to start , putting it down on print just seems too confusing. After reading this article I’m even more confused but also more determined to give it a try. It has given me answers to some of my questions. Thank you !

You’ve got this, Earl!

Just reading this as I have decided to attempt a fiction work. I am terrible at writing outside of research papers and such. I have about 50 single spaced pages “written” and an entire outline. These tips are great because where I struggle it seems is drawing the reader in. My private proof reader tells me it is to much like an explanation and not enough of a story, but working on it.

first class

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

ultimate fiction writing guide

A comprehensive guide for writers – and aspiring writers – of fiction, introduction.

Ernest Hemingway once said, “It’s none of their business that you have to learn to write. Let them think you were born that way.” And he was correct. Even if you’re struggling with fiction writing now, that doesn’t mean you will forever. Even the most skilled fiction writers didn’t hone their craft to perfection without assistance from inspirational sources, seasoned advisors, great editors, and the pages of instructional books. Whether you’re a novice to the fictional writing genre or someone more experienced, you’re sure to find something of value tucked away in this guide filled with 43 worthwhile fiction writing resources, including fiction prompts and exercises, short story and novel writing resources, and more.

General Fiction Writing Resources

Here is an assortment of general resources that address writer’s block, introduce story development tools, inform about writing scams, and more.

10 Apps to Keep Your Focus

Use these resources to banish writer’s block, set timers to strengthen your self-control, prime the imagination pump, and flex your writing muscles.

100 Best First Lines

Read the best first lines of 100 different novels , from the  Adventures of Huckleberry Finn  to the  Wide Sargasso Sea .

Discover two visual story development tools that can help you map the course of your novel or screenplay on one page.

Mind Map Any Idea or Project

Learn about mind-mapping, a visual tool that graphically organizes brainstorming sessions.

Writing Scams and Schemes

The writing and publishing world has a dark side. It harbors plenty of predators waiting to take advantage of earnest writers. Find out how to sidestep bad situations.

How to Improve Your Writing

Learn about tips, tricks, and even more resources for improving your writing, from fiction to essays. This article also includes writing prompts to help you refine your skills.

Fiction Writing Exercises and Prompts

When least expected writer’s block can appear out of nowhere. Or maybe you’re just suffering from a creative dry spell. If any of this sounds familiar, check out these fiction writing exercises and prompts that can help launch your creative side.

Fiction Writing Exercises

Find 11 fiction writing exercises like “Money” and “Falling Out of the Sky” that can help you develop your own story.

6 Great Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers

This article puts a different spin on writing exercises with the goal of keeping your writing fresh.

Fiction Exercises

Jump-start your fictional writing with these 17 exercises that you can alter as you wish.

Seven Flash Fiction Exercises for Novel Writing

Do you dream of writing a novel but don’t have the time? Check out these flash fiction exercises that will have you developing the bones of your next novel in no time.

Sketch a Novel in an Hour

This free-writing exercise is helpful for anyone wanting to write a novel, short story, or screenplay.

10 Keys to Writing Dialogue in Fiction

Find 10 helpful tips to creating dialogue for your fiction piece. This resource includes two dialogue writing exercises as a bonus.

100 Short Story or Novel Writing Prompts

Discover a plethora of writing prompts that will put your creative writing powers in gear.

Short Story Writing Resources

Whether you lack inspiration or you need direction condensing your brilliant short story idea into 10,000 words or less, the following resources can help.

Short Story Tips

Writing a short story is quite different from writing a novel because you have less words in which to set the scene, introduce the conflict , and reach the ending. Find out how to successfully write a short story without having to stall or start over.

Writing Your Own Short Story

This seven-page document has plenty of details regarding prewriting, drafting, and revising a short story.

Writing the Short Story: Points to Ponder

A look at the key elements of short stories.

100 Short Story Basic Ideas

Stumped for an idea for your short story? Follow this link to discover inspiration.

Novel Writing Resources

First-time novelists or authors who already have a few completed works to their name can utilize the following novel writing resources for helpful insight.

6 Things to Consider Before Writing a Novel

Developmental editor Rebecca Monterusso offers advice to aspiring writers to help them avoid making mistakes the first time they write a novel.

The Snowflake Method for Designing a Novel

Randy Ingermanson, publisher of six novels and winner of dozens of writing awards, shares a method that works for him when writing a novel.

Footsteps to a Novel

This five-step process to writing a novel borrows from  Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs  as a familiar example.

Advice on Novel Writing by Crawford Killian

Discover a wealth of valuable information about writing a novel.

One-Pass Revision

This revision method for novelists only takes one pass because it’s extremely thorough and time consuming, but it can yield positive results.

Revising a Novel

Best-selling suspense author James Scott Bell offers his practical advice on revising your novel.

Basic Elements of a Novel

Plot, character, and setting are three of the most important basic elements when writing a novel. Take some time to browse the following resources to find ways to more effectively develop all three.

Plot Generator

This is an entertaining and useful way to come up with a plot for your next fiction story.

Plot Video Playlist

Find everything from quick tips to detailed information on how to plot any part of a story within these videos.

The Top 10 Plotting Problems

Head off plotting problems before they occur by learning about the most common ones now.

50 Plot Twists

Invigorate a flagging plot with one of these 50 plot twist ideas that are yours for the taking.

Character Resources

Dynamic, interesting, and motivated characters are what make a story worth reading. Check out the following links to learn how to effectively develop them.

Seven Common Character Types

Discover descriptions and examples of seven common character types that can help fiction writers develop their characters more effectively.

Character Chart

Author Charlotte Dillion’s free character chart offers you the opportunity to flesh out your fictional characters in great detail.

Six Distinctions in Motivating Characters

Characters need motivation to create action and move the plot along. Yet that motivation needs to be believable. Find out how to create it.

Naming Your Characters

This article examines three things to keep in mind when naming characters — personality, ethnicity, and the century of birth.

The Character Therapist

Therapist Jeannie Campbell combines her love of psychology and writing to evaluate and diagnose your fictional character in a typed report that you can use to create a more  realistic  character.

An Introduction to Writing Characters in Fiction

Purdue University’s OWL Writing Lab presents helpful resources for character creation and development that explain character archetypes and much more.

How to Create Characters That Are Believable and Memorable

Discover the four main criteria you need to meet to create characters readers will enjoy.

Writing Character Sketches

This link will help you learn how to write character sketches so you can become better at creating characters.

Setting Resources

Crafting the perfect setting to pull in readers isn’t all about describing the location. Find out what it takes to create a setting that will catapult your story to another level.

Discover the Basic Elements of Setting in a Story

Learn about the fundamental elements of setting and how they work within a story.

Author’s Craft: Setting

Learn how to answer the questions of what, why, how, when, and where when creating a setting.

Fictional Versus Real Settings: Which Is Best?

This examination of fictional settings and real settings helps you determine which is best suited for your project.

How to Introduce Setting

This link is for anyone who needs to know how to successfully craft a setting. It offers an insightful writing exercise.

Fiction Writing Teaching Resources

Discover fiction writing lesson plans, units, topics, and more for students in elementary to high school.

Review this searchable collection of high-quality creative writing lesson plans for elementary, middle, and high school students.

Reading and Writing Flash Fiction

From the  New York Times  Learning Network comes this extensive lesson plan for teachers who want to introduce students to flash fiction.

Resources for Creative Writing Teachers

Check out this ready-to-use, 12-lesson creative writing unit with plenty of activities and exercises.

Creative Writing Ideas

Find some great writing ideas here, such as designing a room for a chocolate factory or writing traditional stories from a different point of view.

How to Teach Creative Writing

This link takes you to a seven-step guide for teaching creative writing to elementary, middle, and high school students.

Further Reading: Famous Authors On Writing

• On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
• The Art of Fiction by John Gardner
• Bird by Bird by Anne Lammott
• Aspects of the Novel by E.M. Forster
• The Writing Life by Annie Dilliard
• One Writer’s Beginnings by Eudora Welty

How to Write Fiction

Use the links below to jump directly to any section of this guide:

Fiction Writing Fundamentals

First steps , key elements, how to write compelling stories, drafting and revising, how to share and publish your work, resources for teaching fiction writing, additional writing resources .

From the earliest cave paintings to Harry Potter, human beings have been fascinated by storytelling. Writing fiction, the act of "fashioning or imitating" according to the Oxford English Dictionary,  has played a part in that imaginative exercise for millennia. Through the written word, authors express ideas and emotions and share compelling narratives. This guide is a collection of dozens of links about the process of writing fiction that we have researched, categorized, and annotated. You'll learn how to define "fiction" and what its forms are, discover resources to help you write and publish stories, and find ideas for teaching creative writing.

The umbrella category of "fiction" covers short stories and 500,000-word Victorian novels, heart-pounding thrillers and epic poetry. Before you dive into the process of creating your own fiction, it’s important to know what the term means and what its main forms are. Below, you'll find resources to ground you in an understanding of fiction's history and many genres.

What is Fiction?

"Fiction" (Wikipedia)

Wikipedia's entry on fiction offers a broad definition of the term, along with sections on fiction's formats, genre fiction, literary fiction, and links for further exploration.

"Memoir vs. Fiction" ( The Pen & The Pad )

This article from a writing website offers a short breakdown of the differences between memoir and fiction, including use of facts, protagonists and point of view, use of detail, and purpose.

"Fiction v. Nonfiction" (Criticalreading.com)

Dan Kurland's critical reading website offers a quick list of the differences between fiction and nonfiction, along with a list of the major categories of fiction writing.

"The Benefits of Fiction vs. Nonfiction" (Reddit)

This archived subreddit is filled with comments on the benefits of fiction and nonfiction, as well as the uses of these two different types of writing.

"What is Fiction?" (PBS Digital Studios via YouTube)

This eleven-minute video from the Idea Channel digs into the philosophical underpinnings of the term "fiction," outlining the differences between fiction and reality.

"Fiction Forms" (Wikipedia)  

This Wikipedia category page describes the different forms of fiction, from epistolary novels to blog fiction, with links to more information on each form.

The Forms of Fiction (Amazon)

This (lengthy) classic book by John Gardner and Lennis Dunlap breaks down the short story form into a series of different categories, explaining the differences between each one.

"Different Types of Fiction" ( The Writer's Cookbook Blog)

This blog post offers a fairly comprehensive list of the different types of fiction, organized in a way that “won’t make your head explode,” according to the author.

"The Meaning of Genre in Literature" ( Owlcation )

This article will help you understand the difference between form and genre, using the construction of a building as a useful analogy in comparing the two. 

"Defining Genre" ( The Editor's Blog )

This blog post provides an overview of what genre in fiction is, along with a link to a second post that touches on all the major genres in fiction.

"List of Writing Genres" (Wikipedia)

Wikipedia’s list of genres is divided into those pertaining to fiction and nonfiction, with an explanation of how “genre” fiction differs from “literary” fiction.

"What’s Your Genre?: A High-Level Overview for Writers" (JaneFriedman.com)

This post from a publishing industry professional discusses the role genre plays in the book industry and how it affects categories, sales, and marketing.

"Sub-Genre Descriptions" ( Writer's Digest )

This post lists all of the various sub-genres within the major genre classifications, with a quick description of what they typically entail.

As the resources above make clear, works of fiction vary in length, form, and genre. Your piece might be 500 words (flash fiction) or 500,000 words (like some novels). You might choose to write a mystery, romance, or fantasy piece. Even within genres, authors write for different ages and audiences. You also need to decide on a point of view—should your story be told from the first person perspective, or from the vantage point of an omniscient narrator? The resources below will introduce you to the many choices writers of fiction must make.

How to Choose a Form

"Should You Write a Novel or Short Story" ( Writer's Digest )

This article lists five things you should keep in mind as you decide whether your story should be a full-length novel or a short story.

"How to Choose the Right Medium for Your Story" (Literary Hub)

This piece, authored by a film and television writer who also dabbles in other forms, discusses the different skill sets required for writing in each literary form, and the storytelling opportunities afforded by each one.

“Is it Better to Be a Short Story Writer or a Novelist?” (British Council)

This article by Northern Irish author Paul McVeigh weighs the pros and cons of writing short stories and novels, and describes the challenges of each.

"8 Reasons You Should be Writing Short Stories" (TCK Publishing)

This list, geared towards self-published or independently published writers, discusses the benefits of writing short stories—both for your craft, and your bottom line.

How to Pick a Genre

"What Type of Book Should You Write?" (Quizony)

Use this not-so-serious quiz about your favorite characters, opening lines, and more to help get you brainstorming on the type of book you should write.

"How to Choose a Genre When Writing" ( Writer's Digest )

In this post on the  Writer’s Digest  site, bestselling writer Catherine Ryan Hyde discusses how to choose a genre when writing fiction, and how that genre often chooses you.

How to Identify Your Audience

"How to Find Your Ideal Reader" ( The Book Designer )

This article by author Cathy Yardley discusses how to identify the audience for your fiction book by figuring out exactly what type of book you are writing.

"How Authors Can Find Their Ideal Reading Audience" (JaneFriedman.com)

This post by writing coach and author Angela Ackerman offers tips for identifying the audience you’re writing for and connecting with your readers.

"Finding a Target Audience for Your Book in 3 Steps" ( Reedsy )

This post outlines the process of finding the “right” readers for your book, understanding their perspective, and figuring out how to connect to them via platforms like Goodreads.

"Do You Know Who Your Audience is?" ( Writer Unboxed )

This post from writer Dan Blank suggests that you choose your ideal audience before you start crafting your story. Blank emphasizes that most stories are  not  universal.

How to Choose a Perspective

"First, Second, and Third Person" (QuickandDirtyTips.com)

Grammar Girl reads this article by Geoff Pope, which is a no-nonsense guide to the different perspectives that writing can take, paired with a discussion of when each is commonly used.

"First-Person POV vs. Third-Person POV" (Youtube)

This short video from bestselling author K.M. Weiland focuses on deciding whether a first-person or third-person perspective is better for your book.

"1st vs 3rd Person—Which is Best?" ( Novel Writing Help )

This short post debunks some common misconceptions about when you “have to” use first or third person, with links to longer in-depth pieces on each perspective.

"What Point of View Should You Use in Your Novel?" ( Writer's Digest )

This article from the  Writer's Digest  site focuses on different writing perspectives and contains bulleted lists of the advantages and disadvantages of using each point of view.

Fiction writing can be broken down into a few key elements, including setting (where the story takes place), characters (who the story is about), dialogue (what characters say), plot (what happens in the story), and theme (what the story is ultimately about). Masterful fiction writers are able to incorporate each element seamlessly into a narrative whole. The resources in this section will help you get to know these terms.

"Setting" (Wikipedia)

This Wikipedia article offers a quick description of setting and its role, along with a comprehensive list of links to more about specific subtypes of setting.

"Setting: The Place and Time of Story" ( The Editor's Blog )

This blog post will help you learn what exactly setting accomplishes in fiction, including grounding characters. It discusses the different elements that make up setting.

"Discover the Basic Elements of Setting in a Story" ( Writer's Digest )

This post from Writer's Digest  offers a quick look at 12 of the important elements of setting. These include population, historical importance, and climate.

"Story Setting Ideas" ( Now Novel )

This blog post offers a few examples of effective settings, from J.K. Rowling’s Hogwarts to the Victorian England of Charles Dickens's Hard Times .

"Dialogue" (Wikipedia)

This Wikipedia article provides a comprehensive overview of dialogue, including how it has been used historically in a variety of literary forms.

"What is Dialogue in Literature?" ( Writing Explained )

If you're looking for a short post offering both a definition and examples of dialogue, this is a good place to start. The post explains the difference between internal and external dialogue.

"Dialogue" ( The Editor's Blog )

Check out this post on what dialogue is and what it accomplishes. The article includes some tips at the end about best practices for writing dialogue.

"Dialogue Definition" (LitCharts)

The LitCharts guide to dialogue offers a definition of the term, and is followed by examples of successful dialogue in fiction and a brief discussion of dialogue’s function.

"Character (Arts)" (Wikipedia)

Head to Wikipedia for a succinct definition of fictional characters and an explanation of types (such as flat, round, dynamic, static, etc.).

"Types of Character in Fiction" (Lexiconic.net)

This list of common categories of characters in fiction includes protagonists and antagonists, and is accompanied by a quick list of ways that character can be revealed in a text.

"Seven Common Character Types" ( Fiction Factor)

Here, you'll find a list of seven types of characters commonly found in fiction, along with an explanation of the roles these kinds of characters typically play in the story.

"Characters in Fiction" (Little Bit of Lit via Youtube)

This eight-minute video defines "character," discusses types of characterization (such as indirect), and lists a few different character types.

"Plot (Narrative)" (Wikipedia)

Wikipedia's entry on "plot" offers a definition of the term and a description of some common literary frameworks that writers can use.

"What is a Plot?" ( Writing Explained )

In this blog post, you'll find a concise explanation of the typical elements of plot, along with a discussion of its function, a few popular examples, and more.

"Plot" ( Literary Devices )

This article from a site devoted to explicating literary terms discusses the five main components of plot and offers a few examples of plot in literature.

"Plot Structure" (SlideShare)

SlideShare offers this 10-part slideshow on the different elements of plot (including exposition, rising action, and climax) and discusses some common conflicts in fiction.

"Theme (narrative)" (Wikipedia)

Wikipedia's entry on theme introduces you to the term through a brief definition and a discussion of two separate techniques used in writing to express themes.

"Elements of Fiction: Theme" ( Find Your Creative Muse )

This blog post defines themes, explains how they are revealed, and gives some popular examples of how they are used in literature. It also offers some links to resources for writing fiction.

"A Handy Guide to the Most Common Themes in Literature" ( The Writers Academy Blog)

This post from the Penguin Random House writing blog defines theme and lists some common themes in literature. Learn about themes such as "crime doesn't pay" and "coming of age."

"Grasping Themes in Literature" (Scholastic)

Check out this round-up of common themes in literature, which is accompanied by lesson ideas and suggestions for other media that are helpful in teaching theme.

Now that you're familiar with the fundamentals of plot, character, setting, theme, and dialogue, you're ready to fashion these elements into a compelling narrative. The resources below offer questions and suggestions for worldbuilding, character development, crafting dialogue, and more. As you refine your writing skills, remember that even stories that seem effortlessly created involved hundreds of small choices on the author's part, and went through a number of drafts. 

How to Choose a Setting

"Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions" (Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America)

Here, you'll find a comprehensive list of questions you can ask yourself about the setting you’re developing. These questions will help you flesh out your world's culture, rules, and norms.

Subreddit on Worldbuilding

You can discuss anything and everything about worldbuilding on this forum, from choosing character names to coming up with different governments for your world.

"7 Deadly Sins of Worldbuilding" ( Gizmodo )

This post lists common mistakes you can make in worldbuilding—choices that will knock readers out of the reading experience and make your characters seem pointless.

"World Building" (YouTube)

This video, one in a series of lectures by Brandon Sanderson about writing novels, focuses on worldbuilding and how to do so successfully.

How to Write Engaging Dialogue

"Writing Dialogue: 10 Tips to Help You" (YouTube)

In this 17-minute video, graphic novelist and children's book author and illustrator Mark Crilley draws images as he explains his top 10 tips for writing engaging dialogue.

"Keys to Realistic Dialogue" ( Writer's Digest )

This piece is the first in a two-part post by author Eleanore D. Trupkiewicz on common problems in writing dialogue and how to fix them.

"Writing Dialogue: Tips and Exercises" ( Reedsy )

This post offers a series of eight tips on how to write dialogue, including Elmore Leonard's suggestion never to use verbs other than "said" to "carry dialogue." The post also includes four dialogue writing exercises for authors.

"Tips for Writing Dialogue" (Center for Fiction)

This post discusses the three forms of dialogue (summary, indirect speech, and direct quotation) followed by succinct advice on how best to write dialogue between characters.

How to Develop Characters

"8 Ways to Write Better Characters" ( Writer's Digest )

This in-depth article by writer Elizabeth Sims includes eight ways to help conceptualize your characters and delve deeper into their psyches.

"How to Build a Character" (Jtellison.com)

Get tips from  New York Times  bestselling author J.T. Ellison on how to build a compelling character, and hear insights on her own process for developing characters.

"How to Create a Character Profile" ( Writer's Write )

This article includes an extensive character checklist to help you flesh out your characters' background, hobbies, relationships, and more.

"Character Chart for Fiction Writers" (EpiGuide.com)

This printable, fill-in-the-blank chart from EpiGuide.com helps writers brainstorm about all aspects of their characters in order to get to know them.

How to Craft Plot

"'Save the Cat' Beat Sheet" (Tim Stout)

Based on the book Save the Cat! (originally for screenwriters), this post offers a list of the “beats” that each narrative must contain in order to tell its story most effectively.

The Moral Premise Blog: Story Structure Craft

This blog by producer Stan Williams, author of The Moral Premise , contains diagrams of different ways to structure a book, including his well-known “story diamond.”

"Novel in 30 Days Worksheet Index" ( Writer's Digest )

This Writer's Digest  post is a round-up of nine different worksheets you can download and use to help outline and plan your novel.

"How to Plot Your Novel Using Dan Harmon's Story Circle" (YouTube)

This 15-minute video describes how to use another popular plotting tool, Dan Harmon’s story circle (based off of Joseph Campbell’s book  The Hero with a Thousand Faces ), to plot your novel.

How to Choose and Use Themes

"How to Choose Good Themes for Stories" ( Now Novel )

Read these five tips on choosing the best themes for your story from the  Now Novel  site. Suggestions include matching themes with characters' personalities and goals and examining how great authors have treated similar ideas.

"When Choosing Themes, Write What You Don’t Know" ( The Write Practice )

This brief article will help you narrow down which theme you should choose to write about based on what issues you are interested in.

"Exploring Theme" ( Writer's Digest )

In this excerpt from the book  Story Engineering, hosted on the  Writer's Digest  site, Larry Brooks defines theme and explains why it is so important in writing.

"How to Choose and Build a Powerful Theme for Your Story" ( Well-Storied )

This page offers both a podcast episode and an article on how to pick the best theme for your story, and makes suggestions for how to thread that theme through a narrative.

Writing a short story or novel can be a labor-intensive process. Even once a full draft is complete, a writer is rarely ready to send it out into the world. Instead, successful writers spend time revising and editing their work with feedback from trusted readers. Below, you'll find resources to help you write a first draft, revise that draft, overcome writer's block, and prepare a final draft.

How to Write a First Draft

"10 Rules for Writing Fiction" ( The Guardian )

This collection of 10 top tips for writing fiction from famous writers (including Margaret Atwood, Neil Gaiman, and Jonathan Franzen) is based on Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Writing.

The Writer Files (Rainmaker.fm)

This podcast features interviews with a variety of writers on their wring process, tricks, and tips, and how to tap into both creativity and productivity.

Writing Excuses Podcast

This podcast is hosted by four authors and has over ten seasons. It features 15-minute episodes that cover all parts of the writing process.

This program gives authors an alternative to a traditional Word program, and has helpful features like movable scenes, notecards, and tagging.

How to Overcome Writer’s Block

"How to Beat Writer’s Block" ( The New Yorker )

This article from  The New Yorker  offers an introduction to the term “writer’s block” and ways that writers have combatted it successfully.

"Strategies for Overcoming Writer’s Block" (Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

This page from a college writing center looks at some ineffective and effective ways to combat writer’s block, along with a brief description of why it occurs.

"Other Strategies for Getting Over Writer’s Block" (Purdue OWL)

This article offers quick strategies for getting over writer’s block when drafting your novel, along with suggestions for how you can get started on a piece.

"How Professional Writers Beat Writer’s Block" ( The Writer)

Writermag.com rounded up these five interviews with leading professional authors on how they’ve learned to get past writer’s block.

How to Edit Your First Draft

"4 Levels of Editing Explained" ( The Book Designer )

This article touches on the different types of editing that a book requires. It is aimed towards writes looking to hire independent editors for developmental editing, copy editing, etc., but is helpful for anyone looking to improve a manuscript.

"Revision Checklist" (Nathan Bransford)

This checklist from popular blogger, writer, and former agent Nathan Bransford notes important things to keep in mind when revising your novel.

"Revision Techniques" ( The Narrative Breakdown )

On this podcast episode, Cheryl Klein (a senior editor at Arthur A. Levin Books who worked on Harry Potter ), details some of her revision techniques.

"A Month of Revision" ( Necessary Fiction )

This post focuses on the necessary steps in the revision process and a realistic timeline, and includes links to numerous other blog posts on revision at the bottom.

How to Prepare a Final Draft

"Editing Checklist" (ReadWriteThink)

Use this printable PDF as a checklist for both writers and peer editors when tracking any errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and capitalization.

"How to Edit" ( Live Write Breathe )

This comprehensive editing guide for fiction writers contains instructions on carrying out all the major phases of revising a manuscript.

"How Do You Know When Your Book is Finished?" ( Electric Lit )

Here, the monthly advice column The Blunt Instrument offers suggestions for determining when works of fiction and works of poetry are “complete.”

"How Do You Know When You’re Ready to Submit?" ( Writer's Digest )

This article tackles the question of how to know when it's time to stop tweaking your work, and time send the manuscript into the world.

"How to Format a Fiction Manuscript for Submission" (YouTube)

This detailed 15-minute video explains how to format a manuscript using industry standards before sending it off to publishers and agents.

A number of options exist to get a writer’s work into the hands of readers. Writers can choose to share their work immediately with online communities, meet in person with critique partners, enter writing contests, hire an agent, or independently submit their work for publication online or in print. The resources below will help you evaluate your options and make an informed decision. 

Fiction Writing Communities

Wattpad is an online fiction-writing community where you can post and share your stories immediately, tagging them with plot elements or settings so other readers can find them and comment.

Like Wattpad, Figment is an online fiction-writing community where you can post your work, get feedback from other readers, and comment on others' work.

Absolute Write Water Cooler

On this online bulletin board, writers of all genres and experiences discuss writing, publishing, and everything in between. The site facilitates discussion by offering categories with forums, threads, and individual posts.

This forum, run by Amazon, is a place for writers to discuss their work and ask advice about promotion and self-publishing. You'll need to register in order to comment.

Fiction Writing Contests

"Writing Contests, Grants, and Awards" (Poets & Writers)

This searchable database of contests and more, from the nation's largest nonprofit organization serving creative writers, allows you to narrow by entry fee, genre, and deadline.

"31 Free Writing Contests" ( The Write Life )

This writing website offers a list of competitions in all different genres that have no entry fee for submission, but come with the possibility of a cash prize.

"Art and Writing Competitions" (Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth)

This list of art and writing competitions is geared toward younger writers, and contains links to each competition’s website. This link will direct you to the "creative writing" tab, but there are also options for journalism, essay, and visual arts competitions.

"Your Perfect Cover Letter" ( The Review Review )

This article discusses both how to craft and format a cover letter for a literary submission. It does so by walking you through a hypothetical example by "Emerging Writer."

How to Get a Short Story Published Online

Writers can use this resource to find short story markets, track their submissions, and find upcoming deadlines for short story markets.

"Where to Submit Short Stories" ( The Write Life )

Check out The Write Life 's round-up of 23 places accepting short stories, including prestigious and paying markets like The New Yorker .

"Literary Magazines" (Poets & Writers)

Here, you'll find a searchable database of literary magazines that accept short stories, with information on the magazines’ genres and reading periods.

"Get Inside the Top 30 Short Story Markets" ( Writer's Digest )

This top 30 list of the best outlets for short fiction is broken down by categories such as “Best Bets for Beginners” and “You’re in the Money.”

How to Get a Book Published in Print

Querytracker

On this website, you can search for agents by genre and see whether they are open to queries. You'll also find comments from writers on their response times.

Query Shark

Literary agent Janet Reid critiques queries on her blog, offering feedback on subsequent drafts until she gets to the point where she would have requested more material.

The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published (Amazon)

This book on how to navigate publishing your book touches not only on traditional approaches, but also on new avenues like self-publishing, crowdfunding, and more.

Publishing 101: A First-Time Author’s Guide to Getting Published (Amazon)

This book by industry veteran Jane Friedman explains how editors evaluate your work, and how best to approach agents and editors in order to land a book deal.

Resources abound for designing creative writing classes at all levels. Classroom activities allow students to practice their skills on-demand, while homework exercises give students time to construct their narratives on their own time. Below, you'll find a curated list of lesson planning ideas from publishers, TED-Ed, Teachers Pay Teachers, and more.

Classroom Activities

"Writing Fiction" ( Teaching Ideas )

This education website offers lesson plans and ideas for teachers on all different topics within the fiction writing framework (and on a wide range of other subjects, as well).

"Resource Topics: Teaching Writing" (National Writing Project)

This page provides links to a number of resources for teaching different aspects of creative writing, including a conversation about the future of creative writing pedagogy.

"Creative Writing Lesson Plans" ( The English Teacher )

On this webpage, you'll find a list of short lesson ideas, each with related exercises, that teachers can use to shape their curriculum.

"Creative Writing Resources" ( TeacherVision )

TeacherVision hosts a list of printable fiction writing resources, broken down by grade level, that can be used to shape classroom activities.

"Creative Writing Resources and Lesson Plans" (Teachers Pay Teachers)

This popular education website (designed by teachers, for teachers) has a section devoted to creative writing resources. You'll find lesson plans and activities that are searchable by price, resource type, and grade level.

Homework Exercises 

"Short Fiction: A Write It Activity" (Scholastic)

This activity includes interactive tutorials, exercises, message boards, links, and more—including an opportunity for students to submit their work at the end.

"365 Creative Writing Prompts" ( ThinkWritten )

This comprehensive list of short prompts (hosted by a website with tabs on publishing, author marketing, and writing prompts) will get students’ ideas flowing for a short exercise or a story.

What If? Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers (Amazon)

This handbook for writers by Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter contains more than 75 exercises for writers of all levels of experience.

"Creative Writing Prompts That You Can Do In 10 Minutes" (TED-Ed blog)

Use this list of short creative writing prompts to generate ideas for writing. The text is excerpted from the book 642 Tiny Things to Write About .

A number of other resources exist for those looking to develop their writing skills. Consider participating in writing retreats, writing workshops devoted to publishing, and online creative classes, or reading books and listening to podcasts on the subject. The resources gathered here can help you grow as a writer, and will teach you more about the process of sharing your work.

In-person Creative Writing Classes, Workshops, and Retreats

Gotham Writers

This well-known organization provides both in-person classes in NYC and online writing classes led by writers on topics such as “How to Get Published” and “Novel Writing.”

Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)

This organization offers conferences and networking opportunities for writers of children’s and young adult literature. Other genre-specific writers’ organizations, such as the American Crime Writers League and Horror Writers Association, offer similar workshops. 

"Conferences and Residencies Database" (Poets & Writers)

Check out this database for a comprehensive list of conferences and residencies currently available. It is searchable by event type, state, price, and title.

"Guide to Writing Programs" (Association of Writers & Writing Programs)

This database of writing programs, including undergraduate programs and MFAs, is searchable by genre, state, and type of degree.

Online Creative Writing Classes and Workshops

National Novel Writing Month

This website is all about November’s NaNoWriMo, in which writers challenge themselves to write 50,000 words in one month. It contains forums, inspiration, and more.

Courses on Creative Writing (Coursera)

This site offers online classes where you can watch lectures, complete exercises, and even receive feedback for your work (depending on whether you choose a free or paid option).

"The Best Online Writing Courses" (TCK Publishing)

TCK Publishing offers this round-up of different creative writing courses. The webpage describes what you learn, who the instructor is, and what the cost is (many of them are free).

Brandon Sanderson Lectures (YouTube)

This YouTube "playlist" is made up of American fiction writer Brandon Sanderson's lectures for a course at BYU, which covers all aspects of working through a novel.

Top-rated Books on Creative Writing

You Are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One) (Amazon)

Writer Jeff Goins covers a variety of topics on the writing life, including self-doubt, how to improve your writing, and how to get published.

Stephen King’s On Writing (Amazon)

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft  is part memoir of Stephen King's life as a writer, and part “toolkit” for writers trying to improve their craft.

The Elements of Style (Amazon)

William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White authored this no-nonsense guide to writing clearly and well. It covers the fundamentals of syntax. This book is now in its fourth edition.

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life (Amazon)

This national bestseller from author Anne Lamot is comprised of a series of essays on the process of writing (from beginning to write to technical details) and her life as a writer.

Fiction Writing Websites

"How to Write Fiction" (WikiHow)

This fully illustrated guide to writing fiction includes sections on generating ideas, creating mindmaps for possible plotlines, and common pitfalls to avoid.

Writer’s Digest

The popular writing magazine Writer's Digest  hosts this website, which focuses exclusively on helping writers connect to the best writing resources, learn the craft of writing, and get published.

Writing Forward

This creative writing blog offers tips and tricks for writing, along with resources for online writing exercises, resources, and much more.

Literary Rambles

This website is devoted exclusively to providing information about children’s book authors, agents, and publishers. It includes interviews with many key industry players on what they’re looking for in a manuscript.

• PDFs for all 136 Lit Terms we cover
• Downloads of 1902 LitCharts Lit Guides
• Teacher Editions for every Lit Guide
• Explanations and citation info for 40,034 quotes across 1902 books
• Downloadable (PDF) line-by-line translations of every Shakespeare play

Need something? Request a new guide .

How can we improve? Share feedback .

LitCharts is hiring!

How to Write a Novel (Without Fail): The Ultimate 20-Step Guide

by Joe Bunting | 0 comments

What if you could learn how to write a novel without fail? What if you had a process so foolproof, you knew you would finish no matter what writer's block throws at you? The zombie apocalypse could finally strike and you’d still face the blank page to finish your novel.

Every day I talk to writers who don’t know how to write a novel. They worry they don’t have what it takes, and honestly, they’re right to worry.

Writing a novel, especially for the first time, is hard work, and the desk drawers and hard drives of many a great writer are filled with the skeletons of incomplete and failed books.

The good news is you don't have to be one of those failed writers.

You can be a writer that writes to the end.

You can be the kind of writer who masters how to write a novel.

Table of Contents

Looking for something specific? Jump straight to it here:

1. Get a great idea 2. Write your idea as a premise 3. Set a deadline 4. Set smaller deadlines building to the final deadline 5. Create a consequence 6. Strive for “good enough” and embrace imperfection 7. Figure out what kind of story you’re trying to tell 8. Read novels and watch films that are similar to yours 9. Structure, structure, structure! 10. Find the climactic moment in your novel 11. Consider the conventions 12. Set your intention 13. Picture your reader 14. Build your team 15. Plan the publishing process 16. Write (with low expectations) 17. Trust the process and don’t quit 118. Keep going, even when it hurts 19. Finish Draft One . . . then onward to the next 20. Draft 2, 3, 4, 5 Writers’ Best Tips on How to Write a Novel FAQ

My Journey to Learn How to Write a Novel

My name is Joe Bunting .

I used to worry I would never write a novel. Growing up, I dreamed about becoming a great novelist, writing books like the ones I loved to read. I had even tried writing novels, but I failed again and again.

So I decided to study creative writing in college. I wrote poems and short stories. I read books on writing. I earned an expensive degree.

But still, I didn’t know how to write a novel.

After college I started blogging, which led to a few gigs at a local newspaper and then a national magazine. I got a chance to ghostwrite a nonfiction book (and get paid for it!). I became a full-time, professional writer.

But even after writing a few books, I worried I didn’t have what it takes to write a novel. Novels just seemed different, harder somehow. No writing advice seemed to make it less daunting. 

Maybe it was because they were so precious to me, but while writing a nonfiction book no longer intimidated me—writing a novel terrified me.

Write a novel? I didn’t know how to do it.

Until, one year later, I decided it was time. I needed to stop stalling and finally take on the process.

I crafted a plan to finish a novel using everything I’d ever learned about the book writing process. Every trick, hack, and technique I knew.

And the process worked.

I finished my novel in 100 days.

Today, I’m a Wall Street Journal bestselling author of thirteen books, and I'm passionate about teaching writers how to write and finish their books. (FINISH being the key word here.)

I’ve taught this process to hundreds of other writers who have used it to draft and complete their novels.

And today, I'm going to teach my “how to write a novel” process to you, too. In twenty manageable steps !

As I do this, I’ll share the single best novel writing tips from thirty-seven other fiction writers that you can use in your novel writing journey—

All of which is now compiled and constructed into The Write Planner : our tangible planning guide for writers that gives you this entire process in a clear, actionable, and manageable way.

If you’ve ever felt discouraged about not finishing your novel, like I did, or afraid that you don’t have what it takes to build a writing career, I’m here to tell you that you can.

There's a way to make your writing easier.

Smarter, even.

You just need to have the “write” process.

How to Write a Novel: The Foolproof, 20-Step Plan

Below, I’m going to share a foolproof process that anyone can use to write a novel, the same process I used to write my novels and books, and that hundreds of other writers have used to finish their novels too.

1. Get a Great Idea

Maybe you have a novel idea already. Maybe you have twenty ideas.

If you do, that’s awesome. Now, do this for me: Pat yourself on the back, and then forget any feeling of joy or accomplishment you have.

Here’s the thing: an idea alone, even a great idea, is just the first baby step in writing your book. There are nineteen more steps, and almost all of them are more difficult than coming up with your initial idea.

I love what George R.R. Martin said:

“Ideas are useless. Execution is everything.”

You have an idea. Now learn how to execute, starting with step two.

(And if you don’t have a novel idea yet, here’s a list of 100 story ideas that will help, or you can view our genre specific lists here: sci-fi ideas , thriller ideas , mystery ideas , romance ideas , and fantasy ideas . You can also look at the Ten Best Novel Ideas here . Check those out, then choose an idea or make up one of your own, When you're ready, come back for step two.)

2. Write Your Idea As a Premise

Now that you have a novel idea , write it out as a single-sentence premise.

What is a premise, and why do you need one?

A premise distills your novel idea down to a single sentence. This sentence will guide your entire writing and publishing process from beginning to end. It hooks the reader and captures the high stakes (and other major details) that advance and challenge the protagonist and plot.

It can also be a bit like an elevator pitch for your book. If someone asks you what your novel is about, you can share your premise to explain your story—you don't need a lengthy description.

Also, a premise is the most important part of a query letter or book proposal, so a good premise can actually help you get published.

What’s an example of a novel premise ?

Here’s an example from The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum:

A young girl is swept away to a magical land by a tornado and must embark on a quest to see the wizard who can help her return home.

Do you see the hooks? Young girl, magical land, embark on a quest (to see the wizard)—and don't forget her goal to return home.

This premise example very clearly contains the three elements every premise needs in order to stand out:

• A protagonist described in two words, e.g. a young girl or a world-weary witch.
• A goal. What the protagonist wants or needs.
• A situation or crisis the protagonist must face.

Ready to write your premise? We have a free worksheet that will guide you through writing a publishable premise: Download the worksheet here.

3. Set a Deadline

Before you do anything else, you need to set a deadline for when you’re going to finish the first draft of your novel.

Stephen King said a first draft should be written in no more than a season, so ninety days. National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, exists to encourage people to write a book in just thirty days.

In our 100 Day Book Program, we give people a little longer than that, 100 days, which seems like a good length of time for most people (me included!).

I recommend setting your deadline no longer than four months. If it’s longer than that, you’ll procrastinate. A good length of time to write a book is something that makes you a little nervous, but not outright terrified.

Mark the deadline date in your calendar, kneel on the floor, close your eyes, and make a vow to yourself and your book idea that you will write the first draft novel by then, no matter what.

4. Set Smaller Deadlines Building to the Final Deadline

A novel can’t be written in a day. There’s no way to “cram” for a novel. The key to writing (and finishing) a novel is to make a little progress every day.

If you write a thousand words a day, something most people are capable of doing in an hour or two, for 100 days , by the end you’ll have a 100,000 word novel—which is a pretty long novel!

So set smaller, weekly deadlines that break up your book into pieces. I recommend trying to write 5,000 to 6,000 words per week by each Friday or Sunday, whichever works best for you. Your writing routine can be as flexible as you like, as long as you are hitting those smaller deadlines. 

If you can hit all of your weekly deadlines, you know you’ll make your final deadline at the end.

As long as you hold yourself accountable to your smaller, feasible, and prioritized writing benchmarks.

5. Create a Consequence

You might think, “Setting a deadline is fine, but how do I actually hit my deadline?” Here’s a secret I learned from my friend Tim Grahl :

You need to create a consequence.

Try by taking these steps:

• Set your deadline.
• Write a check to an organization or nonprofit you hate (I did this during the 2016 U.S. presidential election by writing a check to the campaign of the candidate I liked least, whom shall remain nameless).
• Think of two other, minor consequences (like giving up your favorite TV show for a month or having to buy ice cream for everyone at work).
• Give your check, plus your list of two minor consequences, to a friend you trust with firm instructions to hold you to your consequences if you don’t meet your deadlines.
• If you miss one of your weekly deadlines, suffer one of your minor consequences (e.g. give up your favorite TV show).
• If you miss THREE weekly deadlines OR if you miss the final deadline, send your check to that organization you hate.
• Finally, write! I promise that if you complete steps one through six, you'll be incredibly focused.

When I took these steps while writing my seventh book, I finished it in sixty-three days. Sixty-three days!

It was the most focused I’ve ever been in my life.

Writing a book is hard work. Setting reasonable consequences make it harder to NOT finish than to finish.

Watch me walk a Wattpad famous writer through this process:

6. Strive for “Good Enough” and Embrace Imperfection

The next few points are all about how to write a good story.

The reason we set a deadline before we consider how to write a story that stands out is because we could spend our entire lives learning how write a great story, but never actually write the actual story (and it’s in the writing process that you learn how to make your story great).

So learn how to make it great between writing sessions, but only good enough for the draft you’re currently writing. If you focus too much on this, it will ruin everything and you’ll never finish.

Writing a perfect novel, a novel like the one you have in your imagination, is an exercise in futility.

First drafts are inevitably horrible. Second drafts are a little better. Third drafts are better still.

But I'd bet none of these drafts approach the perfection that you built up in your head when you first considered your novel idea.

And yet, even if you know that, you’ll still try to write a perfect novel.

So remind yourself constantly, “This first draft doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be good enough for now.”

And good enough for now, when you’re starting your first draft, just means you have words on a page that faintly resemble a story.

Writing is an iterative process. The purpose of your first draft is to have something you can improve in your second draft. Don’t overthink. Just do. (I’ll remind you of this later, in case you forget, and if you’re like me, you probably will.)

Ready to look at what makes a good story? Let’s jump into the next few points—but don’t forget your goal: to get your whole book, the complete story, on the page, no matter how messy your first draft reads.

7. Figure Out What Kind of Story You’re Trying to Tell

Now that you have a deadline, you can start to think more deeply about what your protagonist really wants.

A good story focuses primarily on just one core thing that the protagonist wants or needs, and the place where your protagonist’s want or need meets the reader’s expectations dictates your story's genre.

Plot type is a big subject, and for the purposes of this post, we don’t have time to fully explore it (check out my book The Write Structure here ).

But story type is about more than what shelf your book sits on at the bookstore.

The book type gets to the heart, the foundational values, of what your story is about. In my book The Write Structure , I define ten plot types, which correspond to six value scales. I’ll give an abbreviated version below:

External Values (What Your Protagonist Wants)

• Life vs. Death: Action, Adventure
• Life vs. a Fate Worse Than Death: Horror, Thriller, Mystery
• Love vs. Hate: Love, Romance
• Esteem: Performance, Sports

Internal Values (What Your Protagonist Needs)

Internal plot types work slightly different than external plot types. These are essential for your character's transformation from page one to the end and deal with either a character's shift in their black-and-white view, a character's moral compass, or a character's rise or fall in social status.

For more, check out The Write Structure .

The most common internal plot types are bulleted quickly below.

• Maturity/Sophistication vs. Immaturity/Naiveté: Coming of Age
• Good/Sacrifice vs. Evil/Selfishness: Morality, Temptation/Testing

Choosing Your External and Internal Plot Types Will Set You Up for Success

You can mix and match these genres to some extent. For your book to be commercially successful, you must have an external genre.

For your book to be considered more “character driven”—or a story that connects with the reader on a universal level—you should have an internal genre, too. (I highly recommend having both.)

You can also have a subplot. So that’s three genres that you can potentially incorporate into your novel.

For example, you might have an action plot with a love story subplot and a worldview education internal genre. Or a horror plot with a love story subplot and a morality internal genre. There’s a lot of room to maneuver.

Regardless of what you choose, the balance of the three will give your protagonist plenty of obstacles to face as they strive to achieve their goal from beginning to end. (For best results when you go to publish, though, make sure you have an external genre.)

If you want to have solid preparation to write you book, I highly recommend grabbing a copy of The Write Structure .

What two or three values are foundational to your story? Spend some time brainstorming what your book is really about. Even better, use our Write Structure worksheet to get to the heart of your story type.

8. Read Novels and Watch Films That Are Similar to Yours

“The hard truth is that books are made from books.”

I like to remember this quote from Cormac McCarthy when considering what my next novel is really about.

Now that you’ve thought about your novel's plot, it’s time to see how other great writers have pulled off the impossible and crafted a great story from the glimmer of an idea.

You might think, “My story is completely unique. There are no other stories similar to mine.”

If that’s you, then one small word of warning. If there are no books that are similar to yours, maybe there’s a reason for that.

Personally, I’ve read a lot of great books that were a lot of fun to read and were similar to other books. I’ve also read a lot of bad books that were completely unique.

Even precious, unique snowflakes look more or less like other snowflakes.

If you found your content genre in step three, select three to five novels and films that are in the same genre as yours and study them.

Don’t read/watch for pleasure. Instead, try to figure out the conventions, key scenes, and the way the author/filmmaker moves you through the story.

There's great strength in understanding how your story is the same but different.

9. STRUCTURE, STRUCTURE, STRUCTURE!

Those were the three words my college screenwriting professor, a successful Hollywood TV producer, wrote across the blackboard nearly every class. Your creative process doesn't matter without structure.

You can be a pantser , someone who writes by the seat of their pants.

You can be a plotter , someone who needs to have a detailed outline for each of the plot points in their novel.

You can even be a plantser , somewhere in between the two (like most writers, including me).

It doesn’t matter. You still have to know your story structure .

Here are a few important structural elements you’ll want to figure out for your novel before moving forward:

6 Key Moments of Story Structure

There are six required moments in every story, scene, and act. They are:

• Exposition : Introducing the world and the characters.
• Inciting incident : There’s a problem.
• Rising Action/Progressive complications : The problem gets worse, usually due to external conflict.
• Dilemma : The problem gets so bad that the character has no choice but to deal with it. Usually this happens off screen.
• Climax : The character makes their choice and the climax is the action that follows.
• Denouement : The problem is resolved (for now at least).

If you're unfamiliar with these terms, I recommend studying each of them, especially dilemma, which we'll talk about more in a moment. Mastering these will be a huge aid to your writing process.

For your first few scenes, try plotting out each of these six moments, focusing especially on the dilemma.

Better yet, download our story structure worksheet to guide you through the story structure process, from crafting your initial idea through to writing the synopsis.

I've included some more detailed thoughts (and must-knows) about structure briefly below:

Three Act Structure

The classic writing advice describes the three act structure well:

In the first act, put your character up a tree. In the second act, throw rocks at them. In the third act, bring them down.

Do you wonder whether you should use three act structure or five act structure? (Hint: you probably don't want to use the five act structure. Learn more about this type with our full guide on the five act structure here .)

Note that each of these acts should have the six key moments listed above.

The Dilemma

I mentioned the importance of a character undergoing a crisis, but it bears repeating since, for me, it completely transformed my writing process.

In every act, your protagonist must face an impossible choice. It is THIS choice that creates drama in your story. THIS is how your plot moves forward. If you don’t have a dilemma, if your character doesn’t choose, your scenes won’t work, nor will your acts or story.

In my writing, when I’m working on a first draft, I don’t focus on figuring out all five key moments every time (since I’ve internalized them by now), but I do try to figure out the crisis before I start writing .

I begin with that end in mind, and figure out how I can put the protagonist into a situation where they must make a difficult choice.

One that will have consequences even if they decide to do nothing.

When you do that, your scene works. When you don’t, it falls flat. The protagonist looks like a weak-willed observer of their own life, and ultimately your story will feel boring. Effective character development requires difficult choices.

Find the dilemma every time.

Write out a brief three-act outline with each of the six key moments for each act. It’s okay to leave those moments blank if you don’t know them right now. Fill in what you do know, and come back to it.

Point of View

Point of view, or POV, in a story refers to the narrator’s position in the description of events. There are four types of point of view, but there are only two main options used by most writers:

• Third-person limited point of view is the most common and easiest to use, especially for new writers. In this POV, the characters are referred to in third person (he/she/they) and the narrator has access to the thoughts and feelings to a maximum of one character at a time (and likely one character for the duration of the narrative). You can read more about how to use third-person limited here .
• First-person point of view is also very common and only slightly more difficult. In this POV, the narrator is a character in the story and uses first person pronouns (I/me/mine/we/ours) and has access only to their own thoughts and feelings. This point of view requires an especially strong style, one that shows the narrator's distinct attitude and voice as they tell the story.

The third option is used much less common, though is still found occasionally, especially in older works:

• Third-person omniscient point of view is much more difficult to pull off well and isn't recommended for first time authors. In this POV, the characters are referred to in third-person (he/she/him/her/they/them), but the narrator has access to the thoughts and feelings of any and all characters at the same time. This is a difficult narrative to pull off because of how disorienting it can be for the reader. Readers are placed “in the heads” of so many characters, which can easily destroy the drama of a story because of the lack of mystery.

One final option:

• Second-person point of view is the most difficult to pull off and isn't recommended for most authors. In this POV, the characters are referred to in second person (you/your). This choice is rarely (although not never) found in novels.

Get The Write Structure here »

10. Find the Climactic Moment in Your Novel

Every great novel has a climactic moment that the whole story builds up to—it's the whole reason a reader purchases a book and reads it to the end.

In Moby Dick , it’s the final showdown with the white whale.

In Pride and Prejudice , it’s Lizzie accepting Mr. Darcy’s proposal after discovering the lengths he went to in order to save her family.

In the final Harry Potter novel (spoiler alert!), it’s Harry offering himself up as a sacrifice to Voldemort to destroy the final Horcrux.

To be clear, you don’t have to have your climactic moment all planned out before you start writing your book . (Although knowing this might make writing and finishing your novel easier and more focused.)

But it IS a good idea to know what novels and films similar to yours have done.

For example, if you’re writing a performance story about a violinist, as I am, you need to have some kind of big violin competition at the end of your book.

If you’re writing a police procedural crime novel, you need to have a scene where the detective unmasks the murderer and explains the rationale behind the murder.

Think about the climactic moment your novel builds up before the final showdown at the end. This climactic moment will usually occur in the climax of the second or third act.

If you know this, fill in your outline with the climactic moment, then write out the five key moments of the scene for that moment.

If you don’t know them, just leave them blank. You can always come back to it.

11. Consider the Conventions

Readers are sophisticated. They’ve been taking in stories for years, since they were children, and they have deep expectations for what should be in your story.

That means if you want readers to like your story, you need to meet and even exceed some of those expectations.

Stories do this constantly. We call them conventions, or tropes, and they’re patterns that storytellers throughout history have found make for a good story.

In the romantic comedy (love) genre, for example, there is almost always the sidekick best friend, some kind of love triangle, and a meet cute moment where the two potential lovers meet.

In the mystery genre, the story always begins with a murder, there are one or more red herrings , and there’s a final unveiling of the murder at the end.

Think through the three to five novels and films you read/watched. What conventions and tropes did they have in common?

12. Set Your Intention

You’re almost ready to start writing. Before you do, set your intention.

Researchers have found that when you’re trying to create a new habit, if you imagine where and when you will participate in that habit, you’re far more likely to follow through.

For your writing, imagine where, when, and how much you will write each day. For example, you might imagine that you will write 1,000 words at your favorite coffee shop each afternoon during your lunch break.

As you imagine, picture your location and the writing space clearly in your mind. Watch yourself sitting down to work, typing on your laptop. Imagine your word count tracker going from 999 to 1,002 words.

When it’s time to write , you’ll be ready to go do it.

13. Picture Your Reader

The definition of a story is a narrative meant to entertain, amuse, or instruct. That implies there is someone being entertained, amused, or instructed!

I think it’s helpful to picture one person in your mind as you write (instead of an entire target audience). Then, as you write, you can better understand what would interest, amuse, or instruct them.

By picturing them, you will end up writing better stories.

Create a reader avatar.

Choose someone you know, or make up someone who would love your story. Describe them in terms of demographics and interests. Consider the question, “Why would this reader love my novel?”

When you write, write for them.

14. Build Your Team

Most people think they can write a novel on their own, that they need to stick themselves in some cabin in upstate New York or an attic apartment in Paris and just focus on writing their novel for a few months or decades.

And that’s why most people fail to finish writing a book .

As I’ve studied the lives of great writers, I’ve found that they all had a team. None of them did it all on their own. They all had people who supported and encouraged them as they wrote.

A team can look like:

• An editor with a publishing house
• A writing group
• An author mentor or coach
• An online writing course or community

Whatever you find, if you want to finish your novel, don’t make the mistake of believing you can do it all on your own (or that you have to do it on your own).

Find a writing group. Take an online writing class . Or hire a developmental editor .

Whatever you do, don’t keep trying to do everything by yourself.

15. Plan the Publishing Process

One thing I’ve found is that when successful people take on a task, they think through every part of the process from beginning to end. They create a plan. Their plan might change, but starting with a plan gives them clear focus for what they’re setting out to accomplish.

Most of the steps we’ve been talking about in this post involve planning (writing is coming up next, don’t worry), but in your plan, it’s important to think through things all the way to the end—the publishing and marketing process.

So spend ten or twenty minutes dreaming about how you’ll publish your novel (self-publishing vs. traditional publishing) and how you’ll promote it (to your email list, on social media, via Amazon ads, etc.).

By brainstorming about the publishing and marketing process, you’ll make it much more likely to actually finish your novel because you're eager for (and know what you want to do when you're at) the end.

Have no idea how to get published? Check out our 10-step book publishing and launch guide here .

16. Write (With Low Expectations)

You’ve created a plan. You know what you’re going to write, when you’re going to write it, and how you’re going to write.

Now it’s time to actually write it.

Sit down at the blank page. Take a deep breath. Write your very first chapter.

Don’t forget, your first draft is supposed to be bad.

Write anyway.

17. Trust the Process and Don’t Quit

As I’ve trained writers through the novel writing process in our 100 Day Book Program, inevitably around day sixty, they tell me how hard the process is, how tired they are of their story, how they have a new idea for a novel, and they want to work on that instead.

“Don’t quit,” I tell them. Trust the process. You’re so much closer than you think.

Then, miraculously, two or three weeks later, they’re emailing me to say they’re about to finish their books. They’re so grateful they didn’t quit.

This is the process. This is how it always goes.

Just when you think you’re not going to make it, you’re almost there.

Just when you most want to quit, that’s when you’re closest to a breakthrough.

Trust the process. Don’t quit. You’re going to make it.

Just keep showing up and doing the work (and remember, doing the work means writing imperfectly).

18. Keep Going, Even When It Hurts

Appliances always break when you’re writing a book.

Someone always gets sick making writing nearly impossible (either you or your spouse or all your kids or all of the above).

One writer told us recently a high-speed car chase ended with the car crashing into a building close to her house.

I’m not superstitious, but stuff like this always happens when you’re writing a book.

Expect it. Things will not go according to plan. Major real life problems will occur.

It will be really hard to stay focused for weeks on end.

This is where it’s so important to have a team (step fourteen). When life happens, you’ll need someone to vent to, to encourage you, and to support you.

No matter what, write anyway. This is what separates you from all the aspiring writers out there. You do the work even when it’s hard.

Keep going.

19. Finish Draft One… Then Onward to the Next

I followed this process, and then one day, I realized I’d written the second to last scene. And then the next day, my novel was finished.

It felt kind of anticlimactic.

I had wanted to write a novel for years, more than a decade. I had done it. And it wasn’t as big of a deal as I thought.

Amazing, without question.

But also just normal.

After all, I had been doing this, writing every day for ninety-nine days. Finishing was just another day.

But the journey itself? 100 days for writing a novel? That was amazing.

That was worth it.

And it will be worth it again and again.

Maybe it will be like that for you. You might finish your book and feel amazing and proud and relieved. You might also feel normal. It’s the difference between being an aspiring writer and being a real writer.

Real writers realize the joy is in the work, not in having a finished book .

When you get to this point, I just want to say, “Congratulations!”

You did it.

You finished a book. I’m so excited for you!

But also, as you will know when you get to this point, this is really just the beginning of your journey.

Your book isn’t nearly ready to publish yet.

So celebrate. Throw a party for yourself. Say thank you to all your team members. You finished. You should be proud!

After this celebratory breather, move on to your last step.

20. Next Drafts: Draft Two…Three…Four…Five

This is a novel writing guide, not a novel revising guide (that is coming soon!). But I’ll give you a few pointers on what to do after you write your novel:

• Rest. Take a break. You earned it. Resting also lets you get distance on your book, which you need right now.
• Read without revising. Most people jump right into the proofreading and line editing process. This is the worst thing you could do. Instead, read your novel from beginning to end without making revisions. You can take notes, but the goal for this is to create a plan for your next draft, not fix all your typos and misplaced commas . This step will usually reveal plot holes, character inconsistencies, and other high-level problems.
• Get feedback. Then, share your book with your team: editors and fellow writers (not friends and family yet). Ask for constructive feedback, especially structural feedback, not on typos for now.
• Next, rewrite for structure. Your second draft is all about fixing the structure of your novel. Revisit steps seven through eleven for help.
• Last, polish your prose. Your third (and additional) draft(s) is for fixing typos, line editing, and making your sentences sound nice. Save this for the end, because if you polish too soon, you might have to delete a whole scene that you spent hours rewriting.

Want to know more about what to do next? Check out our guide on what to do AFTER you finish your book here .

Writers’ Best Tips on How to Write a Novel

I’ve also asked the writers I’ve coached for their single tips on how to write a novel. These are from writers in our community who have followed this process and finished novels of their own. Here are their best novel writing tips:

“Get it out of your head and onto the page, because you can’t improve what’s not been written.” Imogen Mann

“What gets scheduled, gets done. Block time in your day to write. Set a time of day, place and duration that you will write 4-7 days/week until it becomes habit. It’s most effective if it’s the same time of day, in the same place. Then set your duration to a number of minutes or a number of words: 60 minutes, 500 words, whatever. Slowly but surely, those words string together into a piece of work!” Stacey Watkins

“Honestly? And nobody paid me for this one—enroll in the 100 Day Book challenge at The Write Practice. I had been writing around in my novel for years and it wasn’t until I took the challenge did I actually write it chapter by chapter from beginning to end in 80,000 words. Of course I now have to revise, revise, revise.” Madeline Slovenz

“I try to write for at least an hour every day. Some days I feel like the creativity flows out of me and others it’s awkward and slow. But yes, my advice is to write for at least one hour every day. It really helps.” Kurt Paulsen

“Be patient, be humble, be forgiving. Patient, because writing a novel well will take longer than you ever imagined. Humble, because being awake to your strengths and your weaknesses is the only way to grow as a writer. And forgiveness, for the days when nothing seems to work. Stay the course, and the reward at the end — whenever that comes — will be priceless. Because it will be all yours.” Erin Halden

“Single best tip I can recommend is the development of a plan. My early writing, historical stories for my world, was done as a pantser. But, when I took the 100 Day Book challenge , one of the steps was to produce an outline. Mine started as the briefest list of chapters. But, as I thought about it, the outline expanded to cover what was happening and who was in it. That lead to a pattern for the chapters, a timeline, and greater detail in the outline. I had always hated outlines, but like Patrick Rothfuss said in one of his interviews, that hatred may have been because of the way it was taught when I was in school (long ago.) I know I will use one for the second book (if I decide to go forward with it.) Just remember the plan is there for your needs. It doesn’t need to be a formal I. A. 1. a. format. It can simply be a set of notecards with general ideas you want to include in your story.” Patrick Macy

“Everybody who writes does so on faith and guts and determination. Just write one line. Just write one scene. Just write one page. And if you write more that day consider yourself fortunate. The more you do, the stronger the writing muscle gets. But don’t do a project; just break things down into small manageable bits.” Joe Hanzlik

“When you’re sending your novel out to beta readers , keep in mind some people‘s feedback may not resonate or be true for your vision of the work. Also, just because you’ve handed off a copy for beta reading doesn’t mean you don’t have control over how people give you feedback. For instance, if you don’t want line editing, ask them not to give paragraph and sentence corrections. Instead, ask for more general feedback on the character arcs, particular scenes in the story, the genre, ideal reader , etc. Be proactive about getting the kind of response you want and need.” B.E. Jackson

“Become your main character. Begin to think and act the way they would.” Valda Dracopoulos

“I write for minimum 3 hours starting 4 a.m. Mind is uncluttered and fresh with ideas. Daily issues and commitment can wait. Make a plan and stick to the basic plan.” R.B. Smith

“Stick to the plan (which includes writing an outline, puttin your butt in the chair and shipping). I’m trying to keep it simple!” Carole Wolf

“Have a spot where you write, get some bum glue, sit and write. I usually have a starting point, a flexible endpoint and the middle works itself out.” Vuyo Ngcakani

“Before I begin, I write down the ten key scenes that must be in the novel. What is the thing that must happen, who is there when it happens, where does it take place. Once I have those key scenes, I begin.” Cathy Ryan

“In my English classes, I was told to ‘show, don’t tell,' which is the most vague rule I’ve ever heard when it comes to writing. Until I saw a post that expanded upon this concept saying to ‘ show emotion, tell feelings …’. Showing emotion will bring the reader closer to the characters, to understand their actions better. But I don’t need to read about how slow she was moving due to tiredness.” Bryan Coulter

“For me, it’s the interaction between all of the characters. It drives almost all of my novels no matter how good or bad the plot may be .” Jonathan Srock

“Rules don’t apply in the first draft; they only apply when you begin to play with it in the second draft.” Victor Paul Scerri

“My best advice to you is: Just Write. No matter if you are not inspired, maybe you are writing how you can’t think of something to write or wrote something that sucks. But just having words written down gets you going and soon you’ll find yourself inspired. You just have to write.” Mony Martinez

“As Joseph Campbell said, “find your bliss.” Tap into a vein of whatever it is that “fills your glass” and take a ride on a stream of happy, joyful verbiage.” Jarrett Wilson

“Show don’t tell is the most cited rule in the history of fiction writing, but if you only show, you won’t get past ch. 1. Learn to master the other forms of narration as well.” Rebecka Jäger

“We’ve all been trained jump when the phone rings, or worse, to continually check in with social media. Good work requires focus, but I’ve had to adopt some hacks to achieve it. 1) Get up an hour before the rest of the household and start writing. Don’t check email, Facebook, Instagram, anything – just start working. 2) Use a timer app, to help keep you honest. I set it for 30 minutes, then it gives me a 5-minute break (when things are really humming, I ignore the breaks altogether). During that time, I don’t allow anything to interrupt me if I can help it. 3) Finally, set a 3-tiered word count goal: Good, Great, Amazing. Good is the number of words you need to generate in order to feel like you’ve accomplished something (1000 words, for example). Great would be a higher number, (say, 2000 words). 3000 words could be Amazing. What I love about this strategy is that it’s forgiving and inspiring at the same time.” Dave Strand

“My advice comes in two parts. First, I think it’s important to breathe life into characters, to give them emotions and personalities and quirks. Make them flawed so that they have plenty of room to grow. Make them feel real to the reader, so when they overcome the obstacles you throw in their way, or they don’t overcome them, the reader feels all the more connected and invested in their journey. Second, I think there’s just something so magical about a scene that transports me, as a reader, to the characters’ world; that allows me to see, feel, smell, and touch what the characters are experiencing. So, the second part of my advice is to describe the character’s experience of their surroundings keeping all of their senses in mind. Don’t stop simply with what they see.” Jennifer Baker

“Start with an outline (it can always be changed), set writing goals and stick to them, write every day, know that your first draft is going to suck and embrace that knowledge, and seek honest feedback. Oh, and celebrate milestones, especially when you type ‘The End’. Take a break from your novel (but don’t stop writing something — short stories, blog posts, articles, etc.) and then dive head-first into draft 2!” Jen Horgan O’Rourke

“I write in fits and spurts of inspiration and insights. Much of my ‘writing’ occurs when I am trying to fall asleep at night or weeding in the garden. I carry my stories and essays in my head, and when I sit down to start writing, I don’t like to ‘turn off the tap.’ My most important principle is that when I write a draft, I put it out of my mind for a few days before coming back to see what it sounds like when I read it aloud.” Gayle Woodson

“My stories almost always start from a single image… someone in a situation, a setting, with or without other people… there is a problem to be solved, a decision to make, some action being taken. Often that first image becomes the central point of the story but sometimes it is simply the kick-off point for something else. Once I’ve ‘seen’ my image clearly I sit down at the computer and start writing. More images appear as I write and the story evolves. Once the rough sketch has developed through a few chapters I may go back and fill in holes and round things out. Sometimes I even sketch a rough map of my setting or the ‘world’ I’m building. With first drafts I never worry about the grammatical and other writing ‘rules.’ Those things get ironed out in the second round.” Karin Weiss

“What it took to get my first novel drafted: the outline of a story idea, sitting in chair, DEADLINES, helpful feedback from the beginning so I could learn along the way.” Joan Cory

“I write a chapter in longhand and then later that day or the next morning type it and revise. The ideas seem to flow from mind to finger to pen to paper.” Al Rutgers

“Getting up early and write for a couple of hours from 6 am is my preferred choice as my mind is uncluttered with daily issues. Stick to the basic plan and learning to ‘show’ and ‘not tell’ has been hard but very beneficial.” Abe Tse

If you're ready to get serious about finishing your novel, I love for you to join us!

And if you want help getting organized and going, I greatly recommend purchasing The Write Planner and/or our 100 Day Book Program .

Frequently Asked Questions

If you're working on your first-ever novel, congratulations! Here are answers to frequently asked questions new (and even experienced) writers often ask me about what it takes to write a book.

How long should a novel be?

First, novel manuscripts are measured in words, not pages. A standard length for a novel is 85,000 words. The sweet number for literary agents is 90,000 words. Science fiction and fantasy tend to be around the 100,000 word range. And mystery and YA tend to be shorter, likely 65,000 words.

Over 120,000 words is usually too long, especially for traditional publishing. Under 60,000 words is a bit short, and might feel incomplete to the reader.

Of course, these are guidelines, not rules.

They exist for a reason, but that doesn’t mean you have to follow them if you have a good reason. For a more complete guide to best word count for novels, check out my guide here .

How long does it take to write a novel?

Each draft can take about the same amount of time as the first draft, or about 100 days. I recommend writing at least three drafts with a few breaks between drafts, which means you can have a finished, published novel in a little less than a year using this process.

Many people have finished novels faster. My friend and bestseller Carlos Cooper finishes four novels a year, and another bestselling author friend Stacy Claflin is working on her sixty-second book (and she’s not close to being sixty-two years old).

If you'd like, you can write faster.

If you take longer breaks between drafts or write more drafts, it might take longer.

Whatever you decide, I don’t recommend taking much longer than 100 days to finish your first draft. After that, you can lose your momentum and it becomes much harder to finish.

That’s It! The Foolproof Template for How to Write a Novel

Writing a novel isn’t easy. But it is possible with the write process (sorry, I had to do it). If you follow each step above, you will finish a novel.

Your novel may not be perfect, but it will be what you need on your road to making it great.

Good luck and happy writing!

Discover The Write Plan Planner »

Which steps of this process do you follow? Which steps are new or challenging for you? Let us know in the comments !

Writing your novel idea in the form of a single-sentence premise is the first step to finishing your novel . So let’s do that today!

Download our premise worksheet. Follow it to construct your single sentence premise.

Then post your premise  in the Pro Practice Workshop (and if you’re not a member yet, you can join here ). If you post, please be sure to leave feedback on premises by at least three other writers.

Maybe you'll start finding your writing team right here!

Happy writing!

Joe Bunting

Joe Bunting is an author and the leader of The Write Practice community. He is also the author of the new book Crowdsourcing Paris , a real life adventure story set in France. It was a #1 New Release on Amazon. Follow him on Instagram (@jhbunting).

Want best-seller coaching? Book Joe here.

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

• How to Write a Novel: 20 Tips from a #1 Bestselling Author - […] how to write a novel? If so, you’re not alone. More than 10,000 people search “how to write a…
• Chic Inspiration: What I’m Loving for Spring – ChicZephyr - […] inspiration for outlining and getting the creative juices flowing again on my […]
• 7 Keys To Write the Perfect First Line of a Novel - The Write Practice - […] Ready to write the rest of your novel? Check out our definitive guide, How to Write a Novel: The Complete…
• Word Count: How Many Words In a Novel? - […] Ready to write your novel? Check out our definitive guide, How To Write Write a Novel: The Complete Guide,…
• How a Scene List Can Change Your Novel-Writing Life - […] Ready to write your novel? Check out our definitive guide, How To Write Write a Novel: The Complete Guide,…
• 3 Ways to Start a Novel - […] Ready to write your novel? Check out our definitive guide, How To Write Write a Novel: The Complete Guide,…
• Henry Miller on How to Finish Your Novel - The Write Practice - […] Ready to write your novel? Check out our definitive guide, How To Write Write a Novel: The Complete Guide,…
• How to Transform Raw Inspiration into a Solid Novel Plan - […] Ready to write your novel? Check out our definitive guide, How To Write Write a Novel: The Complete Guide,…
• How To Write A Thriller Novel - […] and suspense.Tweet thisTweetWant to learn how to write a book from start to finish? Check out How to Write…
• 100 Writing Practice Lessons & Exercises - […] writing prompts, doing writing exercises, or finishing writing pieces, like essays, short stories, novels, or books. The best writing…
• Word Count: How Many Words In a Novel? – Books, Literature & Writing - […] Ready to write your novel? Check out our definitive guide, How To Write Write a Novel: The Complete Guide,…
• Will This Help You Master Screenwriting? – Lederto.com Blog - […] of these topics should translate pretty well for authors of novels in all the genres of […]
• 10 Best Creative Writing Prompts - […] prompts in your writing today? Who knows, you might even begin something that becomes your next novel to write…
• Aaron Sorkin MasterClass Review: Will This Help You Master Screenwriting? - HAPPSHOPPERS - […] of these topics should translate pretty well for authors of novels in all the genres of […]
• Aaron Sorkin MasterClass Review: Will This Help You Master Screenwriting? – Top News Rocket - […] of these topics should translate pretty well for authors of novels in all the genres of […]
• Aaron Sorkin MasterClass Review: Will This Help You Master Screenwriting? – RVA News Sites - […] of these topics should translate pretty well for authors of novels in all the genres of […]
• What to Do After Writing a Book: The Do's and Dont's - […] So what is next? This article teaches you what to do after writing a book.  […]

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Submit Comment

Join over 450,000 readers who are saying YES to practice. You’ll also get a free copy of our eBook 14 Prompts :

Popular Resources

Book Writing Tips & Guides Creativity & Inspiration Tips Writing Prompts Grammar & Vocab Resources Best Book Writing Software ProWritingAid Review Writing Teacher Resources Publisher Rocket Review Scrivener Review Gifts for Writers

Books By Our Writers

You've got it! Just us where to send your guide.

Enter your email to get our free 10-step guide to becoming a writer.

You've got it! Just us where to send your book.

Enter your first name and email to get our free book, 14 Prompts.

Want to Get Published?

Enter your email to get our free interactive checklist to writing and publishing a book.

Looking to publish? Meet your dream editor, designer and marketer on Reedsy.

Find the perfect editor for your next book

1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.

Guides • Perfecting your Craft

Posted on Nov 30, 2021

How to Write Literary Fiction in 6 Steps

Literary fiction can be a slippery genre to write within, seeing how it avoids easy definitions. In many ways, that’s a good thing: multifaceted and expansive, it’s probably the category of books that contains the widest range of stories, and the one readers always approach with a readiness for surprise.

To make the most of writing in this fun genre, we’ve assembled 6 simple steps you can follow.

1. Start with a topic you wish to explore

The first step is simple: all you need is to identify a theme or topic that interests you. At this stage, your “topic” can be universal or very specific. There’s no need to transpose this topic into a particular character and a situation yet — just think about some of the issues that you find curious or feel strongly about.  These could include aspects of the human experience or matters related to society and social structures. 

To give you a few examples of some works and their overall themes :

• Motherhood — Mieko Kawakami’s Breasts and Eggs , where the protagonist considers accepting a sperm donation and becoming a single mother;
• Grief — Raymond Carver’s ‘A Small, Good Thing,’ where a mother is faced with the her son’s sudden unexpected death;
• Power — Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall , which charts Thomas Cromwell’s rise to prominence in the Tudor times.

2. Identify the core of your theme or idea

You don’t need to have a thesis to expound upon in your story — Les Misérables would be tragically reduced if you just condensed it into “stealing is bad,” and many works of literary fiction are similarly more complex than a single statement. Ideally, though, your work will be saying s omething . 

Take Ruth Ozeki’s A Tale for the Time Being , for example. It tells the parallel stories of two people: one a schoolgirl in Japan, the other a Japanese-American author living in British Columbia. The story is about identity, as it shows the two characters searching for some kind of meaning in their relationships and their place in the world.   

Avoid moralistic lessons

Whether you overtly show your personal beliefs to your readers or let them draw their own conclusions, it is still helpful for you as a writer to figure out how you feel about certain issues. (That may happen as you write, which is not an issue, as you can edit your work later on.) If you do have clear feelings on the subject at hand, however, be careful not to write a story that falls flat by offering a one-sided moralistic “lesson.” Instead, think about how your narrative can show the nuanced complexities of an issue. Allow contradictions to exist in your work, without worrying about teaching the reader the right way. No one likes to be patronized.

Need some more guidance? Check out our free course 'How to Craft a Killer Short Story' — it was created by Laura Mae Isaacman , an editor who has worked with Joyce Carol Oates and other luminaries of the short fiction world.

FREE COURSE

How to Craft a Killer Short Story

From pacing to character development, master the elements of short fiction.

3. Ground your idea in a specific situation…

Your next step is to come up with a specific character in a specific situation that hinges on your central theme. Say you want to write about “the immigrant experience.” You don’t need to come up with an astonishing hot take on what it’s like to live away from home, but you can depict a specific person’s experience in a moving, relatable, or entertaining way if you just commit to some detail. 

Here are a few more ideas for developing a plot based on your theme:

Conduct a fictional experiment

Because literary fiction stories are very commonly character-driven, you can use a story as a space to conduct a hypothetical experiment. 

• If X and Y personalities are brought together in Z circumstances, what will happen?
• How do different characters respond to the same problem?
• How would person A react if person B acted in a certain way? 

A book that does this well is Bryan Washington’s Memorial , which chronicles the changes in a romantic relationship, when one of the two young men must go to Japan to visit his ill father. The book tests their romance with a newly-created distance — tracing their shifting dynamic as they’re both forced to open themselves up in new ways.

Don’t be afraid to be weird

Literary fiction is home to a lot of very, very strange fiction, where writers can have fun and embrace bizarre ideas. When writing literary fiction, listen to any whimsical or wacky ideas that come to you, whether your protagonist develops a substance abuse relationship with lip balm, turns into a lamp, or starts to speak in ways no one understands.

One recent example of ‘weird’ literary fiction is Suyaka Murata’s Earthlings , which tells the story of Natsuki — a woman convinced she’s an alien and trying to navigate societal pressures while retaining her personal integrity. It’s an utterly bizarre story that pushes past what’s considered acceptable behavior and makes readers see the standards for “acceptability” in a new light.

4. Or filter it through a particular character’s experience

Literary fiction is usually character-driven, and characters are best explored when an event takes place and reveals the finer textures of their personality. Though stories about stasis, where nothing happens, are acceptable in literary fiction, you’ll find that events help move your story forward, and give you the trigger needed to unpack your characters.

In literary fiction that overlaps with genre fiction, these events tend towards the dramatic, like the rise of a totalitarian government (think Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale ), significant historical events (Thomas Cromwell’s rise to power in Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall ) or fantastical elements like the widespread amnesia in Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Buried Giant .

In experimental, realist, or contemporary forms of literary fiction, the event can either be a small, otherwise insignificant moment, or a major life event. It all counts: an offhand comment made by a stranger, a death or birth, or an emotionally poignant moment like dropping off your child at nursery for the first time.

You don’t need a likeable protagonist

In genre fiction, the reader often roots for the main character: they want to see the unlucky-in-love writer find romance, the detective solve the crime, or the teenager “ come-of-age ”. But flawed characters are far more common in literary fiction — where stories sometimes function as character studies trying to understand how a character has come to be a certain way, or to simply observe or satirize the breadth of human behavior. 

A great example of a flawed character can be found in Eliza Clark’s Boy Parts , where Irina, an explicit photographer of random Newcastle men, falls into a self-destructive and violent spiral. She’s not a character to idolize, but one whose crazy downfall readers find compelling.

Give your book the help it deserves

The best literary editors are on Reedsy. Sign up for free and meet them.

Learn how Reedsy can help you craft a beautiful book.

David Foster Wallace’s short story collection Brief Interviews with Hideous Men also features flawed characters: here, fictional interviews reveal the egocentric, cruel behavior of certain men. The interview format singles out their words, which would otherwise be lost in a story merging plot with dialogue .

When writing literary fiction, set yourself free from the need to create benevolent, likeable figures: saintly figures are unrealistic and flat anyway, so your readers will thank you for more nuanced characterization .

How to Develop Characters

In 10 days, learn to develop complex characters readers will love.

4. Consider how you might tell your story in unexpected ways

Literary fiction is associated with unusual and interesting approaches to storytelling — fractured chronology, unusual media, strange POV choices ( second person narration , anyone?)... 

Think about it this way: poets are used to paying attention to the way they present their ideas, weighing up the limitations and opportunities residing in each form — literary fiction borrows this flexibility from poetry, allowing you to be wildly experimental (or wildly traditional). Consider creative formal approaches that might help you illustrate your points: you can tell your story in future tense, in HTML, in texts, or start in medias res … As long as your story’s final form is an intentional choice and not a random afterthought, anything goes.

Don’t go crazy for no reason

Don’t go wild for the sake of it. There should always be a reason behind a strange formal choice: the form needs to tie in with the content. Consider the novel ‘ little scratch ’ by Rebecca Watson, for example. While the story is told in experimental, stream-of-consciousness prose, the form perfectly mirrors the protagonist’s fraught emotional state after experiencing sexual assault. Without some solid reason for making such a grand stylistic choice, you run the risk of succumbing to literary fiction’s most common pitfall: pretension.

Don’t be afraid to 'steal'

There’s no such thing as plagiarism when it comes to writing techniques . Everyone’s influenced by everyone, so don’t worry so much about being unique: instead, ask yourself how you can learn from others’ approaches and how you can adapt successful techniques to improve your story. Just don’t pretend you innovated in a cultural vacuum, and acknowledge your influences when speaking about your work.

To give you an example of how you might take an idea and put your own spin on it, look at Maggie Nelson’s Bluets and Patricia Lockwood’s No One is Talking About This . While both use fragmented, first-person vignettes — telling a succession of seemingly unrelated stories — the intended effect is very different indeed.

Bluets uses confessional vignettes to intimately portray the writer’s melancholy, whereas No One is Talking About This uses vignettes to mirror the internet’s endless feed of information. The fragmented technique they share sets both texts up with a foundation of honesty, a sense of being confided to — so if you like something that another author has done, feel free to ‘steal’ it and see how it works in a different context!

5. Remember your story structure basics

No matter how strange, experimental, or innovative a story is, it still needs to be coherently structured. When choosing the right structure for your project, establish what you want the reader to feel. The Fichtean Curve , for example, is ideal for narratives driven by suspense and tension, while Freytag’s Pyramid is suited to tragedies ending in total catastrophe. 

How you organize your story matters a great deal. As a minimum, you have to make sure your story opening and your ending are intriguing, complete, and compelling, and your middle isn’t uneventful. If there’s anything going on that distorts the linearity of time, you also need to spend some time clarifying the chronology of your narrative and ensuring it’s communicated clearly to your readers. 

If you aren’t sure about the structural choices you’ve made, a developmental edit by a professional editor is guaranteed to help you see things more clearly:

And here are a few more handy resources from our blog:

• What is a Narrative Arc? A Guide to Storytelling Through Story Structure
• What is an Inciting Incident? Definition and Examples
• Rising Action: Where the Story Really Happens (With Examples)
• What is a Denouement? Definition and Examples

You can get creative with structure, too

Need some inspiration for structuring your story? Here are some creative literary fiction structures:

• Lauren Oyler’s Fake Accounts , is divided into four sections, metatextually titled Beginning, Middle (Something Happens), Middle (Nothing Happens), and Climax — the novel uses its structure to provide ironic commentary on the predictability of modern life.
• Paul Auster's 4321 tells four parallel stories following four versions of the same protagonist — all genetically identical but whose lives are shaped by the whims of random chance. As the story cycles between the different incarnations of our hero, it throws a light on the universe's infinite possibilities and how every life can hinge on the question, "What if?"
• Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude combines an overarching linear, chronological structure, with cyclical narrative elements that show how the past repeats itself, generation after generation.
• Joseph Conrad’s The Secret Agent completely shatters the linearity of time, jumping backward and forward in time and between characters to mirror the explosive effect of its central event: a bombing. The reading experience parallels the experience of the characters, as they try to piece together what has happened from disparate shards of information.
• Olivia Sudjic’s Sympathy follows a spiral-like structure, examining seemingly tangential information as it slowly makes its way to the core of the story. The effect is that it accurately imitates the experience of falling down the Internet rabbit-hole of a new obsession, which the novel uses as one of its central themes.

How to Plot a Novel in Three Acts

In 10 days, learn how to plot a novel that keeps readers hooked

6. Roll up your sleeves and mercilessly edit your first draft

Even if you feel your first draft is terrible, it can still emerge from the editing process as something you’re proud of. To master self-editing, check out our free course:

Free course: How to self-edit like a pro

Rid your manuscript of the most common writing mistakes with this 10-day online course. Get started now.

And one final tip, specific to literary fiction writing:

For prose, purple is not the only color

People tend to view literary fiction as something “difficult,” so they try to write in a complicated, ornate way that matches that impression. But while it’s true that readers of literary fiction will expect a carefully considered writing style, there is no single “literary” way to write, so don’t overthink it. 

Instead, use whatever writing style suits your story and its aims best. A lyrical, poetic style is perfectly fine if it fits your purpose: Madeline Miller’s Circe , for example, uses language reminiscent of classical poetry to fully immerse readers in the mythical environment. On the other hand, a lot of highly regarded literary fiction is minimalist in style, pared down to a clinical and precise use of simple words to quietly convey exact moments of daily life. Examples include Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake and Raymond Carver’s What We Talk About When We Talk About Love , a taste of which you can get below:

• “So many years I had spent as a child sifting his bright features for his thoughts, trying to glimpse among them one that bore my name. But he was a harp with only one string, and the note it played was himself.” — Circe by Madeline Miller
• “She has given birth to vagabonds. She is the keeper of all these names and numbers now, numbers she once knew by heart, numbers and addresses her children no longer remember.” — The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
• “He poured more gin into his glass. He added an ice cube and a sliver of lime. We waited and sipped our drinks. Laura and I touched knees again. I put a hand on her warm thigh and left it there.” — What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver

The idea here is that you write without feeling self-conscious about whether your writing is literary enough. Write in a way that helps your story progress — that’s enough.

Like all writing, literary fiction is a genre to conquer by practising. Focus on the story you want to write, and not the story you think others want to see you write. It’s a freeing distinction in helping you break past writer’s block . 

We hope these tips have inspired you to listen to your own instincts more and other people less — writing literary fiction should be a chance to experiment and play with your writing, not an opportunity to admonish yourself for not being original enough. Have fun!

Join a community of over 1 million authors

Reedsy is more than just a blog. Become a member today to discover how we can help you publish a beautiful book.

Turn your idea into a writing outline

Our template will let you start writing your book with confidence today.

1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.

Enter your email or get started with a social account:

Plot and Character

Learning creative writing online. Reviews and support for confused beginners and lapsed enthusiasts.

Beginning fiction writing

Beginning fiction writing: Tips for writing your first story

If you’re just beginning fiction writing, you’re probably full of as much self doubt as you are ideas and dreams. 

This is very normal when you start writing fiction. The stories you have in your head probably mean a lot to you. Getting them out of your head and onto the blank page in front of you isn’t easy. But it’s important to remember that every writer was a beginner once. From Cormac McCarthy to JK Rowling to Marian Keyes: they will all, at some point, sat down nervously in front of their first blank page.

The bad news: the way you feel now might not change much, even if you write 100 stories. As Phillip Pullman once said “All writing is difficult”.

The good news: once you’ve got some fiction written, you’ll know for sure that you can write more. You’ll know how to write fiction, even if it doesn’t always feel like it. You’ll still feel nerves and frustration sometimes, but you’ll be much better able to push through them. In the same way, a first-time marathon runner who starts to flag at 20 miles will have a tougher mental battle to get to the finish line, than the runner who’s on their 10th marathon. Even if the first-timer is the fitter, stronger, more talented of the two. 

This article is designed to get you to push through self doubt and understand how to start writing a story, and then to finish it. If you’re like I was when beginning fiction writing, before I wrote my first story (way back in 2005), you probably have plenty of starts already. Character sketches, first lines, first paragraphs. Pushing through to begin something is one thing. Pushing through until the end is much harder. I paid for an Open University creative writing course to force myself to do it. My hope is that you can use this blog to get beginning fiction writing effectively for free (I can even give you an extra, personal nudge – more on that at the end). 

How to start writing fiction and create a finished story as a beginner writer

If you’ve never completed a piece of fiction writing before, start with a short story. You might have the most incredible novel idea, but novels usually take years to write. At minimum, they take months, and even NaNoWriMo are clear that you won’t finish their month-long challenge with a fully finished novel.

A solid, valuable and memorable short story can be as little as 1000 words (some would say even fewer). It can be up to around 10,000, though I would aim under 3000. That keeps the story simple and manageable (vital when you’re beginning fiction writing) and puts your finish line very firmly in view. 

And if you really can’t see past your book right now, create a self-contained spin-off short story around one of your minor characters. If your novel was Harry Potter, for example, you could write a story about something that happened in Hagrid’s childhood, or how Harry’s parents met and married. 

My advice though: give your writing brain a break from the novel (and from any other works in progress). Start something you’re excited by, but not emotionally invested in. It’s easier that way, at least this time.

Common pitfalls for beginning writers (and how to avoid them)

Beginning fiction writing pitfall 1: feelings of inadequacy.

Nearly all fiction writers have to beat feelings of inadequacy to get a first draft finished when they’re starting out. The nagging doubt that your writing isn’t good enough or that you can’t measure up to established writers. 

This fear isn’t failure. It’s a natural, even necessary part of beginning fiction writing, and the creative process. Experienced writers feel it too. 

Consider this: imagine you believed yourself to already be the most incredible writer ever. Where would you go from here? How would you begin to evaluate your own writing? What motivation would you have to improve? 

Rather than fighting your feelings, acknowledge them. Work around them by:

• Embracing imperfection. Write a shitty first draft and then edit it. The first draft doesn’t need to be good. It needs to be done.
• Being kind to yourself. It’s OK if you didn’t get your story finished today, or you only managed 100 words when you thought you’d write 500. Life happens. Bad days happen. You’re writing, and you have a plan. You’re a writer. 

Beginning fiction writing pitfall 2: Writer’s block

Writer’s block is a pretty much a universal experience. Everyone has days when their blank page stays blank for much longer than they’d like. 

It doesn’t mean you lack talent, or that your story is no good. It’s simply something you need to push through. The only cure for writer’s block is to write. 

• Write anything, even if you think it’s awful (it probably isn’t). Words on the page are the goal. You don’t need to feel inspired or creative. 
• Imagine you’re being paid for this. Would you just tell your boss you ‘feel blocked’ today, when they ask you to write an email or file a report? Of course not. In my freelance copywriting work, I often have to write when I’m tired, struggling, or not in the mood. Because I have deadlines to meet and invoices I want to send. It’s harder to push through without that external motivation, but not impossible if you choose to believe that your work is worthwhile, even when it doesn’t feel like it. 

As Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat Pray Love author, said:

“I don’t sit around waiting for passion to strike me. I keep working steadily, because I believe it is our privilege as humans to keep making things. Most of all, I keep working because I trust that creativity is always trying to find me, even when I have lost sight of it.”

Beginning fiction writing pitfall 3: Lack of time or space to write

Most writers struggle to carve out time for writing. Often because it’s a solitary, self-indulgent thing to do. I don’t mean that in a bad sense: but it simply is. We write because we want to, not because it benefits others. 

Many other things we do involve obligations to other people as well as to ourselves. Jobs, kids, elderly parents, spouses, pets, house renovations: all these and many more mean it’s hard to find the physical and mental space you need to focus on your writing. 

Here’s some tough advice: if your diary is full, you need to make choices. You can only spin so many plates. You can’t drop your job or your kids, so what can you drop? You don’t need to get divorced, but you might need to reduce the time you spend on social activities or hobbies. 

Not necessarily forever. Just while you get this first story out of your mind and onto the page. Once it’s done, you can reevaluate what’s important and what a fulfilling life looks like for you. 

Crafting your story: what are the basics of fiction writing?

Many people see fiction writing as an art. It can be. But I would argue that it is far more a craft than it is an art. It can (and should) be learned, practised and developed. 

Your art might have provided you with the initial inspiration that’s brought you to the point where you want to write a story. It’s learning your craft that will allow you to actually write it. 

And there are many beginning fiction writing tips you could listen to. You don’t need most of them now. What you do need is to:

• Create believable characters
• Write a compelling plot

These are the most basic ‘rules’ of writing stories. A story isn’t a story if it doesn’t follow these 2 rules. This much might seem obvious, but many otherwise talented writers struggle with this. I once had a coaching client who wrote wonderful descriptions of places and people, but was absolutely against putting them into any kind of plot. Plots were something she associated with formulaic mass market fiction, not the literary fiction she wrote. And when I co-ran the Brighton Prize for short stories, we saw many, many entries that were wonderfully written, but frustratingly plotless. They didn’t get past the first round of judging, however evocative they were.  

Here’s the thing: as you’ve probably heard, character is plot and plot is character. Strong, relatable, believable characters will create their own plots, if you let them. And a compelling plot will strengthen and shore up your characters. Just like real people, your characters interact with each other, and things happen, and they react.

So even if you don’t want to follow the rules, I strongly suggest, at least just this once, that you do. Remember that writing ‘rules’ are simply the distillation of successful writing from writer after writer, to reader after reader, over generation after generation. Yes, fashions and boundaries change. Genres differ. But the basics of what we, as humans, find compelling in a story are universal. 

The framework you can follow for writing fiction

Rule 1 of fiction writing for beginners: create believable characters.

Believable characters are the characters we care about. If a character feels thin, or cliched, we quickly lose interest. Even the most carefully plotted stories don’t grab us emotionally if the characters don’t feel real. 

Many writers naturally base their characters on people they know or have met, especially in their early writing. Even so, it’s worth taking a little time (not too much, or it’ll act as a distraction) to develop a quick character profile of your main character. You can repeat this for more minor characters too, if you like, but don’t let it become a distraction. In a short story, the main character should be your focus. 

You can redevelop this as you go, if your story takes you somewhere unexpected. But I would start by taking 15 minutes or so, and writing just a sentence or two to define these 4 things:

• Who they are

The very basics such as age, gender, and where they’re from. Keep it very simple at this stage. You shouldn’t need to create a huge backstory, and if you do, you can do it later.

• What they look like (and perhaps what they smell, sound or feel like too).

Are they nondescript, or striking? What interesting details or quirks do they have? Think the man who always wears his trousers neatly rolled. Or the child whose hair is always tangled. Even if you don’t know why these things are the case yet, the detail provides feeling and depth. You’ll connect the dots as you write.

• What motivates them

What do they want that they don’t have? What are they at risk of losing? Do they want to be the best detective Scotland Yard has ever seen? Do they want to travel? Change the world? Or do they simply want a comfortable life, or an escape from emotional pain? Think broad, rather than specific goals. In Lord of the Rings, Frodo’s quest to take the ring to Mordor is motivated by his desire to keep Middle Earth as a peaceful, harmonious place. Throwing the ring in the fire might be the focus of the story, but it’s not his actual motivation. 

• What’s stopping them, or could stop them, from having what they want?

Knowing this is fundamental. Without it, there can be no story. 

It’s likely that there are either internal or external forces at work, or both. Internal forces are things like lack of confidence, negative past experiences, illnesses or addictions that mean your character struggles to change their situation or achieve their goals. External forces can be things like political regimes or social structures (including poverty, or gender roles). They can also be other people: workmates, family, friends or partners who stand in your character’s way. 

Think of Frodo again: he had to overcome numerous forces, including Sauron, Gollum and his own weakness in the face of the power of the ring. You’ll notice that you’re veering sharply into plot here, rather than character. That’s inevitable. If plot and character were a marriage, it’d be a co-dependent one.

Rule 2 of fiction writing for beginners: write compelling plots

You might have read about things like rising and falling action, story arcs and denouement. 

This kind of technical study of plot can be fascinating (it is for me). But it’s not particularly helpful when you’re getting started. At this point, I would simply think of your plot like this:

• Beginning. Where you set up your story by introducing your main character, their situation, their goal and the struggles they have in achieving this goal. 
• Middle. Where your main character fights against the things that are stopping them from achieving their goal. And receive either help to do so from others, or come across people preventing them from doing so. 
• End . Where they either achieve their goals successfully, or don’t. If they don’t, there should be a resolution of some other kind, such as the main character coming to terms with a different path. 

This might seem overly basic. But if you’re writing a short story of less than 3000 words, you don’t need anything else. Even if you have a far more complex story running through your mind, with multiple subplots and characters, pare it right back so you can focus on finishing. You can always expand it later – though you’ll probably find you love it as it is. 

To see how to do this, think about Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Most Dickens novels are highly complex, and couldn’t realistically be drastically cut down much. But A Christmas Carol, a short novella at just 36,000 words, could. Instead of 3 spirits visiting Scrooge, there could have been just 1. Instead of showing him the error of his ways through multiple subplots and links to his past,  just one powerful event could have led Scrooge to realises the benefits of kindness, society and generosity. 

Would it be as powerful or famous a story if you cut it down to 10% of its current size? Almost certainly not. But it would still be a viable, interesting and impactful story. It would still be a story worth writing. And it would still be a complete and finished story with a beginning, middle and end. Right now, for you, that’s what matters. 

Quick and powerful writing tips: worldbuilding, theme, point of view, language and dialogue

• Worldbuilding. Particularly if you’re beginning fiction writing with a fantasy or historical story, you probably feel you need to set the scene, and explain the world in which your story takes place. And you do, but you might not need to do very much of it. A short story should be simple, and so the only worldbuilding details you need are those that your reader needs to understand the story. If you find yourself getting bogged down in detail, cut back ruthlessly. You can always copy and paste the details you cut to an outtakes document, just in case you want them back. 
• Theme. Your story may have a theme, or a point to make, but it should primarily be a story. As Stephen King says ‘good fiction begins with a story and progresses to a theme’. Highly political novels like 1984 might be led by their theme, but they don’t make ideal first stories. Follow the rules now, break them later.  
• Point of view. Short stories usually work best when told from a single point of view. This can mean first person. Or it can mean a closed third person narrative, where the story is told from the main character’s perspective, even if it’s not in their voice. It doesn’t much matter which you choose: start with whichever feels most natural, and switch if it doesn’t seem right. One of the benefits of short stories is that this is easy to do.
• Language . Remember that when you write fiction the words you use exist only to help your reader understand and connect with your story. Forget any hangups you may have about ‘good’ or ‘bad’ writing. Simple language is very often more effective and meaningful. 
• Dialogue . Many writers hate writing dialogue. The good news is, in a short story, you can usually get away with writing either none or very little of it. Especially if you write in first person. If you struggle with it, just try and avoid it for now. 

No more writing tips. Just write! 

This might be frustrating advice, but at this point, you simply need to write something. 

Even if it’s a shitty first draft. Because editing that draft will be far less difficult than you might imagine. It’s nearly always easier than writing. 

Forget about writing prompts, forums and feedback. These quickly become distractions that get in the way of actually writing. 

Follow the advice in this blog if it helps you get off the blocks and over the line. Ignore and do it your own way it if it becomes another distraction. 

Your sample writing plan: adapt as you choose

Set a goal to write a 1000 word story. It can of course end up longer, but it doesn’t need to be. That’s only around a third of the length of this blog.

You could write 200 words a day over a 5 day working week to get to 1000 words. See where you can snatch up to an hour a day (or 2x 30 minutes) for a few days running. Use your lunch break, your train commute, your toddler’s nap. Get up a little earlier or go to bed a little later. You don’t need to do this forever, just for 2 weeks. Probably much less: remember people write 50,000 words in 4 weeks for NaNoWriMo.

Set a timer for 30 minutes. Focus hard and aim to get  200 words on the page in that time. If the timer goes off before you get to 200 words, take a 5 minute break and do another 30 minutes (or come back to it later). 

After those 60 minutes of writing, if you don’t yet have 200 words, refocus and try again the next day. You’re allowing yourself to become distracted somewhere if you can’t meet this goal, so just keep trying until you get past the distraction.

You can then take a break over the weekend, clear your head, and spend the next week editing at a similar pace (though you’ll probably find you end up working faster). 

Adjust the timings if you want or need. You might find it easier to write at weekends, or maybe you have a day off every Wednesday when you can write all day, for example. Do whatever suits your schedule. 

But however you do it, you should aim to have a complete, edited 1000+ word story within 2 weeks. Which will mean, you have solid proof to give yourself that you are a writer. 

What if you decide you hate the story you just wrote?

I bet you won’t. But if you do, simply file it away. Accept the learning experience you’ve gained. And write the next one. It’ll be easier, I promise. 

What if you find you just can’t get it done, despite following all the advice in this blog?

Email me . Tell me what you’re struggling with. I’ll email back with pointers, or a pep talk. I want nothing in return, expect the chance to read your story once you’re finally done. 

You’ve got this. 

By plotandcharacter.com

Related post, story writing basics, 2 thought on “beginning fiction writing”.

[…] are very often down to fear of not being good enough. Especially if you’re just beginning fiction writing, though it happens to experienced writers […]

[…] If you’re a beginner writer desperate to get your first story out of your brain and onto the page, you might also find this blog on beginning fiction writing helpful. […]

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Join our mailing list and receive your free eBook. You'll also receive great tips on story editing, our best blogs, and learn how to use Fictionary software to make your story unforgettable.

• Email This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Blogs / For Writers / Fiction Writing: Top Tips to Get You Started

Fiction Writing: Top Tips to Get You Started

Let’s dive headfirst into this whimsical whirlpool of fiction writing, shall we?

Fiction writing. It’s an art, a craft, a magical cauldron of creativity where characters are born, plots twist, and stories take flight. But, oh boy, do I remember when it seemed more like an unsolvable Rubik’s Cube than a pot of literary gold.

I can still see myself, furrowed brow, chewing on my pen, staring blankly at the infamous blinking cursor on a dreadfully empty screen.

But then, like a beacon of light cutting through a foggy night, I stumbled upon Fictionary and my world of storytelling turned technicolor.

The Beginner’s Guide to Writing Fiction

Entering the realm of fiction writing is like stepping foot into a grand carnival.

You can hear the melodies of dialogue, taste the cotton candy descriptions, and see the Ferris wheel of rising action. The key to making the most of this amusement park?

Understanding its rides and knowing which one to hop onto next.

A beginner’s guide to writing fiction is like your handy map. It guides you through character creation, setting the scene, devising an interesting plot, and so much more. It gives you a solid foundation to build your story mansion, brick by metaphorical brick.

Try Fictionary for free now

Find a Community of Fiction Writers

As you navigate this wonderful world of word-weaving, it helps to find a tribe, a pack, a band of fellow word warriors.

A community of fiction writers is like a magical collective of Hogwarts students, each learning, growing, and helping others along the way. Joining the free Fictionary Community is a great place to start.

Why battle the writer’s block dragon alone when you can join forces with others?

A writing community can provide support, feedback, and‌ that oh-so-needed camaraderie on days when the writing well seems drier than a raisin in the sun. Plus, there’s nothing like a bit of friendly competition to get those creative juices flowing.

Learn the Basics of Writing a Fiction Book

Learning the basics of writing a fiction book is like taking a crash course in world-building.

From creating unforgettable characters to setting the stage for their adventures, from weaving intricate plots to sparking an interesting conflict, every element plays a vital role in shaping your story universe.

It’s like learning to cook a gourmet meal.

You have your ingredients (characters, settings, themes). You have your recipe (plot). Now you need to learn the right techniques (writing skills) to turn them into a mouthwatering feast for readers’ minds. So, dust off that apron, sharpen those pencils, and let’s whip up a literary masterpiece.

Writing a fiction book can feel like scaling a mountain, but every climb starts with a single step.

The first step is understanding the fundamental elements of storytelling, which include:

Learn to create engaging characters that readers root for. Learn how to write plotlines that keep readers turning pages. Learn how to build settings that make readers feel like they’re stepping into another world.

Remember, this is a process. Don’t rush. Take your time to learn and enjoy the journey.

The Key Story Elements for all Fiction

Stepping into this library of fiction writing elements is like entering a circus of storytelling wonders.

Characters swing from trapezes. Settings spin on carousel horses. Plots tumble through the air with spectacular precision. There are many thrilling attractions to choose from. Let’s explore three main ringmasters of fiction writing: character, plot, and setting.

Grab your popcorn and get ready to enjoy the spectacle.

The plot is your story’s trapeze artist.

It soars high, swoops low, and swings back and forth, keeping your readers’ hearts pounding and their eyes glued to the page.

But for your plot to perform breathtaking feats, it needs a sturdy swing.

Enter the story arc.

Story Arc: The Fictionary Perspective

The Fictionary Story Arc is like a meticulously engineered trapeze swing.

It provides the structure for your plot’s thrilling leaps and dives. It ensures they happen at just the right moments to keep your readers entranced.

Using Fictionary’s story arc, you can effortlessly map your story’s course from the initial setup through rising tension, the climactic peak, and down to a satisfying resolution. It’s like having your own team of circus engineers, ensuring your plot performs its daring act flawlessly.

The Fictionary Story Arc breaks down the narrative into key beats:

• The Inciting Incident
• Plot Point 1
• Plot Point 2

This arc, while providing a guideline, allows for flexibility. You can adapt it to your unique narrative while ensuring it maintains a solid structure.

By visualising your story along this arc using the Fictionary software, you can ensure that your story has a rhythmic flow and that each plot point lands where it will have the greatest impact.

Other Common Story Arcs

But the Fictionary Story Arc isn’t the only game in town.

Just as a circus has a variety of acts, fiction writing has a host of story arcs to choose from. Each provides a different thrill, a unique storytelling experience.

Take “Save the Cat Writes a Novel” by Jessica Brody, for instance. This is like a high-wire act. It’s a 15 beat guide to plot structure that ensures your story stays balanced and moves forward with no missteps that could send it tumbling.

Then there’s “The Hero’s Journey.” This classic story arc is like the grand, awe-inspiring acrobatic pyramid of your plot structure. It provides a framework for creating an epic tale of transformation that resonates with readers on a deep, primal level.

In the end, it’s not about picking the ‘best’ story arc. It’s about choosing the right one for your unique story.

After all, every circus act has its own charm, and every story arc can create a captivating plot.

So, pick your performer, set the stage, and let the storytelling magic unfold.

In our fiction-writing circus, characters are the magnetic ringmasters that command the spotlight.

They strut, tumble, and leap across the page. They captivate readers with their larger-than-life personalities and heart-tugging dilemmas.

But the star of the show is always your protagonist.

Creating interesting characters is like training a star circus performer. It’s not about how high they can jump or how well they can twirl a baton. It’s about the fire in their eyes, the courage in their hearts, and the dreams they dare to chase. Let’s explore how to create protagonists that your readers can’t help but root for.

Create Protagonists that People Care About

Crafting a protagonist that readers care about is like taming a lion.

It takes courage, patience, and a few insider tricks. You’re not just creating a character; you’re inviting your reader to embark on an emotional journey.

Your protagonist should be more than just a pretty face in a sequined costume. They need depth, complexity, and a hint of mystery. Just like a lion-tamer isn’t fearless but learns to act—despite their fear—a relatable protagonist isn’t perfect. They have fears, doubts, and weaknesses they must overcome.

To hook your readers, your protagonist must want something. They must have a story goal. It could be something literal (like a Macguffin in a thriller), or something metaphorical (like a loving relationship in a romance). This desire, this goal, is what pulls them out of the comfort of the backstage and into the harsh glare of the spotlight.

And oh, what a journey it should be.

An interesting protagonist grows and changes throughout the story.

Like a daring acrobat, they should swing from fear to courage, from failure to triumph, transforming in ways both big and small. It’s this journey of change that truly captivates readers and keeps them coming back for more.

In the end, creating a protagonist people care about is about making them human, relatable, and capable of change.

Have you ever watched a film where the background seems to almost interact with the characters, like a mute participant contributing to the plot?

That, my friends, is setting done right.

A powerful setting can transport your readers, enveloping them in a world that feels as real as the chair they’re sitting in.

Imagine your story as a theatrical performance.

Your setting is the stage design. The backdrop against which your characters will strut, converse, fight, love, and grow. It’s not just the physical location. It’s more than a cityscape, a sprawling forest, a small town, a planet in a far-off galaxy.

Setting is also about culture, social conditions, climate, time period, and ambiance. Is it a rainy afternoon in Victorian London? Or a sweltering summer’s day in a small Midwestern town? Every detail of your setting contributes to the mood and tone of your story. And every detail influences your characters’ behaviour and provides some context for their actions.

Getting your setting right requires a careful balance.

Too little detail can leave your readers lost, while too much can bog down the narrative.

Remember, the setting serves the story.

It’s the vibrant painting behind your characters, not the other way around. Like a perfectly tuned orchestra, it should complement and enhance your narrative. It should lend depth and authenticity to every scene.

So, roll out the paint and brushes. It’s time to create the canvas for your story.

The Fiction Writing Process

Idea generation.

Have you ever had a spark of inspiration, a flash of an image, or a snippet of dialogue that refuses to leave your head?

That’s where the magic begins, the birth of a new idea.

But how do you go from a fleeting thought to a fully fledged story?

Well, like any talented chef, you need to let that idea simmer a while, add a dash of creativity, a sprinkle of curiosity, and hey presto.

Generating ideas isn’t as daunting as it might seem.

The world around you is teeming with potential story ideas, like a buffet of ideas ready to be savoured, including:

• Real-life events,
• Intriguing news articles
• Anecdotes from friends
• And more…

Get into the habit of jotting down anything that sparks your interest. The trick is to stay curious and open-minded, like a squirrel on the lookout for the tastiest acorns.

Outline Your Story

Remember our trusty companion, the Fictionary Story Arc? It’s time to bring it back into the limelight. This essential tool is your road map, guiding you from the misty realm of ideas into the concrete jungle of storytelling.

An outline helps you organise your thoughts. It helps you identify the key turning points in your narrative and maintain a sense of direction as you dive into the writing process. Think of it as your personal GPS, helping you navigate the complex highways of your narrative.

Alright, you’ve got your idea simmering and your outline primed.

Now, it’s time to dive into the writing process. If you’re expecting me to say that this is the straightforward part, I’m sorry to disappoint. But I’ve got a secret weapon for you. Developing a writing routine.

Writing is like running a marathon.

You may need to pace yourself and‌ move forward at a sensible pace. Whether you’re an early bird or a night owl, find a time of day that suits you best and dedicate it to your writing. Make it a sacred ritual, like that first cup of coffee in the morning or that cherished slice of cake after dinner. Before you know it, your words will flow smoother than the finest Belgian chocolate.

Writing might be a solitary endeavour, but remember, every writer embarks on this journey. It’s time to turn your idea into a narrative delight.

Fiction Writing FAQs

How can Fictionary Help with My Fiction Writing?

Picture this… you’re an intrepid explorer, ready to embark on a grand journey through the unknown territories of your novel. You’ve packed your provisions, tied your boots, and tightened your hat. But wouldn’t it be nicer to have a trusty map in your hands?

That’s where Fictionary comes in.

Fictionary is like your personal story guide, a helping hand to illuminate the complex maze of your narrative.

The Fictionary Software allows you to visualise your story structure. And it helps to identify gaps in your narrative, and suggests improvements in your story’s pace, tension, and character development. It’s not just a tool. It’s your storytelling compass, guiding you towards the novel of your dreams. Now, who wouldn’t want that in their writer’s toolkit?

What Are Your Top Tips for Developing a Writing Routine?

Developing a writing routine can feel as tricky as teaching a squirrel to line dance, but it’s possible, I promise.

The key is consistency.

Decide on a writing schedule that suits your lifestyle and stick to it like peanut butter to jelly.

Try to write at the same time every day, creating a rhythm that your mind recognizes as “writing time.” Think of it as training a pet. At first, it might be as stubborn as a mule, but with patience and persistence, it’ll eventually obey your commands. Oh, and don’t forget to reward yourself after a good writing session.

Even a small treat can work wonders for motivation.

What About Imposter Syndrome Slowing Me Down?

Ah, the dreaded Imposter Syndrome. The Loch Ness Monster of the writing world.

We’ve all felt it at one point or another. That nagging doubt. The fear we’re not ‘real’ writers. But here’s the thing, my friends…

If you write, you’re a writer. Full stop.

It’s crucial to remember that every writer, even the bestselling ones, started where you are now.

The path to becoming a writer isn’t about reaching a destination. It’s about embracing the journey. So, the next time you feel like an imposter, remind yourself of this… you’re not an imposter. You’re a writer in progress. You’re learning, growing, and getting better with every word you put on paper.

So, chin up, my authorial pals. You’ve got this.

Conclusion: Fiction Writing is for Everyone

You’re on stage drenched in a golden spotlight, standing in its radiance. You’re part of a line-up of vibrant, diverse people, including:

• The accountant with a love for romance writing
• The busy mother with an epic fantasy story brewing in her head
• The retiree crafting a heart-pounding thriller
• The science teacher with an unfulfilled love for horror

That, my friends, is the beauty of fiction writing. It’s a world where anyone—and I mean anyone—can be a star.

Fiction writing isn’t an elite club with a secret handshake.

It’s not reserved for those with grand vocabularies, or for the people who live in the cozy corners of coffee shops with their vintage typewriters. It’s for anyone who has a story to tell, a thought to share, an adventure to embark on.

Whether you’re looking to pen the next magnificent novel or simply want to explore a new hobby, fiction writing is a journey open to all. It’s a thrilling roller coaster ride, with its lofty peaks of euphoria and swooping valleys of challenge.

But isn’t that the fun part?

Every stumble, every hurdle, every triumphant moment, it’s all part of the rich tapestry that makes up the unique and exciting world of fiction writing.

So, what are you waiting for? Grab your pen, power up your laptop, and join us in this wonderful, wacky, and wildly rewarding realm of storytelling. Trust me. Your writing adventure is just beginning.

Article Written by Shane Millar

Shane Millar is a  Fictionary Certified Story Coach  and the author of the  Write Better Fiction  craft guides. He is also the author of the  Myth & Magic  and  Chosen Vampire  urban fantasy thriller series.

Shane holds a BA in journalism and is a member of  The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) . He lives in Buckinghamshire, England.

He has taken too many writing courses to count and enjoys reading as much as possible. Shane is obsessed with five things: the writing craft, mythology, personal development, food, and martial arts movies.

Want to hire Shane to edit your novel? Visit:  https://swmillar.com/editing

• Jun 7, 2022

A Beginner's Guide to Writing Fiction: 8 Powerful Writing Tips

Updated: Dec 14, 2023

The 8 Writing Tips for beginners will help you become a better writer, sooner than you think.

When it comes to writing, especially fiction writing, you are on a journey as much as your characters. Writing is a skill, and like any other skill, it can become better with practice. To master the art of writing, you have to make writing an integral habit in your routine.

The 3 (and a half) Types of Fiction Writing

As a new writer, you can explore different types of writing before finding your forte. The three most common types of fiction formats are:

1. Short Stories

With a lesser word count than a novel, a short story is a good starting point for new writers. You can start learning the principles of fiction writing by experimenting with characters, setting, plot and genres within a limited word count. This also means you have less space for all the ‘flab and fluff’ and have to convey the point to the readers within the limits of time and space, which is a great challenge to master.

Short stories are further categorised into various formats basis of their word count:

Six-word stories

Drabble- Hundred Word Stories

Quintale- Five Hundred Word stories

Flash Fiction- Up to one thousand words

Short Fiction- One thousand to two thousand words

Short Story- Two Thousand words plus. Most short stories are between two thousand and five thousand words, though some go upwards of ten thousand words.

2. Novellas

A standalone piece of prose fiction shorter than a full-length novel but longer than a short story. Generally, a novella is between twenty thousand to fifty thousand words.

A fiction format is considered a novel once it crosses fifty thousand words. A standard novel is around eighty thousand words, while anything over one lakh ten thousand words is considered too long a novel.

A standalone writing format in itself, poetry is too lyrical to be considered non-fiction and too personal to be considered fiction. However, it provides a different creative outlet for emotionally driven writers to play with form and structure other than prose.

7 Things to consider when choosing a topic for writing fiction

A plot is the fulcrum around which your story revolves. It is a roadmap comprising of beginning, conflict, resolution and ending of your fiction. When starting with writing, you can create a fictional world from a familiar environment- your workplace, neighbourhood, home, city, etc. As you write more, you can gradually brainstorm many creative plots before zeroing on the one that appeals to you and will keep readers engaged.

2. Characters

The protagonists, antagonists and supporting characters of your fictional world. They are the ones upon whom the readers will display the emotions of love, hate, shock, awe, etc. Your characters are realistic people in a fictional setting unless you write in fantasy or science fiction genres. You must build characters that readers won’t forget in a hurry.

In case you are writing fantasy fiction and find yourself getting stuck with your character names, you can use the Fantasy Name Generator Tool to generate enticing character names for your stories and novels.

The year, era, geography, milieu and the environmental backdrop against which your plot is based. It is better as a beginner writer to establish your story around an environment you are familiar with- your home, workplace, neighbourhood, school, city etc.

It describes the style and focus of the fiction that you write and provides the blueprint for your work.

As a writer, genre controls what you write and how you write it. The genre of your work also tells the reader what to expect from it.

There are seventeen popular genres in fiction: Romance, Adventure, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Suspense/Thriller, Horror/Paranormal, Mystery/Crime, Young Adult, New Adult, Historical, Family Saga, Westerns, Women’s Fiction, Magic Realism and Literary Fiction. Often, there are one or more sub-genres in the story within the primary genre.

5. Personal Experience

Fictionalising personal experiences is an excellent way to start a new piece of writing. Your memories provide great fodder for writing as you have an immediate point of view and can recall textural details that make your writing more specific. Particularly evocative memories—like the first time you rode a bike or a fun date that went awry—make for great pieces of fiction for a new writer.

A compelling and divisive issue in contemporary society that you feel strongly is a great way to develop both fiction and non-fiction pieces. As a writer, you will find your fingers moving fast on the keyboard and a writeup ready within no time once you have put the issue or point of view in perspective.

7. Point of View/Narration

Who is telling the story to the readers? You can write fiction in the voice of the first person, second person (least common) and third person (most common). The PoV also decides what is revealed to the readers at which stage of your work.

8 Writing Tips for Beginners

Writing is not that difficult but becoming a better writer is a lifelong pursuit. That said, certain tips and methods can take your writing to the next level:

1. Read every day

One of the prerequisites to being a good writer is to be a reader. You will find it challenging to find a good writer who isn’t also a voracious reader. The more you read, the more you enhance your vocabulary, grammar, sentence construction, syntax etc. Appreciation of different writing styles will enable you to develop your own. Reading every day means you are enriching your writing skills daily. Make it a habit to read something every day, even for fifteen minutes.

2. Write every day

You may have wonderful ideas in your head, but it won’t do you any good until the ideas are put on paper and take some shape and form. Commit yourself to a daily writing routine- either time based (one hour daily) or output-based (five hundred words daily). There are techniques for writing daily when you don’t know what to write . Practice makes perfect, and writing is no different.

3. Use writing prompts and exercises

Prompts and exercises are handy for new writers to practise writing and develop their personal writing style. Prompts provide you with the structure to explore the first sentence of a story or a premise for a novel that exercises your brain’s creative muscles. Some people find structured prompts and exercises especially helpful at the beginning of their writing careers.

4. Keep an observation journal

Everyday life is stranger than fiction, and your experiences can give you valuable information about what to write. Keep a daily observation journal to record what you see, hear and feel in your real life—this will be a helpful reference when you are looking to generate your story ideas.

5. Join a writing group

Starting a writing group is a great way to network with fellow writers and crowdsource tips on the writing process. The structured and detailed feedback from fellow writers in a group enhances your writing style.

6. Take writing courses

A writing course is an excellent resource for beginner writers to get advice and feedback from established writers. You also learn more about the craft of writing and get opportunities to practice the craft through various exercises.

7. Give attention to rewriting

Rewriting is a big thing. The first draft that you will write will be full of errors and not in shape to be published. You have to redraft, edit, redraft and edit them multiple times for your writing to reach a specific shape and form. Invest time in rewriting. Use online tools such as Grammarly to edit your work. Your stories are worth telling; make sure you tell them well.

8. Create the best writing environment for you

Sitting in a room surrounded by family, with the TV blaring all around you will not be the ideal writing environment. You need to find a corner, either at home or outside, which has everything you need to write. Find out what tools and environment work for you- do the headphones you use help in drowning the noise of the outside world? Find your writing jam. Does the soft music playing in the corner help you to free write?

The Last Word

Writing is more about consistency than skill, more about practice than talent. If you have passion for the subject and enjoy what you do, you can do it well. Just keep at it.

Every expert writer made a beginning at first. You can also make your mark.

As a beginner writer, consistency in writing will make a difference in your emerging as a great writer or a good writer.

Smita Das Jain is the bestselling author of ‘A Slice Of Life: Every Person Has A Story.’ An SRCC and IIM Indore Alumna with 14+ years of leadership experience in Fortune 500 companies, Smita is a Personal Empowerment Life Coach and Executive Coach by profession, and a writer by passion who writes every day. Her award-winning stories have been published in The WriteFluence 2022 Anthology, Women's Web 2022 Anthology, The Auroras and Blossoms 2021 Anthology, StoryMirror, Penmancy, Women's Web and Twist and Twain. Smita has been featured in The Pioneer, The Daily Guardian, and New York-based Authority Magazine. Readers can access her creative fiction published on multiple platforms at https://www.smitaswritepen.com/

#writing #writingtips #writer #writingtipsforbeginners #beginnersguidetowriting #fiction #novels #stories #shortstories

• Writing Tips and Techniques

Recent Posts

6 Techniques for Building a Fictional Character That Your Readers Won’t Forget

5 Techniques of Daily Writing When You Don’t Know What to Write

From an Aspiring Writer to a Published Author in 5 Steps

Comentários

Table of Contents

Collaboration, information literacy, writing process, four basic principles in writing fiction.

• CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 by Riley H. Welcker

Introduction

Writing fiction isn’t easy. For some it is intuitive. For others it requires hard work, perseverance, and close attention to form and technique. If you are going to learn to write fiction, you will need to know a few basic principles. These principles include point of view, characterization, plot, and conflict. These principles can be exercised in many different ways. How you choose to exercise them is what will make your story distinctively different from anyone else’s.

Point of View

Point of view determines how the story will be told or narrated. As such, some choices have to be made. You must ask yourself: Will I tell this story in 1 st person, 2 nd person, or 3 rd person? In 1 st person a story is narrated using the pronoun “I.” The character telling the story is part of the story, which means that the narration is limited to that character’s observations and opinions. They may narrate their own story or someone else’s, but in either case it will always be their story. After all, they are the one telling it. Thus, the advantage of 1 st person is also its disadvantage. It may offer you a sense of control in working through a single character, but it also provides limited flexibility as the narrative is restrained by that character’s singular experience.

In 2 nd person a story is narrated using the pronoun “you.” The narrator could be speaking to someone specifically within the story or just be referencing “you” in general. If the narrator is speaking to someone within the story, the narrator is a character within the story, but if the narrator is referencing “you” in general, they may actually be the narrator of the story writing directly to their reader (i.e. you). The advantage of 2 nd person is that it is slightly more flexible than 1 st person as it presents the option of two different narrators. However, the disadvantage of 2 nd person is that it can be complicated and confusing. If it is to be used well, it requires careful control. If it is not carefully controlled, it can quickly become cumbersome, awkward, clunky, even irritating. 2 nd person tends to work best when it is a narrator within a story speaking to another character. So make it clear that your narrator is speaking directly to another character and avoid mixing its use with the usage of “you” in general. Using “you” in general is generally best avoided, that is, unless you have an intentional reason for it.

In 3 rd person a story is narrated using the pronouns “he,” “she,” or “they.” The narrator tells someone else’s story from the outside. They may narrate by showing, that is, describing the story’s characters, events, and scenes using only what can be seen or heard, or by telling, that is, depicting the characters, events, and scenes by summarizing them, interpreting them, or commenting on them. The advantage of 3 rd person over 1 st person or 2 nd person is that it is much more flexible. 3 rd person offers a range of narration from objective (purely descriptive) to omniscient (all-knowing). Using 3 rd person allows you to move unhindered between the external and internal worlds of one or more characters.  While 3 rd person provides ultimate flexibility in terms of point of view, it may also be difficult to control. So it is wise to clearly distinguish each character and organize shifts between characters’ points of view.

Characterization

Character signifies human experience. It includes many elements such as a body, a mind, and social circumstances. A character must have a body. This is called physical characterization. Give your character a mole or a crooked knee. Allow your reader to see your character.  For example: in Charles Dickens’ Hard Times , Dickens depicts Mrs. Sparsit as that woman “with the Coriolanian style of nose and the dense black eyebrows” (Dickens 47). In this way, Dickens allows us to see his character, to picture her.

Moreover, a character must think and feel. This is called psychological characterization. Give your character thoughts, assumptions, biases, feelings, doubts, fears, hopes, and dreams; and give your character a desire. For example: in Hard Times Dickens’ describes his character Louisa as having a “starved imagination keeping life in itself somehow, which brightened its expression. Not with the brightness natural to cheerful youth, but with uncertain, eager, doubtful flashes, which had something painful in them, analogous to the changes on a blind face groping its way” (19). Here Dickens allows us to understand the inner dimensions of his character, Louisa—inner dimensions that have a profound impact on the events that play out in the story. In Dickens’ novel we learn that Louisa wants to make her own choices in life, “that she would have been self-willed…but for her bringing-up” (19). She does not want to be controlled.

So what does your character want? Ice cream? A girlfriend? To save the neighbor’s dog? This can often be very difficult to determine. But once you clearly decide what your character wants then you should keep your character from achieving that want either by the internal issues your character struggles with or by the external struggles your character engages. In either case, a character’s struggle is the story and should constitute the bulk of it.

It may sound simple, but developing a character’s struggles requires lots of practice. Why? Naturally, we avoid them. We are averse to them; but as a writer, you must embrace them, even manipulate them. A writer is a manipulator. They manipulate their reader by abusing their character. The reader, on the other hand, is manipulated. That’s why a reader reads: to be manipulated, to sit down and read a good story, to struggle alongside a character and reach resolution with that character. A reader enjoys this. So give it to them. Let them have it. As much as you love your character, don’t avoid abusing them. If you love them, let them suffer. You can always make things right in the end. Allow your reader to see the world through the eyes of your character and to want what your character wants.

Lastly, give your character social circumstances. Your character must come from somewhere and have some kind of social profile. Give or don’t give your character an education, money, a family, friends, a religion, a hobby, a special taste for squid. Allow your reader to see the world from which your character comes.

Plot is different from characterization. Plot equates to events. A character must have experience; but if there are no events in your story, what can your character experience or react to? In Hard Times Dickens places his two characters, Louisa and Thomas, whose lives are micromanaged by their practical-minded father, Mr. Gradgrind, in the path of a traveling circus, at which point we find “Louisa peeping with all her might through a hole in a deal board, and…Thomas abasing himself on the ground to catch but a hoof of the graceful equestrian Tyrolean flower-act” (18)! It is a singular event that has enormous consequences as the unimaginative and well-ordered lives of two characters are ruptured by the possibilities of the artistic and unrestrained, consequences which result in a succession of dramatic events. So give your story interesting, character-testing events. Does your character get pushed out of a car on the way to school or does that malicious child two houses down fall out of your character’s front yard tree and land on their head? How your character reacts to the events they experience can define their character.

As your mind swells with events, you must consider how you will structure those events in order to form a story. When you consider the structure of events as a whole, you will realize that your story must begin somewhere and end somewhere else. A story is, after all, a story. It requires a beginning, middle, and end. Your story, therefore, should begin at some interesting point, travel upward as it builds on that beginning with rising action and character development, reach a climax involving the peak of a character’s problem or the most alarming moment of a character’s experience, and finally make a short descent as the story achieves some kind of resolution to that problem or experience. This structure is formerly known as the Fichtean curve (i.e. the upside down check mark).

Remember, a story that doesn’t start somewhere is a story that never gets written. So you must begin at the place you think is most interesting. An interesting beginning could involve an event such as a perilous situation for your character (a man braces himself against a rope at the sandwich shop as a St. Bernard plants its paws on his chest) or it could involve something embarrassing (a girl, picking her nose behind the wheel of her car, gets honked at by that cute guy from the baseball team) or it could involve an image or description such as the milieu of the country corner shop or a row of daisies bobbling in the wind. It is interesting if it engages both the reader’s imagination and emotions.

In Hard Times Dickens chooses to begin with “the one thing needful” (9) and that is to talk about “Facts”: “‘Now, what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else’” (9). In this way, Dickens establishes point of view, characterizes a central character, engages the central conflict, and sets his story’s events in motion.

The story begins with dialog which allows us to see that a character is speaking. We may, therefore, conclude that the character is speaking to someone. Furthermore, his dialog is provided in quotes, which tells us that someone is narrating his speech. The facts tells us that this narrative is in 3 rd person point of view, a point that is confirmed when the 3 rd person narrator writes, “The scene was a plain, bare, monotonous vault of a schoolroom, and the speaker’s square forefinger emphasized his observations, by underscoring every sentence with a line on the schoolmaster’s sleeve” (9). These external descriptions of scene and character indicate conclusively a 3 rd person point of view. In the first two paragraphs we also learn a great deal about the physical, psychological, and physiological characterization of Mr. Gradgrind. He has a “square forefinger,” he is obsessed with “facts,” and the fact that he is standing in a schoolroom giving a speech tells us he is an educated, possibly middle-to-upper class, man. Moreover, we are presented with the central conflict. Are facts alone wanted in life? What about imagination, creativity? Are they not also wanted in life? This dichotomy forms the basis of all conflict within the story, and Dickens presents it in his opening lines. And finally, the tangible action of Dickens’ character standing in a schoolroom giving a speech to an “inclined plane of little vessels” constitutes an event.

After your story has had a character and events that occupy both space and time, it then must end at a higher plane than it began. The peak of this higher plane is called a climax. The climax occurs when the character has reached the highest point of internal and/or external crisis, the point from which the story must turn if your character is to make it out alive. Every story’s climax is different. It is the point at which only you can determine. It is the point at which your mind tells you the struggle will never end even as your heart tells you it will.

As your story makes its short descent from the point of climax (ultimate conflict), it must reach for and achieve some kind of resolution, at which point you have arrived at the end of your story. While that resolution could be achieved by way of a dramatic turn, it could also be achieved by a simple shift in direction.

A dramatic turn achieves an obvious resolution (Gradgrind’s daughter, Louisa, confronts her father about her upbringing and “[curses] the hour in which [she] was born to such a destiny” (208); she has made an obvious turn of mind, heart, and action, and the resultant change is distinct: “‘I shall die if you hold me!’ she says. ‘Let me fall upon the ground!’ And he laid her down there, and saw the pride of his heart and the triumph of his system, lying, an insensible heap, at his feet” (212)); whereas a shift in direction achieves a more subtle resolution (the relationship between Stephen and Rachel is unclearly redefined: “he avoided every chance of seeing her; for, although he knew that the prohibition did not yet formally extend to the women working in the factories, he found that some of them with whom he was acquainted were changed to him, and he feared to try others, and dreaded that Rachael might be even singled out from the rest if she were seen in his company” (143). This shift shows that their relationship has been “muddled,” as opposed to abolished, due to the un-communicated fear of potential disgrace arising from their association.

Conflict, on the other hand, is what disturbs a character. It can be internal or external. If conflict is internal, it resides within the character. In this case, a character may not want to go into the pet store to look at dogs because they remember getting bitten by a dog on their newspaper route as a child; and they can’t bring themselves to even look at them, even though they want to buy one for their partner. If the conflict is external, it resides outside the character. In this case, a character may try to buy a dog, but it is too expensive and the owner won’t let them have it for less money. Will they punch the owner in the nose, will they steal the dog when the owner isn’t looking, or will they go work harder and come back when they can pay for it?

In Hard Times we find a notable moment of external conflict when Dickens pushes Mr. Bounderby, who has concealed the truth about his upbringing throughout the story, to the brink of exposure, during which he is publicly humiliated:

Mr Bounderby’s visage exhibited an extraordinary combination of all possible colours and expressions of discomfiture, as old Mrs Pegler was disclosed to his view. “Why, what do you mean by this?” was his highly unexpected demand. “Sir!” exclaimed Mrs Sparsit, faintly.

“Why don’t you mind your own business, ma’am?” roared Bounderby. “How dare you go and poke your officious nose into my family affairs?” This allusion to her favourite feature overpowered Mrs Sparsit. She sat down stiffly in a chair…. (251-252)

Here we find Mr. Bounderby and Mrs. Sparsit in all-out verbal struggle. Insults are thrown; emotions, overpowered. Conflict occurs when a character is so disturbed they are forced to react; the greater the disturbance, the greater the reaction. Consider the case of Mr. Bounderby. Not only has he concealed the truth about his upbringing throughout the story, he has positioned himself as the man who picked himself up by his own boot straps and made something of himself despite the absence of any and all opportunity, a lie he uses to justify his judgmental attitude toward the uneducated labors who slave for him in his factory. He of all Dickens’ characters in the story must conceal the truth; he must hide it, for if the truth be told it would shame him red. Louisa, on the other hand, experiences internal conflict when Dickens pits her inner desire against her father Mr. Gradgrind’s external pressure:

“You are, we will say in round numbers, twenty years of age; Mr Bounderby is, we will say in round numbers, fifty. There is some disparity in your respective years, but in your means and positions there is none….The disparity I have mentioned, therefore, almost ceases to be disparity, and (virtually) all but disappears.”

“What do you recommend, father,” asked Louisa.

“Confining yourself rigidly to Fact, the question of Fact you state to yourself is: Does Mr Bounderby ask me to marry him? Yes, he does. The sole remaining question then is: Shall I marry him?”

“Shall I marry him?” repeated Louisa, with great deliberation.

“Precisely. And it is satisfactory to me, as your father, my dear Louisa….” (98)

Throughout this interaction between Louisa and Mr. Gradgrind, Mr. Gradgrind dispassionately presents Louisa with the pressure of marrying Mr. Bounderby, a man twice her age; yet throughout, Louisa struggles to express her feelings by asking her father whether or not she should do what she secretly does not want to do. Dickens writes: “Perhaps he might have seen one wavering moment in her, when she was impelled to throw herself upon his breast, and give him the pent-up confidences of her heart” (99). As Mr. Gradgrind continues to pressure Louisa, it becomes increasingly difficult for her to openly and honestly communicate her desires.

Whether you decide to incorporate internal or external conflict or any combination of the two, remember, a story must have conflict. A story isn’t interesting without it. So allow your reader to experience as much conflict as you are capable of conjuring. Be willing to place your characters in the most perilous and alarming moments of distress imaginable. In short, let your characters experience “hard times.”

The choices you make involving point of view, characterization, plot, and conflict will be unique when they are the choices you make. If the story is focused on character, character will drive and define the story’s events. If the story is focused on events, events will drive and define the story’s character. As you make these choices, the story will unfold and you will find yourself smack in the middle of exciting drama before you know it.

Which way you decide to write is up to you, but you must remember that writing requires you to know how to use the basic principles outlined here. So it is best to do exercises focusing only on one technique at a time until you feel comfortable and confident using that technique. When you have experimented with and learned each writing technique (point of view, characterization, plot, and conflict) you will come to recognize how interwoven all the elements of craft are and how they work together and influence each other, at which point you can mix and match techniques, using them how and in what ways you like in order to tell the story you are burning to write.

Dickens, Charles. Hard Times. New York: Penguin Books, 2003. Print.

Brevity – Say More with Less

Clarity (in Speech and Writing)

Coherence – How to Achieve Coherence in Writing

Flow – How to Create Flow in Writing

Inclusivity – Inclusive Language

The Elements of Style – The DNA of Powerful Writing

Suggested Edits

• Please select the purpose of your message. * - Corrections, Typos, or Edits Technical Support/Problems using the site Advertising with Writing Commons Copyright Issues I am contacting you about something else
• Your full name
• Your email address *
• Page URL needing edits *
• Phone This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Featured Articles

Academic Writing – How to Write for the Academic Community

Professional Writing – How to Write for the Professional World

Authority – How to Establish Credibility in Speech & Writing

• Get Samples

Fiction Basics

Fiction Writing Prompt: My Ex-Girlfriend is a What?

A guy runs into his old high school girlfriend. He realizes he still likes her, a lot, and wants to…

4 Quick Tips for Getting Started with Your New Morning Writing Routine

Have you been mulling the idea of creating or reinventing your morning routine to get more writing done? I personally…

My Writer’s World

So, this is my office/writing area. I would say it’s the place where the magic happens, but honestly more blood,…

A Long Winter’s Night: Coming Out of Hiding—or Hiatus

I’ve been taking an extremely long break from fiction. I didn’t intend for my hiatus to last as long as…

Story Idea Brain Dumping

How you do your own brain dumping for story ideas is completely up to you. The images below are two…

Why Focus is Important

It’s also difficult to have sometimes. It is so easy to lose your focus, especially when you’re not seeing the…

Story Planning Workbook Print Version Preview

Hey Writer! The print version of the Story Brainstorming & Planning Print Workbook is now ready to go. I received…

Character Development: Blue Mountains

If you’re stuck with something in your story, sometimes it’s a good idea to go off “the beaten path,” so…

Fiction Writing Prompt: Good Elf Gone Bad

This could be a fun Halloween story for kids: -A sweet young maiden is stuck with taking care of creatures…

Preptober – Getting Ready for NaNoWriMo

Are you ready to get ready for NaNoWriMo? I’ve put together some cool printables to help you get prepared and…

Fiction Writing Prompt: Cranky Old “Mystery?” Caretaker

So, there’s this cranky old man or woman in the neighborhood. The house is creepy looking and all the kids…

Book Giveaway: Small Town Secrets & Lies

Are you looking for some new “free” reads? This giveaway crosses several genres; mystery, cozy, suspense and romantic suspense. You…

Fiction Writing Prompt: Hatfield & McCoy – With a Twist of Lime?

For some reason, the Hatfields and the McCoys have set aside their differences and started brewing, and running, moonshine together.…

Fiction Writing Prompt: Johnny Goes a ‘Fishin’

This story idea came from our son, KK, who posted on Facebook that he wanted to go fishing at Sweeny…

Fiction Writing Prompt: Missing or Abducted

You can title this Missing, Abducted or whatever you like. A teenager goes missing on the way home from school.…