novel writing for class 7

• Novel Writing Classes

UPCOMING NOVEL WRITING CLASSES

Advanced Novel Writing Class

Intermediate novel writing class, introduction to novel writing class.

You are about to embark on an exciting, rewarding and challenging adventure. Everyone says that they want to write a novel, but only a tiny fraction of folks have the drive, talent and discipline to accomplish it. You’ll take an important step in that direction by enrolling in this sequence of novel writing classes, which will teach you essential fiction writing skills as well as helping you get your book finished.

In this novel writing class, you’ll learn the forms of realistic fiction and how to adapt them to a novel. You’ll explore techniques like dramatic scene, character sketches, dialogue and scene by scene construction–the building blocks of all novels. The goal of the novel writing class is to introduce these techniques and get you started on your novel in the process. The great adventure is about to begin!

In addition to focusing on these techniques, we will discuss larger, structural issues, how to put all of these elements together into a dramatic and compelling chapter. It’s a bit like building a cathedral; you don’t start by piling up bricks. First you learn to fashion stone. You learn how it fit it together. You study the principles of constructing arches, whether Gothic, Romanesque or another. You choose the arch that best suits your design. You integrate all of these elements into the final edifice. Only after you have learned to do all of these things will you be able to proceed further.

In the same way, it makes little sense to start writing a novel without first mastering the underlying forms of fiction. Start with the simple ones first, then move to the longer and more complex. By proceeding in this way, the novel writing class will help you envision the larger arc of your story. Structure usually proves the most difficult aspect of novel writing for most students. Fitting these individual elements into the grand architecture of a novel is the primary focus of this sequence of novel writing classes.

Finally, we’ll talk about publishing, and how you can get your finished novel into the hands of an appropriate editor. I’ll also give you some suggestions about where to go after you’ve finished the novel writing class.

Instructor: Jana Harris

Just follow your hero.

Get it down. Take chances.

For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth.

Literature is nothing but carpentry.

…with luck and if you stated it purely enough, always.

Pleasure in a good novel…

Don’t try to figure out what other people want to hear from you.

It is wrong to have an ideal view of the world.

The difference between the right word and the almost right word…

Writing a novel is a terrible experience.

One false word, one extra word…

The forms of things unknown and the the poet’s pen…

There are only two or three human stories.

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Writing Tips Oasis - A website dedicated to helping writers to write and publish books.

13 of the Best Online Novel Writing Courses

By Madalina Olteanu

If you’re looking for a list of the best online novel writing courses, the following compilation has been put together especially for you.

The following entry contains affiliate links. That means Writing Tips Oasis receive a small % of the sale if you purchase The Novel Kickstarter, but at no extra cost to you:

1.  The Novel Kickstarter

Louise Dean is the founder of The Novelry, which caters to a lively online community of novelists and has offices in New York and London. She authored four novels including Becoming Strangers , which won the Le Prince Maurice Prize and was nominated for the Booker Prize.

Furthermore, Louise made “The Novel Kickstarter” course to help even complete beginners realize their first draft. There are tons of videos, more than 40 live sessions each month, and 155 lessons for students to study at their own pace. You will learn about story planning, character mapping, pacing, and tension.

Each student gets six one-on-one sessions with their preferred writer. The coaching team has bestselling authors in genres like literary fiction (Rachel Joyce), romance (Libby Page), and YA fiction (Alice Kuipers).

The Novelry’s novel-writing course costs  $1,699 for a full year . This comes with a seven-day money-back guarantee — and you can pay in installments of $169/month.

2.  How to Write a Novel

Reedsy is known for its big community of writers and other professionals in the publishing industry. But did you know that the London-based platform also offers an online class for aspiring fiction authors?

The “How to Write a Novel” course lasts 101 days and is led by Tom Bromley. He is a veteran in the field: an editor of over 100 books, copywriter, publisher, instructor, and traditionally published novelist behind  Crazy Little Thing Called Love  and  Half A World Away .

Throughout 15 weeks, you will learn to effectively start writing your draft — and provide an ending that will leave readers in awe. Apart from more than 20 hours of videos, the course includes weekly meetings with coaches and authors and a one-year access to a writing forum. Plus, eager students can read tons of supplementary learning materials and fulfill optional exercises.

This comprehensive online class is regularly priced at $1,250 but is discounted to $1,000 as of writing. Click on “ Claim your spot ” to begin your journey with Reedsy Learning.

3.  Novel II First Draft, Part 1

Headquartered in New York City, the Gotham Writers Workshop has been teaching the art of storytelling since 1993. Part 1 of the “Novel II First Draft” class lasts 10 weeks and is focused on helping you to create your first draft through a combination of weekly objectives, worksheets, and online lectures.

Instead of one instructor, you get four teachers, all of whom are published novelists: Arlaina Tibensky ( And Then Things Fall Apart ), Katherine Taylor ( Valley Fever ), Christine Meade ( The Way You Burn ), and Benjamin Obler ( Javascotia ). With their guidance, you will learn about character writing, plot structure, subplots, and worldbuilding.

The novel-writing class costs  $439 for new students  and $409 for those who’ve previously taken a class at the Gotham Writers Workshop. Either way, there’s also a $25 registration fee to be paid every term.

4.  Write Your First Novel

You don’t have to go all the way to East Lansing to receive an education from Michigan State University. Through Coursera, people can take its “Write Your First Novel” course online, which is suitable for new writers.

David Wheeler is the instructor of this digital class. He is part of the creative research faculty and heads the university’s Media Sandbox program. Likewise, he is the founder of four media companies and has experience in writing, cinematography, and direction.

Each module in the 26-week course includes at least one video (transcripts are available as well). Some have readings and quizzes. After settling on your story idea and character profiles, you will start writing one chapter a week. Two weeks before the end of the course, you’ll already be writing the final chapter.

The course is  free . However, learners who want a certificate upon completing it have two choices: pay for a Coursera Plus subscription ($59/month or $399/year) or the certification mode of this particular course ($49).

5.  How to Write and Publish a Novel

Based in San Francisco, California, Udemy hosts one of the most affordable yet insightful online courses on fiction writing. Officially titled “How to Write and Publish a Novel”, it was created by Marissa Burt, an exceptional teacher and author of the novels  Storybound ,  The 12 Dares of Christa , and three other titles.

With nine hours of on-demand video content and unlimited access to all materials, the course allows its students to take their time in reviewing every element from characters and setting to dialogue and plot. Melissa’s course goes beyond the goal of writing 50,000 words: It educates about the drafting, editing, and publishing stages as well.

This beloved novel-writing course typically costs $69.99. Luckily, Udemy frequently offers limited-time promos that can lower the price to just $14.99. Go to the  course page  to make a purchase.

6.  Neil Gaiman Teaches the Art of Storytelling

The idea that a living legend in fantasy fiction would teach storytelling to anyone willing to pay just $10 a month sounds ridiculous. Yet MasterClass, which operates in San Francisco, California, made this a reality in 2019 with Neil Gaiman.

Neil created the universally acclaimed  The Sandman  graphic novel series, which became a Netflix series. His other award-winning novels,  Coraline  and  Good Omens,  have been adapted into a movie and series, respectively.

As such, his nearly five-hour class—divided into 19 lessons—is a rare peek into the mind of a genius. Neil will teach you about genres, worldbuilding, characters, dialogue, story development, humor, finding your voice, and the secret to writing outstanding prose.

MasterClass has three paid annual membership plans: Individual ($120), Duo ($180), and Family ($240). Keep in mind that the cheapest option does not include the offline-viewing feature. Feel free to  sign up  anytime you want.

7.  How to Write a Novel: Structure & Outline

Through the edX platform (based in Lanham, Maryland), institutions of higher education can reach a broader audience. The University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, for one, teaches creative writing to eager students no matter their location.

As the course title implies, “How to Write a Novel: Structure & Outline” is designed to assist learners with outlining and story structure. Instructors Nancy Lee and Annabel Lyon are professors of creative writing at the university. The former authored  The Age  while the latter wrote the acclaimed bestseller  The Golden Mean .

This six-week online course has weekly assignments and Q&A sessions with instructors. You are free to discuss what you learned from the videos, essential readings, and author interviews with other students.

Are you ready to kickstart your novel-writing journey? Head to the  course page  to sign up and pay the $295 enrollment fee.

8.  R.L. Stine Teaches Writing for Young Audiences

Back in the 1990s, the  Goosebumps  franchise took over the world with its signature horror stories. There were multiple TV and movie adaptations — and the novels have since sold more than 400 million copies. Now, R.L. Stine, the man behind the global sensation, welcomes you to learn how to write novels for YA readers.

His online course is available at MasterClass, headquartered in San Francisco, California. You’ll discover 28 video lessons clocking in at nearly four hours.

The class begins with sharing how and where writers can find ideas for their novels. After, it dives into rich explanations of outlining, cliffhangers, plot twists, and how to appeal to audiences across different age brackets.

Every course on the MasterClass platform becomes accessible upon paying an  annual membership . This starts at $120 (Individual) and goes up to $240 (Family).

9.  Writing Your Novel Draft

If you’re struggling to write a single page a week, consider enrolling in Aatif Rashid’s “Writing Your Novel Draft”. This course is hosted at Writers.com, an online learning platform and writers’ hub based in Santa Cruz, California. Aatif wrote the novel  Portrait of Sebastian Khan  and an assortment of short stories and nonfiction too.

The eight-week course requires dedication. Writers must attend live video sessions on Zoom each week to learn lessons—such as writing dialogue and creating tension—and talk about accomplished activities.

As you learn more from the Zoom meetings, you will craft chapters and scenes. The goal is to write five new pages a week so that you’ll have a 40-page draft to build upon after the course.

Are you interested in Aatif’s novel draft-writing course? This two-month class is  available for $495 .

10.  Save the Cat! Novel Writing Course

Jessica Brody isn’t a stranger to writing novels and teaching the art of it as well. Situated in Vancouver, Washington, she’s the author of many traditionally published women’s fiction and YA fiction.  The Chaos of Standing Still  and  My Life Undecided  are a couple of her novels.

Interestingly, this “Save the Cat!” course shares its name with her two best-selling nonfiction books for fiction writers. The course contains 21 activities and 51 videos, the latter of which explores the 15 major aspects (or “story beats”) of great novel writing. You’ll develop a deeper understanding of plot, structure, revisions, and outlining.

Access to the course is similar to MasterClass and Skillshare. That is, you pay for a membership plan that opens up all classes. For  $15 a month , members can complete this course and other related lessons such as how to revise novels and write drafts.

11.  Writing a Novel

Based in London, Faber Academy was established in 2008 to help budding writers online and offline. It is part of Faber and Faber Limited, one of the oldest and most respected independent publishers in the UK. Moreover, “Writing a Novel” is the academy’s crown jewel when it comes to writing courses.

This is a seven-month course divided into 14 sessions lasting two weeks each. While there are live Zoom sessions, tutorials, and webinars, Faber Academy can provide downloadable learning resources and early access to video content if you cannot attend them.

Each small group of writers will receive guidance from one of many tutors, all of whom are accomplished creative writers. For this particular session (as of writing), the course will be led by Sarah May, acclaimed and best-selling author of  The Internationals  and  Becky .

At £2750 or around $3.4k (as of writing), the Faber Academy course is far from affordable to the average individual. Still, its exceptional value to aspiring novelists cannot be underestimated. Furthermore, you can either pay all of it at once or in  installments .

The October session already ended its application period. Visit the page for  novel-writing courses  in the future for the new schedule.

12.  Novel Writing Workshop

Steve Alcorn’s online course is another noteworthy pick on San Francisco’s Udemy platform. As a writer of novels ( Everything In Its Path)  and nonfiction ( How to Fix Your Novel ), his literary experience is highly sought after.

The “Novel Writing Workshop” has attracted more than 17,000 students. It offers five hours of videos and 20 learning materials that you can view whenever you like. Steve’s course has six main sections: planning, characters, story structure, creating a manuscript, refining a manuscript, and the publication process.

This course is priced at $109.99. If that seems too expensive, you can view the  course page  some other time and wait for limited discounts. Currently, it’s only $19.99 — that’s over 80% off the standard rate!

13.  Margaret Atwood Teaches Creative Writing

Like Neil Gaiman and R.L. Stine, Margaret Atwood is another legend in novel writing that barely needs an introduction. Many of her works have been adapted into series and films. She’s the recipient of multiple accolades including not one but two Booker Prizes.

Her online course for MasterClass in San Francisco, California, delves into her tried-and-tested approach to storytelling. It has 23 video lessons — nearly four hours of priceless teachings. For example, Margaret illustrates why classics and historical tales are useful foundations for stories and complex narratives. She will also delve into the styles and textures of novel writing.

MasterClass offering will cost at least $120 for a  yearly membership . Of course, the good thing here is that you can take all three classes (and many more) for one premium MasterClass plan — so make the most of it!

Some More Top Online Novel Writing Courses

14.  write your novel in 12 weeks.

Can you complete a novel in three months? Briana Una McGuckin believes anyone can — and she’ll help them achieve it. Hosted on Writers.com in Santa Cruz, California, “Write Your Novel in 12 Weeks” aims to encourage people to write at least 5,000 words each week.

Aside from written materials and assignments, each week will have a Zoom meeting. This live session is for students to further discuss lessons, activities, and their respective drafts with Briana and one another. The syllabus tackles writing concepts like premise, structure, backstory, pacing, and fixing plot mistakes.

Overall, prospective students have to shell out $695 for the three-month course. Simply click on “ Enroll Now ” to pay online.

15.  Starting to Write Your Novel

Founded by Anna Davis in 2011, Curtis Brown Creative is the learning platform of London’s iconic Curtis Brown agency. Budding writers who want to transform their promising ideas into a novel should enroll in the “Starting to Write Your Novel” course taught by the founder herself.

She’s been a literary agent, journalist, and university teacher. Anna is also a published author with five titles under her name including the historical romance novels  The Jewel Box  and  The Shoe Queen .

Her six-week online class will help you generate story ideas and understand character writing, narration, plotting, and the key to writing an effective opening. The course will utilize case studies, recommended readings, weekly assignments, student forums, and pre-recorded videos.

This digital class  is priced at £220 . For an extra £145, an editor can provide feedback on your final writing assignment. Feedback from an editor and a 30-minute tutorial costs an additional £240.

Are You Looking for a Free Novel Writing Course?

Would you like to join our very own free novel writing course called Novice to Novel? You can get 52 free lessons via email (1 lesson per week) to help you write a novel in one year! You can find out more and sign-up at this page .

Class 7 Story Writing in English with Topics and Answers

Explore the world of storytelling for CBSE, KVS, and DAV Class 7 students with Class 7 Story Writing in English Topics with Answers. Enhance language proficiency, creativity, and critical thinking skills through these engaging topics. Elevate the writing journey for Class 7 students with this comprehensive resource.

Importance of Story Writing in English Curriculum

Engaging in Class 7 Story Writing in English not only improves language proficiency but also fosters imagination and creativity. It encourages students to think critically, organize ideas logically, and communicate effectively through the written word.

Selecting Engaging Story Topics

Choosing the right topic for Class 7 Story Writing in English is crucial for a captivating story. Students should explore themes that resonate with their interests, allowing for a more personalized and enthusiastic approach to writing.

Building a Strong Story Structure

Introduce students to the fundamental elements of a story: 

• a compelling introduction, 
• a well-developed plot,  
• a satisfying conclusion. 

Emphasize the importance of maintaining coherence and flow throughout the narrative.

People also ask

Class 7 Story Writing in English with Answers

1. with the help of given outlines, develop a readable story in about 100 words with a suitable title and moral.     .

HINTS:-  A crow …………..finds a piece of cheese………flies to a tree ……….a hungry fox sees the crow n…………….thinks of a plan………praises him …….requests him to sing………..the crow very pleased…….opens his beak …….the cheese falls down……fox picks up…….runs away….Moral.

Answer: 

The Cunning Fox and the Wise Crow

Once upon a time in a lush forest, a clever crow found a piece of cheese. Proudly, he flew to a high branch, ready to enjoy his prize. A hungry fox, spying on the crow and the cheese, hatched a plan. Approaching with flattery, the fox praised the crow’s melodious voice and requested a song. Pleased by the admiration, the crow eagerly opened his beak, and alas, the cheese fell to the ground. Seizing the opportunity, the fox swiftly grabbed the cheese and vanished. The crow learned that flattery can lead to downfall. 

The moral: Beware of sweet words; they may hide cunning intentions.

2. Develop an interesting story from the given outlines.

HINTS:- A young lamb went to eat grass____________got separated from its group________ wandered far away________eating grass_________suddenly a wolf comes________ lamb is afraid ________ thinks of an idea_______ ask the wolf to wait till the grass digests ______ wastes time _________ stupid bol believes in its excuses________ Shepherd comes in search of lamb__________wolf is scared away__________lamb saved_______moral.

The Cunning Lamb and the Wise Shepherd

In the rolling hills, a young lamb ventured away from its flock to graze on the lush grass. Enjoying the feast, it soon found itself separated from the safety of the group. Alone and vulnerable, a cunning wolf appeared. Fearful, the lamb quickly devised a plan, telling the wolf to wait until the grass was digested for a tastier meal. The gullible wolf, believing the excuses, wasted time. Meanwhile, the wise shepherd, noticing the missing lamb, searched diligently. Upon the shepherd’s arrival, the wolf scampered away, and the lamb was saved. 

The moral: “Deception may fool the cunning, but wisdom prevails in the end.”

3. By taking the help of the following hints, develop a short story in about 100-120 words. Don’t forget to give it a suitable title.

HINTS:- A farmer —– old and tired now —– had four sons —– always fighting —– calls all four sons one day —– gives a bundle of sticks —– says to break —– nobody can break —– gives a stick to break —– all breaks easily —– advises them to stay united.

The Bundle of Sticks

In a quaint village, an old and tired farmer had four quarrelsome sons. Tired of their constant bickering, he called them together one day. He handed each son a single stick and instructed them to break it, which they did with ease. Then, he presented a tightly bound bundle of sticks and challenged them to break it. Despite their combined efforts, the bundle remained unbroken. The wise farmer smiled and shared a valuable lesson. “Individually, you are weak, like the single stick. But together, united as a family, you are strong and unbreakable, just like this bundle of sticks. Remember, staying united brings strength and harmony.” The sons, realizing the wisdom in their father’s words, pledged to put aside their differences and work together.

The moral: United we stand, divided we fall./Unity brings strength and harmony

4. Write a story based on the outlines given below : 

HINTS:- A fox hungry—–goes in search of food—–reaches a garden—— sees a bunch of juicy grapes—–wishes to have the grapes—–very high—–jumps but fails—–feels sad—–says grapes are sour—– walks away

The Fox and the Sour Grapes

Once, a hungry fox ventured into a garden in search of food. There, it spotted a tantalizing bunch of juicy grapes hanging high above. Determined to feast on the delicious grapes, the fox leaped and jumped, but each attempt failed. Exhausted and disappointed, the fox sat down, feeling sad about its unsuccessful efforts. In an attempt to console itself, the fox declared, “Those grapes are probably sour anyway!” With a dismissive glance, the fox walked away, pretending not to care about the unattainable grapes. The moral of the story is that sometimes when we cannot achieve our goals, it’s easier to belittle them rather than admit our shortcomings.

The moral: Grapes are sour

5. Develop the following outlines into a readable story with a suitable title. 

HINTS:- A boy falls in bad company —–father brings apples—— puts them in the cupboard—— places a rotten apple among them—next day all apples rotten———–teaches a lesson- Moral? 

The Rotten Apple

In a quiet town, a young boy fell into the wrong company, much to his father’s concern. Trying to impart a valuable lesson, the father brought home a bunch of fresh, crisp apples. He placed them in the cupboard and sneakily added a single rotten apple among the lot. The next day, to the boy’s surprise, all the apples had turned rotten. His father seized the opportunity to teach a vital lesson. “Just as one rotten apple spoils the whole bunch, so can bad company affect your life. Choose your friends wisely.” The boy, realizing the metaphorical significance, learned that the company one keeps can significantly impact their character and choices. 

The moral: Mindful of the company you keep.

6. With the help of given outlines, develop a readable story in about 100 words with a suitable title and moral.

Outlines: Two friends- a bear after them—- they were scared—-one friend climbs a tree—–the other can’t—he lies on the ground the bear smells him and leaves——the friend asks —-what the bear did reply: you have a false friend.

The True Test of Friendship

Two friends, wandering through the woods, found themselves pursued by a menacing bear. Fear gripped them, and in a desperate attempt to escape, one friend swiftly climbed a sturdy tree, while the other, unable to climb, lay motionless on the ground, hoping the bear would overlook him. The bear, sniffing around, eventually left without harming either of them. Relieved, the friend in the tree descended, and they continued their journey. Curious, the friend who had been on the ground asked the other, “What did the bear say to you?” The response was profound: “The bear taught me a valuable lesson. It said, ‘You have a false friend.’ True friendship is proven in actions, not just words.” 

The moral: True friends stand by you in times of trouble.

7. Using the following hints, develop a short story in about 100-120 words. Don’t forget to give it a suitable title. 

Outlines: Once a fox fell into a well ……. tried hard to come out…….could not come chance a goat came…….goat was thirsty…….looked into the well for water…….saw the fox…….fox was clever…….invited the goat to drink cool, sweet water…….goat was foolish…….jumped into the well…….fox jumped on its back and came out…….foolish goat realized her folly.

The Clever Fox and the Foolish Goat

Once, a clever fox found itself trapped in a well, desperately trying to escape. Coincidentally, a thirsty goat approached the well, seeking water. The sly fox, seizing the opportunity, invited the goat to enjoy the cool, sweet water inside the well. The unsuspecting goat, driven by thirst, leaped into the well without thinking. With the goat in the well, the fox cunningly used its back as a stepping stone to climb out. As the fox reached the top, the foolish goat realized her hasty mistake. The clever fox, now free, looked back at the trapped goat and shared a wise lesson. 

The moral: Think before you act.

8. Read carefully the hints given below and develop a complete meaningful story based on the given hints. Also, write the title and moral of your story. (word limit 100– 120 words)

HINTS:- A merchant had an ass –does not treat him well –overloads him – carries salt—ass falls —– into a stream—–the salt melts –burden becomes lighter—makes it a habit —master sees —through —– the trick—loads cotton—ass falls—load becomes heavier.

The Wise Ass and the Deceptive Trick

In a bustling market town, a merchant had an ass that he didn’t treat well. The poor creature was often overloaded, struggling under the weight of heavy burdens. One day, the merchant loaded the ass with salt, and as they crossed a stream, the salt melted, making the load lighter. The ass, cleverly noting the change, started intentionally falling into streams. The merchant, oblivious at first, praised the apparent improvement. However, when the merchant loaded the ass with cotton, it didn’t take long for him to realize the trick. The cotton soaked up water and became heavier. The merchant, seeing through the deception, learned not to be fooled by appearances. 

The moral: Clever tricks may work momentarily, but honesty prevails in the end.

9. Develop a meaningful story by using the hints given below and also give a suitable title and moral. 

HINTS: crow—-thirsty——search —– sky——-garden—-pitcher——-pebbles——-level of water—- drank—– quenched the thirst —– flew.

The Clever Thirsty Crow

On a scorching day, a thirsty crow searched the sky for a source of water. Spotting a garden with a pitcher, hope surged within the crow. As it approached, disappointment struck – the water level was too low, beyond the crow’s reach. Undeterred, the clever crow noticed a pile of pebbles nearby. Ingeniously, it picked up the pebbles one by one and dropped them into the pitcher. Gradually, the water level rose, and the crow joyfully drank, quenching its thirst. The story teaches that intelligence and resourcefulness can overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. 

The moral: Where there is a will, there is a way.

10. Write a story in about 8o words based on the given outlines. Give a suitable title.  

Outlines: One summer—– very hot day —– a cap seller—–  going —–  village —–  sell caps —–  tired and thirsty —–  looking for shade —–  to take rest —– put basket —–  tree —– sleeps —–  wakes up —–  caps gone —–  looks up in wonder —– many monkeys on the tree —–  each wears a cap  —–  tries several methods to recover caps —–  no use —–  snatches the cap off his head  —–  throws it down in anger —–  monkeys do the same —– recovers all his caps. 

A nswer: 

The Cap Seller and the Mischievous Monkeys

On a scorching summer day, a cap seller ventured into a village to sell his caps. Exhausted and thirsty, he sought shade under a tree to rest. Placing his basket of caps beside him, he dozed off. Upon waking, he was shocked to find his caps missing. Looking up, he discovered mischievous monkeys in the tree, each adorned with a cap. Desperate to retrieve his merchandise, the cap seller tried various methods, but the monkeys mimicked his every move. Frustrated, he snatched the cap off his head and threw it down in anger. To his amazement, the monkeys followed suit. Learning their mimicry, the cap seller cleverly threw his cap last, and the monkeys, mimicking him, dropped all the stolen caps. 

The moral: Outsmarting mischief requires clever thinking.

11. Write the following story with the help of the outlines and also give the moral & title of the story.

HINTS:-  A man —– a hen —–laying a golden egg daily —–man wants to become rich overnight —– kills the hen —– finds no egg —– repents.

The Greedy Man and the Golden Egg

Once, a man owned a miraculous hen that laid a golden egg every day, making him wealthy. However, consumed by greed and impatience, he desired instant riches. In a moment of folly, he decided to kill the hen, believing it contained a fortune within. To his dismay, the next day brought no golden egg, and his dreams of quick wealth shattered. Regret filled his heart as he realized the irreversible consequences of his impulsive action.

The moral: Greed and impatience can lead to the destruction 

FAQs of Class 7 Story Writing in English

1. why is story writing important for class 7 students.

Storywriting enhances language skills, fosters creativity, and encourages critical thinking, essential for overall academic development.

2. How can teachers motivate students to overcome writer’s block?

Teachers can motivate students by incorporating interactive activities, providing inspiring prompts, and creating a supportive writing environment.

3. How can students select engaging story topics?

Students can choose topics based on their interests, and experiences, or explore themes that resonate with their emotions, ensuring a more enthusiastic approach to writing.

4. What are the long-term benefits of story writing for Class 7 students?

Story writing nurtures creativity, improves communication skills, and instills a love for literature, creating a foundation for lifelong learning and expression.

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Blog • Perfecting your Craft

Last updated on Jun 23, 2023

How to Write a Novel: 13-Steps From a Bestselling Writer [+Templates]

This post is written by author, editor, and ghostwriter Tom Bromley. He is the instructor of Reedsy's 101-day course, How to Write a Novel .

Writing a novel is an exhilarating and daunting process. How do you go about transforming a simple idea into a powerful narrative that grips readers from start to finish? Crafting a long-form narrative can be challenging, and it requires skillfully weaving together various story elements.

In this article, we will break down the major steps of novel writing into manageable pieces, organized into three categories — before, during, and after you write your manuscript.

How to write a novel in 13 steps:

1. Pick a story idea with novel potential

2. develop your main characters, 3. establish a central conflict and stakes, 4. write a logline or synopsis, 5. structure your plot, 6. pick a point of view, 7. choose a setting that benefits your story , 8. establish a writing routine, 9. shut out your inner editor, 10. revise and rewrite your first draft, 11. share it with your first readers, 12. professionally edit your manuscript, 13. publish your novel.

Every story starts with an idea.

You might be lucky, like JRR Tolkien, who was marking exam papers when a thought popped into his head: ‘In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.’ You might be like Jennifer Egan, who saw a wallet left in a public bathroom and imagined the repercussions of a character stealing it, which set the Pulitzer prize-winner A Visit From the Goon Squad in process. Or you might follow Khaled Hosseini, whose The Kite Runner was sparked by watching a news report on TV.

Many novelists I know keep a notebook of ideas both large and small 一 sometimes the idea they pick up on they’ll have had much earlier, but whatever reason, now feels the time to write it. Certainly, the more ideas you have, the more options you’ll have to write. 

✍️ Need a little inspiration? Check our list of 30+ story ideas for fiction writing , our list of 300+ writing prompts , or even our plot generator .

Is your idea novel-worthy?

How do you know if what you’ve got is the inspiration for a novel, rather than a short story or a novella ? There’s no definitive answer here, but there are two things to look out for 

Firstly, a novel allows you the space to show how a character changes over time, whereas a short story is often more about a vignette or an individual moment. Secondly, if an idea is fit for a novel, it’ll nag away at you: a thread asking to be pulled to see where it goes. If you find yourself coming back to an idea, then that’s probably one to explore.

I expand on how to cultivate and nurture your ‘idea seeds’ in my free 10-day course on novel writing. 

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Another starting point (or essential element) for writing a novel will come in the form of the people who will populate your stories: the protagonists. 

My rule of thumb in writing is that a reader will read on for one of two reasons: either they care about the characters , or they want to know what happens next (or, in an ideal world, both). Now different people will tell you that character or plot are the most important element when writing. 

In truth, it’s a bit more complicated than that: in a good novel, the main character or protagonist should shape the plot, and the plot should shape the protagonist. So you need both core elements in there, and those two core elements are entwined rather than being separate entities. 

Characters matter because when written well, readers become invested in what happens to them. You can develop the most brilliant, twisty narrative, but if the reader doesn’t care how the protagonist ends up, you’re in trouble as a writer. 

As we said above, one of the strengths of the novel is that it gives you the space to show how characters change over time. How do characters change? 

Firstly, they do so by being put in a position where they have to make decisions, difficult decisions, and difficult decisions with consequences . That’s how we find out who they really are. 

Secondly, they need to start from somewhere where they need to change: give them flaws, vulnerabilities, and foibles for them to overcome. This is what makes them human — and the reason why readers respond to and care about them.

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As said earlier, it’s important to have both a great character and an interesting plot, which you can develop by making your character face some adversities.

That drama in the novel is usually built around some sort of central conflict . This conflict creates a dramatic tension that compels the reader to read on. They want to see the outcome of that conflict resolved: the ultimate resolution of the conflict (hopefully) creates a satisfying ending to the narrative.

A character changes, as we said above, when they are put in a position of making decisions with consequences. Those consequences are important. It isn’t enough for a character to have a goal or a dream or something they need to achieve (to slay the dragon): there also needs to be consequences if they don’t get what they’re after (the dragon burns their house down). Upping the stakes heightens the drama all round.

Now you have enough ingredients to start writing your novel, but before you do that, it can be useful to tighten them all up into a synopsis. 

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So far you’ve got your story idea, your central characters and your sense of conflict and stakes. Now is the time to distill this down into a narrative. Different writers approach this planning stage in different ways, as we’ll come to in a moment, but for anyone starting a novel, having a clear sense of what is at the heart of your story is crucial. 

There are a lot of different terms used here 一 pitch, elevator pitch , logline, shoutline, or the hook of your synopsis 一 but whatever the terminology the idea remains the same. This is to summarize your story in as few words as possible: a couple of dozen words, say, or perhaps a single sentence. 

This exercise will force you to think about what your novel is fundamentally about. What is the conflict at the core of the story? What are the challenges facing your main protagonist? What do they have at stake? 

📚 Check out these 48 irresistible  book hook examples  and get inspired to craft your own.

If you need some help, as you go through the steps in this guide, you can fill in this template:

My story is a [genre] novel. It’s told from [perspective] and is set in [place and time period] . It follows [protagonist] , who wants [goal] because [motivation] . But [conflict] doesn’t make that easy, putting [stake] at risk.

It's not an easy thing to do, to write this summarising sentence or two. In fact, they might be the most difficult sentences to get down in the whole writing process. But it is really useful in helping you to clarify what your book is about before you begin. When you’re stuck in the middle of the writing, it will be there for you to refer back to. And further down the line, when you’ve finished the novel, it will prove invaluable in pitching to agents , publishers, and readers. 

📼 Learn more about the process of writing a logline from professional editor Jeff Lyons. 

Another particularly important step to prepare for the writing part, is to outline your plot into different key story points. 

There’s no right answer here as to how much planning you should do before you write: it very much depends on the sort of writer you are. Some writers find planning out their novel before start gives them confidence and reassurance knowing where their book is going to go. But others find this level of detail restrictive: they’re driven more by the freedom of discovering where the writing might take them. 

This is sometimes described as a debate between ‘planners’ and ‘pantsers’ (those who fly by the seat of their pants). In reality, most writers sit somewhere on a sliding scale between the two extremes. Find your sweet spot and go from there!

If you’re a planning type, there’s plenty of established story structures out there to build your story around. Popular theories include the Save the Cat model and Christopher Vogler’s Hero’s Journey . Then there are books such as Christopher Booker’s The Seven Basic Plots , which suggests that all stories are one of, well, you can probably work that out.

Whatever the structure, most stories follow the underlying principle of having a beginning, middle and end (and one that usually results in a process of change). So even if you’re ‘pantsing’ rather than planning, it’s helpful to know your direction of travel, though you might not yet know how your story is going to get there. 

How to Plot a Novel in Three Acts

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Finally, remember what we said earlier about plot and character being entwined: your character’s journey shouldn’t be separate to what happens in the story. Indeed, sometimes it can be helpful to work out the character’s journey of change first, and shape the plot around that, rather than the other way round. 

Now, let’s consider which perspective you’re going to write your story from. 

However much plotting you decide to do before you start writing, there are two further elements to think about before you start putting pen to paper (or finger to keyboard). The first one is to think about which point of view you’re going to tell your story from. It is worth thinking about this before you start writing because deciding to change midway through your story is a horribly thankless task (I speak from bitter personal experience!)

Understanding Point of View

Learn to master different POVs and choose the best for your story.

Although there might seem a large number of viewpoints you could tell your story from, in reality, most fiction is told from two points of view 一 first person (the ‘I’ form) and third person ‘close’ (he/she/they). ‘Close’ third person is when the story is witnessed from one character’s view at a time (as opposed to third person ‘omniscient’ where the story can drop into lots of people’s thoughts).

Both of these viewpoints have advantages and disadvantages. First person is usually better for intimacy and getting into character’s thoughts: the flip side is that its voice can feel a bit claustrophobic and restrictive in the storytelling. Third person close offers you more options and more space to tell your story: but can feel less intimate as a result. 

There’s no right and wrong here in terms of which is the ‘best’ viewpoint. It depends on the particular demands of the story that you are wanting to write. And it also depends on what you most feel comfortable writing in. It can be a useful exercise to write a short section in both viewpoints to see which feels the best fit for you before starting to write. 

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Besides choosing a point of view, consider the setting you’re going to place your story in.

The final element to consider before beginning your story is to think about where your story is going to be located . Settings play a surprisingly important part in bringing a story to life. When done well, they add in mood and atmosphere, and can act almost like an additional character in your novel.

There are many questions to consider here. And again, it depends a bit on the demands of the story that you are writing. 

Is your setting going to a real place, a fictional one, or a real place with fictional elements? Is it going to be set in the present day, the past, or at an unspecified time? Are you going to set your story in somewhere you know, or need to research to capture properly? Finally, is your setting suited to the story you are telling, and serve to accentuate it, rather than just acting as a backdrop?

If you’re writing a novel in genres such as fantasy or science fiction , then you may well need to go into some additional world-building as well before you start writing. Here, you may have to consider everything from the rules and mores of society to the existence of magical powers, fantastic beasts, extraterrestrials, and futuristic technology. All of these can have a bearing on the story, so it is better to have a clear setup in your head before you start to write.

The Ultimate Worldbuilding Template

130 questions to help create a world readers want to visit again and again.

Whether your story is set in central London or the outer rings of the solar system, some elements of the descriptive detail remain the same. Think about the use of all the different senses — the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures of where you’re writing about. Those sorts of small details can help to bring any setting to life, from the familiar to the imaginary. 

Alright, enough brainstorming and planning. It’s time to let the words flow on the page. 

Having done your prep — or as much prep and planning as you feel you need — it’s time to get down to business and write the thing. Getting a full draft of a novel is no easy task, but you can help yourself by setting out some goals before you start writing.

Firstly, think about how you write best. Are you a morning person or an evening person? Would you write better at home or out and about, in a café or a library, say? Do you need silence to write, or musical encouragement to get the juices flowing? Are you a regular writer, chipping away at the novel day by day, or more of a weekend splurger?

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I’d always be wary of anyone who tells you how you should be writing. Find a routine and a setup that works for you . That might not always be the obvious one: the crime writer Jo Nesbø spent a while creating the perfect writing room but discovered he couldn’t write there and ended up in the café around the corner.

You might not keep the same way of writing throughout the novel: routines can help, but they can also become monotonous. You may need to find a way to shake things up to keep going.

Deadlines help here. If you’re writing a 75,000-word novel, then working at a pace of 5,000 words a week will take you 15 weeks (Monday to Friday, that’s 1000 words a day). Half the pace will take twice as long. Set yourself a realistic deadline to finish the book (and key points along the way). Without a deadline, the writing can end up drifting, but it needs to be realistic to avoid giving yourself a hard time. 

In my experience, writing speeds vary. I tend to start quite slowly on a book, and speed up towards the end. There are times when the tap is open, and the words are pouring out: make the most of those moments. There are times, too, when each extra sentence feels like torture: don’t beat yourself up here. Be kind to yourself: it’s a big, demanding project you’re undertaking.

Speaking of self-compassion, a word on that harsh editor inside your mind…

The other important piece of advice is to continue writing forward. It is very easy, and very tempting, to go back over what you’ve written and give it a quick edit. Once you start down that slippery slope, you end up rewriting and reworking the same scene and never get any further forwards in the text. I know of writers who spent months perfecting their first chapter before writing on, only to delete that beginning as the demands of the story changed.

The first draft of your novel isn’t about perfection; it’s about getting the words down. One writer I work with calls it the ‘vomit draft’ — getting everything out and onto the page. It’s only once you’ve got a full manuscript down that you can see your ideas in context and have the capacity to edit everything properly. So as much as your inner editor might be calling you, resist! They’ll have their moment in the sun later on. For now, it’s about getting a complete version down, that you can go on to work with and shape. 

By now, you’ve reached the end of your first draft (we might be glossing over the hard writing part just a little here: if you want more detail and help on how to get through to the end of your draft, our How to Write A Novel course is warmly recommended). 

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Reaching the end of your first draft is an important milestone in the journey of a book. Sadly for those who feel that this is the end of the story, it’s actually more of a stepping stone than the finish line.

In some ways, now the hard work begins. The difference between wannabe writers and those who get published can often be found in the amount of rewriting done. Professional writers will go back and back over what they’ve written, honing what they’ve created until the text is as tight and taut as it is possible to be.

How do you go about achieving this? The first thing to do upon finishing is to put the manuscript in a drawer. Leave it for a month or six weeks before you come back to it. That way, you’ll return the script with a fresh pair of eyes. Read it back through and be honest about what works and what doesn’t. As you read the script, think in particular about pace: are there sections in the novel that are too fast or too slow? Avoid the trap of the saggy middle . Then consider: is your character arc complete and coherent? Look at the big-picture stuff first before you tackle the smaller details. 

Edit your novel closely

On that note, here are a few things you might want to keep an eye out for:

Show, don’t tell. Sometimes, you just need to state something matter-of-factly in your novel, that’s fine. But, as much as you can, try to illustrate a point instead of just stating it . Keep in mind the words of Anton Chekhov: “Don’t tell me the moon is shining. Show me the glint of light on broken glass."

“Said” is your friend. When it comes to dialogue, there can be the temptation to spice things up a bit by using tags like “exclaimed,” “asserted,” or “remarked.” And while there might be a time and place for these, 90% of the time, “said” is the best tag to use. Anything else can feel distracting or forced. 

Stay away from purple prose. Purple prose is overly embellished language that doesn’t add much to the story. It convolutes the intended message and can be a real turn-off for readers.

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Once you feel it’s good enough for other people to lay their eyes on it, it’s time to ask for feedback.

Writing a novel is a two-way process: there’s you, the writer, and there’s the intended audience, the reader. The only way that you can find out if what you’ve written is successful is to ask people to read and get feedback.

Think about when to ask for feedback and who to ask it from. There are moments in the writing when feedback is useful and others where it gets in the way. To save time, I often ask for feedback in those six weeks when the script is in the drawer (though I don’t look at those comments until I’ve read back myself first). The best people to ask for feedback are fellow writers and beta readers : they know what you’re going through and will also be most likely to offer you constructive feedback. 

Also, consider working with sensitivity readers if you are writing about a place or culture outside your own. Friends and family can also be useful but are a riskier proposition: they might be really helpful, but equally, they might just tell you it’s great or terrible, neither of which is overly useful.

Feedbacking works best when you can find at least a few people to read, and you can pool their comments. My rule is that if more than one person is saying the same thing, they are probably right. If only one person is saying something, then you have a judgment call to make as to whether to take those comments further (though usually, you’ll know in your gut whether they are right or not.)

Overall, the best feedback you can receive is that of a professional editor…

Once you’ve completed your rewrites and taken in comments from your chosen feedbackers, it’s time to take a deep breath and seek outside opinions. What happens next here depends on which route you want to take to market:

If you want to go down the traditional publishing route , you’ll probably need to get a literary agent, which we’ll discuss in a moment.

If you’re going down the self-publishing route , you’ll need to do what would be done in a traditional publishing house and take your book through the editing process. This normally happens in three stages. 

Developmental editing. The first of these is to work with a development editor , who will read and critique your work primarily from a structural point of view. 

Copy-editing. Secondly, the book must be copy-edited , where an editor works more closely, line-by-line, on the script. 

Proofreading. Finally, usually once the script has been typeset, then the material should be professionally proofread , to spot any final mistakes or orrors. Sorry, errors!

Finding such people can sound like a daunting task. But fear not! Here at Reedsy, we have a fantastic fleet of editors of all shapes, sizes, and experiences. So whatever your needs or requirements, we should be able to pair you with an editor to suit.

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Now that you’ve ironed out all the wrinkles of your manuscript, it’s time to release it into the wild.

For those thinking about going the traditional publishing route , now’s the time for you to get to work. Most trade publishers will only accept work from a literary agent, so you’ll need to find a suitable literary agent to represent your work. 

The querying process is not always straightforward: it involves research, waiting and often a lot of rejections until you find the right person (I was rejected by 24 agents before I found my first agent). Usually, an agent will ask to see a synopsis and the first three chapters (check their websites for submission details). If they like what they read, they’ll ask to see the whole thing. 

If you’re self-publishing, you’ll need to think about getting your finished manuscript to market. You’ll need to get it typeset (laid out in book form) and find a cover designer . Do you want to sell printed copies or just ebooks? You’ll need to work out how to work Amazon , where a lot of your sales will come from, and also how you’ll market your book .

For those picked up by a traditional publisher, all the editing steps discussed will take place in-house. That might sound like a smoother process, but the flip side can be less control over the process: a publisher may have the final say in the cover or the title, and lead times (when the book is published) are usually much longer. So it’s worth thinking about which route to market works best for you.

Finally, you’re a published author! Congratulations. Now all you have to do is think about writing the next one… 

As an editor and publisher, Tom has worked on several hundred titles, again including many prize-winners and international bestsellers. 

8 responses

Sasha Winslow says:

14/05/2019 – 02:56

I started writing in February 2019. It was random, but there was an urge to the story I wanted to write. At first, I was all over the place. I knew the genre I wanted to write was Fantasy ( YA or Adult). That has been my only solid starting point the genre. From February to now, I've changed my story so many times, but I am happy to say by giving my characters names I kept them. I write this all to say is thank you for this comprehensive step by step. Definitely see where my issues are and ways to fix it. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Evelyn P. Norris says:

30/10/2019 – 14:18

My number one tip is to write in order. If you have a good idea for a future scene, write down the idea for the scene, but do NOT write it ahead of time. That's a major cause of writer's block that I discovered. Write sequentially. :) If you can't help yourself, make sure you at least write it in a different document, and just ignore that scene until you actually get to that part of the novel

Allen P. Wilkinson says:

28/01/2020 – 04:51

How can we take your advice seriously when you don’t even know the difference between stationary and stationery? Makes me wonder how competent your copy editors are.

↪️ Martin Cavannagh replied:

29/01/2020 – 15:37

Thanks for spotting the typo!

↪️ Chris Waite replied:

14/02/2020 – 13:17

IF you're referring to their use of 'stationery' under the section '1. Nail down the story idea' (it's the only reference on this page) then the fact that YOU don't know the difference between stationery and stationary and then bother to tell the author of this brilliant blog how useless they must be when it's YOU that is the thicko tells me everything I need to know about you and your use of a middle initial. Bellend springs to mind.

Sapei shimrah says:

18/03/2020 – 13:59

Thanks i will start writing now

Jeremy says:

25/03/2020 – 22:41

I’ve run the gamut between plotter and pantser, but lately I’ve settled on in-depth plotting before my novels. It’s hard for me to do focus wise, but I’m finding I’m spending less time in writer’s block. What trips me up more is finding the right voice for my characters. I’m currently working on a sci-fi YA novel and using the Save the Cat beat sheet for structure for the first time. Thank you for the article!

Nick Girdwood says:

29/04/2020 – 10:32

Can you not write a story without some huge theme?

Comments are currently closed.

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Online Class: Novel Writing 101

• 52 Exams & Assignments
• 5,752 Students have taken this course
• 22 Hours average time

Course Description

Mastering the Art of Novel Writing: A Comprehensive Guide

Crafting a novel is an art that intertwines creativity, discipline, and dedication. While the journey of novel-writing can be intricate, it is by no means unattainable, especially when armed with the right tools and guidance.

This course, "Mastering the Art of Novel Writing," offers both budding and seasoned writers a structured path to breathe life into their stories. We delve deep into the nuances of crafting a compelling narrative, providing you with a toolkit to develop engaging characters, build gripping plots, and lace your narrative with your unique style.

Why This Course?

For many, the idea of a structural approach to writing may seem restrictive. However, a well-constructed framework can act as a compass, guiding writers through the vast ocean of their imagination without getting lost. By adhering to tried-and-true methodologies, writers can channel their energy on ideation, weaving intricate plot twists, and creating memorable characters.

Our course encompasses all elements vital to novel creation, referred to as 'dramatic construction'. From the seed of an idea to the final full stop, we support you in your journey, ensuring that your story stands tall on these foundational pillars.

Furthermore, with the ever-evolving publishing landscape, simply penning a great story isn't enough. We extend our guidance beyond writing, offering insights into navigating the complex world of publishing, ensuring your masterpiece finds its rightful place on bookshelves.

A Glimpse into the Course Modules:

Definition of a Novel: Understanding the essence of a novel and how it differentiates from other forms of literature.

Work Philosophy: Adopting the right mindset and work ethic for sustained writing.

Novel Writing Methods: Exploring varied approaches to novel writing to find what suits you best.

Selecting a Specific Class & Genre: Recognizing where your story fits in the literary world and tailoring it to a target audience.

Point of View (POV): Delving into narrative styles and discerning which lends best to your story.

Manuscript Formatting: Preparing your manuscript professionally for submissions.

Storyboarding to Synopsis Formation: Structuring your novel, mapping out key events, and preparing a gripping synopsis.

Five Elements of Fiction Writing: Unraveling the elements that make fiction resonate with readers.

Character to Plot Development: Crafting memorable characters and placing them in riveting scenarios.

Setting, Theme, Style, & Tone: Building the world of your novel and defining its mood.

Climax, Critical Scenes & Cause and Effect: Driving your story towards pivotal moments and understanding their ripple effects.

Dialogue & Exposition: Mastering the art of authentic dialogue and balanced exposition.

Polishing of Prose: Refining your narrative for a smooth reading experience.

Checklist of Questions: A reflective module ensuring all boxes are ticked before proceeding.

Publish or Perish - Getting Ready to Submit: Preparing your work and yourself for the world of publishing.

... and more!

Each lesson is meticulously crafted, complete with assignments, resources, and evaluations to ensure not just theoretical knowledge but practical application.

In Conclusion

Novel writing can be a challenging endeavor, but with commitment, passion, and the right guidance, the path becomes clearer and the journey enjoyable. If you're ready to commit to your literary aspirations, to mold your ideas into coherent, compelling narratives, then this course is your compass, guiding light, and mentor.

Join us on this transformative journey, and let's together bring your novel to life.

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• Completely Online
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Course Lessons

Lesson 1: Definition of a Novel

Lesson 2: Work Philosophy

Lesson 3: novel writing methods, lesson 4: selecting a specific class, lesson 5: selecting a specific genre, lesson 6: selecting a point of view (pov), lesson 7: manuscript formatting, lesson 8: storyboarding, lesson 9: synopsis formation, lesson 10: five elements involved in fiction writing, lesson 11: building character development, lesson 12: plot/conflict development, lesson 13: more on plot, lesson 14: setting and theme, lesson 15: style and tone, lesson 16: climax building, lesson 17: critical scenes, lesson 18: cause & effect, lesson 19: dialogue, lesson 20: illustrative details/exposition, lesson 21: inclusion and exclusion, lesson 22: writing a conclusion, lesson 23: polishing of prose, lesson 24: checklist of questions, lesson 25: publish or perish: getting ready to submit, lesson 26: writing a novel: final take aways, learning outcomes.

• Define what a novel is.
• Describe working philosophy.
• Summarize novel writing methods.
• Select a specific class to write about.
• Select a specific genre to write about.
• Select a Point of View (POV).
• Summarize manuscript formatting.
• Create a storyboard.
• Define the synopsis.
• Summarize five elements involved in fiction writing.
• Describe building character development.
• Describe plot/conflict development.
• Summarize plot requirements.
• Create the setting, theme, style and tone.
• Create climax. Identify critical scenes. Recognize cause and effect.
• Create proper dialog and illustrative details.
• Write a conclusion. Edit and revise. Publish the work.
• Demonstrate mastery of lesson content at levels of 70% or higher.

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• Earn an Official Certificate Documenting Course Hours and CEUs
• Verify Your Certificate with a Unique Serial Number Online
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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

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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.

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Upcoming Online Novel Writing Courses

April courses, write your novel the workshop with jack, with jack smith.

Get a good start on a novel in just ten weeks, or revise a novel you’ve already written. Free your imagination, move steadily ahead and count the pages!

Fiction , Novel

Write Your Picture Book!

With kelly bingham.

Picture books have changed greatly over the last few decades, and the market is wide open for fresh ideas. Join us in this six-week intensive where we’ll take that idea of yours and turn it into a manuscript!

Fiction , Novel , Short Story

Plot Your Novel

Over eight weeks, you'll develop a solid basis in the fictional elements—protagonist, setting, secondary characters, point of view, plot, and theme—while you develop the outline of your novel. You'll receive feedback at all stages from your fellow writers and your instructor.

From the Source: Journaling for Self-Knowledge and Creativity

With amy bonnaffons.

Journal to discover yourself, find a wellspring of creativity, and produce publication-ready pieces.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Poetry , Short Story , Stage and Broadcast

May Courses

The first fifty pages of the novel, with sandra novack.

The first 50 pages sets up plot, characters, and voice, and it lays the groundwork for your book's overall structure and success. Receive critical, supportive feedback on your book's start from novelist Sandra Novack.

Character is the Key: Unlock Your Best Stories

With jessie roy.

If you want to tell a good story, you need to write good characters. Learn how to unlock your best stories in this one-day character development workshop. 

Anatomy of a Premise Line: How to Use Story and Premise Development for Writing Success

With jeff lyons.

The premise line is the only reliable tool that can tell you, BEFORE you start writing, whether or not your story will “work.” In this class participants will learn how to master the process of premise line development—the essential first step in any book or screenplay’s development process.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Memoir , Novel , Stage and Broadcast

It Starts with Play: Get (Back) into Writing

With janée baugher.

Harness the joy of creativity in this inspiration-focused class, where we'll uncover new ideas for writing projects and draft loads of new material. 

Get It Done: Fast-Draft Your Novel in 13 Weeks

With troy wilderson.

Write a complete first draft of your novel in this 13-week intensive, where you'll learn everything you need to write a successful story. 

June Courses

The elements of fiction.

Good fiction writing can feel like juggling as you balance all the different elements of storytelling. By the end of this course, you'll be an expert juggler.

Finding Inspiration in Dreams

Our dreams are fertile fields of inspiration, meaning, and creativity. Learn how to use your dreams as doorways to future writing.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Poetry , Short Story

Observing What’s Vivid in Prose and Poetry

With marc olmsted.

Learn how to spotlight beauty through fresh, vivid, and surprising language, in this four week mindfulness writing course.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Poetry , Short Story , Stage and Broadcast

Story Lab: The Story-Subplot Connection

Subplots are key to maintaining narrative pace and tension in a story. Drive your story forward with this deep dive into the elements of good storytelling.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Short Story , Stage and Broadcast

July Courses

The cabin in the (virtual) woods: writing horror comedy, with giulietta nardone.

The line between horror and comedy is a lot thinner than you think. In this class, make your readers laugh in one sentence and cower in the next.

Fiction , Novel , Short Story , Stage and Broadcast

Plot Your Novel with the Three-Act Structure

With denise santomauro.

The 3 act structure gives us the scaffolding we can hang our stories off of. Come away from this class with a fully plotted novel and a plan to write it.

August Courses

Rapid story development: a master plan for building stories that work.

In this 10 week story writing class, Jeff Lyons pairs the Enneagram with story development techniques to revolutionize your writing practice.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Short Story

Write Your Novel in 16 Weeks!

With briana una mcguckin.

In this generative novel writing course, we'll go from writing a strong beginning to writing "The End" on your novel's first draft.

September Courses

A writerly life: develop a writing routine that works for you, with shelby hinte.

What does a writer's life look like? Build a productive writing habit in this course for writers of all backgrounds.

Writing with Consistency and Courage

With tamara dean.

What makes a successful writer? It's not talent, craft, or even the right connections—it's consistency and courage.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Live Workshop , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Poetry , Short Story

Dread and Desire: Gothic Fiction Techniques to Lure and Horrify Your Readers

This Halloween, learn how to write eerie, haunting moods in this comprehensive course on Gothic writing techniques.

Unscheduled Courses

These online writing classes don’t currently have a next session on our calendar, but will soon. If you see a course you’re interested in, use the “I’m Interested” button to let us know, and we’ll follow up with you when the course is on our calendar next.

Want to reach us or our instructors with questions about our online writing courses? Contact us at [email protected] , or visit the contact form .

(Live Workshop) Get Clear on Your Story and Voice

With nadia colburn.

What is your story about? What is your voice? Whether you write poetry, fiction, or nonfiction, hone your writing in this 3 hour workshop.

(Live Workshop) Revising the Novel: Take Your First Draft to the Next Level

With donna levin.

Ready to start revising your novel? Get rolling in this in-depth webinar.

Fiction , Live Workshop , Novel

(Live Workshop) Writing Beginnings and Endings

With sarah aronson.

How do you write a story that's compelling to start and satisfying to finish? Sarah Aronson explains in this comprehensive one-day workshop.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Live Workshop , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Short Story

(Live Workshop) Writing from a Strong Sense of Place: A Generative Workshop

With jacquelyn stolos.

Develop powerful and realistic settings in this generative three-hour workshop, with Jacquelyn Stolos.

Fiction , Live Workshop , Novel , Short Story , Stage and Broadcast

*Private Class | Embodied Writing: Improve Your Writing with Full-Body Creativity

With rosemary tantra bensko.

Have a grand time with specific physical exercises that honor your health, generate imaginative ideas, explore deeply and make your creative writing entertaining.

*Private Class | Embodied Writing: Somatic Practices to Improve Your Work

*private class | introduction to writing genre fiction.

Take the whirlwind tour! Learn the conventions of eight major fiction genres, try them out, and figure out your niche.

*Private Class | The Micro-obstacles/Flow Technique

Create new work with fresh language, universal themes, sustained mystery and memorable characters. Stimulate your imagination.

*Private Class | Using Bullet Journaling to Achieve Writing Goals

With rudri patel.

Looking to keep your writing goals organized? Make it happen in our bullet journaling course. Learn the art of the BuJo with Rudri Patel!

*Private Class | Writing with Tarot

Jump-start your creative juices, and explore a world of divination, symbolism, and imagery right at your fingertips: learn short story and novel writing through Tarot.

Advanced Fiction Workshop with Emily Adrian

With emily adrian.

Build a feedback group and sharpen your novel or short stories for publication in this workshop-oriented fiction class. 

Battling the Blank Page: Writing the First Third of Your Novel

With elisa bonnin.

If the blank page daunts you, conquer it in this comprehensive novel writing course, where you'll end with over 1/3 of a first draft written.

Beyond Formula: Writing Love Scenes With Spirit, Passion, Grit And Character Truth

With anya achtenberg.

Write about love beyond trite sentiment and shallow fictions. Work down to the real thing: deep, powerful, destructive, exalted, fundamental.

Block Buster: Turbocharge Your Creativity with Breakneck Writing

With gretchen clark.

Banish writer's block, unearth fresh ideas, and sharpen your storytelling ability with the practice of fast, timed writing.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Short Story , Stage and Broadcast

Boost Your Imagination and Reap the Literary Rewards

It happens to all of us: life gets in the way and our creativity falters. Get back on track with this four-week creativity boosting class!

Character Transformation Workshop: How to Write Stories that Emotionally Resonate

Learn how to write emotionally resonant journeys that stick with the reader, using the power of character transformation.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Memoir , Novel , Short Story , Stage and Broadcast

Crafting a Story or Novel Chapter Using Forward-Moving Tension

How do writers tell stories with tension, action, and emotion? Learn how to write forward-moving tension in this 5 week fiction course.

Crafting the Poetry Novel for Young Adults

Even if you’ve never written poetry before, you can begin the rewarding process of crafting a poetry novel for Young Adults. Is there a market for novels written in verse? Are they well received? Yes, there is, and yes, they are!

Fiction , Novel , Poetry

Crafting the Poetry Novel: Advanced Workshop

Want to make headway on your poetry novel? This workshop offers the structure and resources to get it done, with instructor Kelly Bingham.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Memoir , Novel , Poetry

Crafting the Romance Novel

With jeanne de vita.

More than happily ever after. Writing a romance novel is about more than just telling the story of how two characters meet, fall in love, and ride off into the sunset of happily ever after. A romance novel follows the same structure as powerful novels in other genres and employs the building blocks of great…

De Novo: How to Build Your Own Fantasy or Sci-Fi World

Create captivating worlds in this comprehensive worldbuilding course. You'll come away with fantastic settings that make your stories mesmerizing, believable, and real.

Deepening and Organizing Our Stories: Memoir/Creative Nonfiction and Autobiographical Fiction

For writers of memoir, creative nonfiction and fiction, with some experience. Particularly helpful to writers in the midst of a longer work.

Drafty in Here: Write Your Novella in Ten Weeks

Write the entire first draft of a novella-length story, with plenty of feedback from stage to stage, and finish with a plan for revising toward a publishable manuscript.

Embodied Writing: Improve Your Writing with Full-Body Creativity

Embodied writing: somatic practices to improve your work, finding the real story: essential elements of story in fiction and memoir.

Address the larger issues of writing story through a look at the essential elements of narrative in fiction and memoir.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Memoir , Novel , Short Story

Finish Your Manuscript: Next-Level Picture Book Mentorship

During this six week program, you will work closely one-on-one with Kelly to finalize, refine, and polish your picture book into a manuscript ready to submit for publication or representation.

Fiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Novel , Short Story

First Pages That Will Pull Agents In!

Polish your opening pages in this novel intensive, where you'll make your first pages so perfect, your readers will need to know what comes next.

From Memory: Writing Fiction or Memoir from Lived Experience

With chin-sun lee.

In this class, you'll use a nearly infinite resource—your own memory—to craft compelling fiction or nonfiction stories.

Get Back to That Book

For any number of reasons, the book we want to write gets waylaid. Get back to it in this motivational two part workshop.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Memoir , Novel

Get It Done: Create the Scaffolding to Start (and Finish) a Writing Project

With eman quotah.

Get your butt in the chair, your mind roaming freely, and your creative juices flowing in this motivational, all-genres writing class.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Live Workshop , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Poetry , Short Story , Stage and Broadcast

Get That Novel Finished! Tools and Inspiration to Complete Your First Draft

Finishing a novel requires guts, dedication, and stamina. When you find yourself struggling, our 10-week course with Donna Levin will help!

Get That Novel Started: A Two-Week Writing Workshop

Take the plunge! Put your ideas to paper, write and share the opening pages of your novel, and create a plan for writing a full first draft.

Get Your Book Done Intensive! 4 Weeks to Measurable Progress

The summer is the best time to get the ball rolling on your book. Join us if you really want to get your book into the world.

Get Your Book Noticed: Writing Loglines That Sell

Your logline helps you query agents, market your book, and figure out the story itself. Hone your logline and set your book up for success in this Zoom workshop.

Graphic Novel Writing Bootcamp

With cristian aluas.

Put pen to graphing paper in this workshop on crafting the graphic novel. By the end of the Zoom call, you'll have an 8 page graphic short story that's ready to illustrate.

How to Firm Up the “Mushy Middle” of Any Story

Ensure a strong middle throughline for any story. Say goodbye to the "mushy middle," and hello to stories that work.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Memoir , Novel , Short Story , Stage and Broadcast

How to Write Character-Driven Stories

With lisa c. taylor.

Characters don't just drive the story, they are the story. Learn how to craft character-centered fiction and give life to the people on your page.

How to Write Great Stories

Learn how to combine character, setting, plot, and other elements of fiction to write powerful, compelling stories.

Humor Is The New Black!

Ready to add a splash of fun to your writing life? Join us for a four-week humor writing class. We’ll read. We’ll laugh. We’ll write. We’ll experiment.

I’ve Drunk Your Poisoned Nectar: Writing with the Goddess

With shankar narayan.

Dig deep into the rich mythology of South Asian goddesses to find new inspiration for your work in this generative, open-genre writing class.

In Your Own Words: Transforming Life Into Memoir and Fiction

With margo perin.

Learn how to draw inspiration and material from your life experiences or those of people you know, or want to know, to craft compelling, publishable memoirs, personal essays, autobiographical novels and short stories, and/or narrative poetry.

Intro to Fiction Writing

What makes a good fiction story? Learn how to write compelling stories in this eight-week intro to fiction course, with Donna Levin.

Introduction to Writing Genre Fiction

Kickstart your novel.

How do novelists turn an idea into a published book? Gain the confidence to  be a novelist in this transformational 3 hour workshop. 

Let It Rip: The Art of Writing Fiery Prose

You'll write prose that gets folks so hot and bothered they won't be able to put it down, even if it isn't about sex.

Look Again: Revision for Novel Writers

With amanda hosch.

Most novels become great through the power of revision. Learn how to turn a rough draft into a swoon-worthy manuscript that readers and publishers will love.

Make Your Prose Sing

With leslie lawrence.

Enrich your prose with techniques from poetry. Bring paper and pens; leave with a better ear and lots of ideas about how to make your prose sing.

Manuscript Review for Children’s Writers: Summer Edition

Instructor Sarah Aronson welcomes all writers who are working on manuscripts for kids and teens. This advanced workshop will focus entirely on the participants' own work in progress.

Manuscript Workshop: Writing For Young Readers

Author Denise Santomauro leads this intermediate/advanced workshop on writing for children. It offers support, structure and detailed feedback on manuscripts.

Mastering the Elements of Fiction

In this course, you’ll work with the basic elements of fiction--the fundamentals that drive the story and determine the quality of the work.

Onward: Writing the Novel-in-Process

So now that you have your opening novel pages, what next? Get detailed, constructive feedback on your work-in-progress, wherever you're at in writing it.

Overcome Writing Anxiety: Boost Your Storytelling Confidence in Four Short Weeks!

"Who are you to want to write?" Someone great, that's who! Politely ask Mr. or Ms. Fear to step aside while you sign up for this fun, freeing and functional adventure.

Penning Passion: Finish the First Draft of your Romance Novel in Ten Weeks

In this comprehensive class, you'll learn the ropes of romance writing and finish a first draft of your romance novel. 

Roads Into Writing: Opening New Terrain In Your Work

Write like mad, read brilliant books & deepen your craft while exploring new paths to inspiration. With novelist and poet Anya Achtenberg, .

Scene Study: Strengthen Your Writing with Compelling Scenes

With susan pohlman.

Great stories are constructed with great scenes. Immerse your reader in your stories by learning the ropes of scene development.

Speculative Fiction: Sci-fi, Fantasy, & More

With tara campbell.

Speculative fiction isn't (only) warp drives and magic wands; it's anything that examines human lives and relationships through alternate realities. In this course, learn how to wield the fantastic in your fiction.

Story Lab: Story Structure 101

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Mastering Story Writing for Class 7: Format, Examples, and PDF Notes

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Unleashing your creative spirit through story writing can be an exhilarating experience. With our range of resources, including story writing for class 7, English story writing guides, and countless story writing short tips, we can help spark your imagination and guide your pen. If you're someone who finds inspiration in visuals, our story writing pictures might just be the muse you need to weave a captivating tale. Our platform caters to budding authors and curious minds alike, making story writing an accessible and enjoyable journey for everyone. Whether you're a class 7 student wanting to ace your English assignment or a wordsmith aiming to pen down a masterpiece, we provide the tools to guide your narrative craft. Let's step into the world of story writing and paint our tales with words!

What is Story writing?

A story is an imaginary account about people or situations that is told for entertainment.  Everybody loves to read or listen to stories. But writing them is not a simple task. In this chapter, we will learn the guidelines for writing a good story.

Components of a Story writing for Class 7

In Class 7, students are expected to incorporate certain key components into their story writing to create an engaging and well-structured narrative. These components are:

Theme: The theme is the central idea or message of the story. For example, it could be about friendship, bravery, honesty, or kindness.

Characters: These are the people, animals, or entities around whom the story revolves. Characters should be well-defined and relatable to make the story interesting.

Setting: The setting describes the time and place where the story takes place. It helps to establish the context and mood of the story.

Plot: This is the sequence of events that make up the story. A good plot generally includes an introduction, a conflict or problem, the rising action where the tension builds, the climax or turning point, the falling action leading to resolution, and the conclusion.

Conflict: Conflict is a crucial element that drives the plot. It is a challenge or problem that the main character must overcome.

Resolution: This is the part of the story where the conflict is resolved, and the story comes to an end.

Narration/Point of View: This is about who is telling the story. It could be one of the characters (first-person) or an external narrator (third-person).

Dialogue: This is the conversation between characters. It helps to reveal character traits and advance the plot.

Language and Vocabulary: The choice of words and language should be suitable for the story's context and understandable for the target readership.

Remember, while these components are important, what's most crucial is to let creativity flow and enjoy the process of story writing.

Story Writing examples

Title: The Wise Farmer

Once upon a time in a small village named Sundarpur, there lived a humble farmer named Ramesh. He had a farm where he grew a variety of crops. He was known in the village for his hard work and honesty.

One day, a terrible drought hit Sundarpur. The once fertile lands turned barren, and the villagers were worried. Everyone's crops started failing except for Ramesh's. His fields were still green and bountiful.

The villagers were curious. They wondered how Ramesh managed to keep his farm flourishing amidst the drought. Some were suspicious and thought he was using black magic.

Unable to contain their curiosity, they finally asked Ramesh his secret. Ramesh smiled and invited them to his farm. He showed them a simple irrigation system he had built which conserved water efficiently, allowing him to water his crops even during the drought.

Seeing this, the villagers were amazed and asked Ramesh to teach them his methods. Ramesh, being kind and helpful, agreed without hesitation. He taught everyone how to build the irrigation system, and soon, all the farms began to turn green again.

The villagers thanked Ramesh and learned a valuable lesson that day. They realized that instead of jumping to conclusions and harbouring suspicions, it's better to communicate and learn from one another.

Moral: Communication and learning from others can solve many problems .

1. What is story writing?

Story writing is the art of creating a narrative with a plot, characters, setting, and theme. It allows the writer to express ideas, feelings, and thoughts through a structured storyline.

2. What are the key components of a story?

The key components of a story include characters, setting, plot, conflict, and resolution. Also, the point of view from which the story is told and the theme or underlying message of the story are important elements.

3. How do I start writing a story?

Start by brainstorming ideas. Think about the characters, setting, and plot. You can start with a situation, a problem, or a character and build your story from there. Sketching out an outline can be helpful.

4. How can I make my story interesting?

You can make your story interesting by creating relatable characters, adding unexpected twists, and building tension in your plot. Good dialogue can also bring characters to life and engage readers.

5. What is the difference between a story and a narrative?

A narrative is a broader term and refers to any account of connected events presented to a reader or listener. A story, on the other hand, is a type of narrative that typically involves characters, a plot with a beginning, middle, and end, and often a resolution or moral.

6. How do I end a story?

You can end a story by resolving the main conflict and giving a sense of closure. This could involve the main character learning a lesson, achieving a goal, or undergoing a change. The ending should wrap up loose ends and leave the reader satisfied.

What is the plot of a story? The plot of a story is the sequence of events that make up the story. It usually involves an introduction, a conflict, a climax, and a resolution.

The art of story writing can be both engaging and educational, a combination that is highly effective, especially for class 7 students. It not only enhances English language proficiency but also kindles imagination and creativity. Writing short stories can be particularly useful as they require a good grasp of plot development within a limited scope. In class 7, students are often provided story writing worksheets that help them structure their narratives more effectively. These worksheets guide them through the process, ensuring they include important elements such as characters, setting, plot, and a clear beginning, middle, and end. Moreover, they often come with hints to aid in crafting compelling narratives. The use of pictures for story writing is also prevalent, as they can be a great source of inspiration. They help to stimulate creativity and encourage students to interpret visual cues in their own unique ways. Additionally, writing stories with a moral provides students an opportunity to convey valuable lessons and ethics. Story writing for class 7 is indeed an exciting journey that fosters essential writing skills and develops a deeper understanding of the narrative form.

• Story writing
• All CBSE notes
• All ENGLISH GRAMMAR notes
• All GRADE 7 notes

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Story Writing for Class 7 CBSE Format, Examples, Topics, Exercises

A story is an account of imaginary or real people and events told for entertainment. Stories cast a magic spell on all of us and have mind-altering effects. Stories give us inspiration and sometimes challenge our beliefs.

Story writing is an art It is the oldest form of written composition. It is a work of imagination that is written in an easily understandable grammatical structure. a short story is meant to be read in a single sitting and therefore it should be as direct and brief as possible.

Basic English Grammar rules can be tricky. In this article, we’ll get you started with the basics of sentence structure, punctuation, parts of speech, and more.

Story Writing for Class 7 Format, Examples, Topics, Exercises

The following are some characteristics of a good short story:

• Be brief and concise.
• The chief component of a story includes its theme which forms the idea of the story and its characters who must be realistic and thinking and feeling individuals.
• The setting should set the backdrop and mood of the story. And the plot must depict a series of events in a well – organized manner.
• Always remember that the scheme of events should lead to an ending which is unexpected and surprising.
• It should definitely reflect the personal experiences of the writer. The most distinctive feature of a story is to leave behind an impression on the readers.

There are many different types of stories such as myths, epics, fables, folktales, fairy tales, horror, adventure, humorous and detective stories.

Story Writing Solved Examples With Answers for Class 7 CBSE

Write a short story using the given clues.

Jack and Mona – friends since college – Jack comes back from Iraq War – acts differently – Mona suspects he is hiding a secret – hears voices coming from the attic – goes into his room – finds a strange apparition.

Mona was on the brink of a new discovery. It was true that she and Jack had lived together as roommates since university, but Jack was not the same anymore. He had served as a soldier in the Iraq War. But he was not a soldier; he was a surgeon and was helping his country in the War by serving the soldiers. Mona could see that he was a changed person. Even though everything seemed to be the same, there was something about him that made her believe that he was no longer at ease.

But what else could Mona expect? Wars did have the ability to change people. He had returned from the war ten days ago. And he did not greet her the way he used to, even though they had met after two years. He seemed cold and distant and had a burdened look on his face. His lucid eyes were now dark and gloomy. They seemed to contain a dark secret – as if he had made a secret deal with the devil.

Mona wanted to find out what was going on with him, but more than that she failed to understand what was happening around the house. It was as if a secret presence had completely occupied their one-storeyed studio apartment. She would find dishes where they were not supposed to be; there were noises coming from the dark attic above Jack’s room, and things around the house began to move. Sometimes she found the toilet soap in the kitchen sink, and sometimes her dresses that lay folded and ironed in her almirah were found hanging dry in the garden. And strangely enough, it felt like Jack never left his room. If he ever did so, he would come back running and frantically.

Something was up, and so one day when Jack was sleeping in his room, Mona went inside to find out what was happening. Clothes that had not been washed since days, empty water bottles and cartons of milk were lying strewn on the floor. Mona was disgusted and had walked out in that same exact moment when she suddenly saw a tall and lean figure making its way out of the attic. She screamed in fear and Jack quickly rose up. He switched on the lights to reveal a tall and lean woman standing between both of them.

Writing task At some point, you must have had visitors – salesmen, beggars, people asking for assistance, inquisitive neighbors, uninvited guests – calling at your door. Do you remember any of these people in particular? Has one of them made an impression on you? Write a short story entitled “The Visitor”. Make your story as interesting as possible. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Answer:

The Visitor

I was alone at home that day. I was not expecting anyone to turn up either, as it was a national holiday. My parents had to go to my father’s house because of some emergency. They could not take me with them as they could not get another train ticket at such a short notice. I also saw it as an opportunity to relax and rewind. I was going to do nothing all day. There were not going to be any rules today. I would brush my teeth when I wanted to; I did not have to take a shower or go to bed when my parents told me to.

However, one hour into their absence, I began to feel uneasy. I felt like there was nothing much to do at home when they were not around. I had listened to music, browsed the Internet, and read all the newpaper articles that interested me. But I still found it difficult to pass time. Just then standing on the balcony, I saw a tall and light-skinned foreigner who was asking for directions from the security guard downstairs.

I wanted to go and help him, but then realized what my parents had told me about trusting strangers. A couple of minutes later, a bell rang at my house. I did not think twice before answering the door. To my utter amazement, the foreigner I had seen a while ago was standing right in front of me. Before I could ask him what he wanted, he just entered my house and sat at the sofa in the living room. He made himself comfortable, and probably that is when he noticed my gaping mouth.

He took that opportunity and introduced himself. Just then I noticed something strange; the guy looked exactly like me. He had the same features and the same face except that he was somewhat chubby. He had blue eyes, while mine were brown. We were the same age, in fact. His name was Peter, he told me. And then he went on to tell me how painstaking it was for him to find me. But why was he looking for me, I thought.

He told me that he had recently come across my photos on some social media group, and wanted to meet me in person to see if there was some connection between the two of us. But why didn’t he contact me on the website, I asked. He told me that he had always wanted to travel to India, and this was an opportunity to discover this exotic beauty.

I could also no longer contain my emotions and began to shoot one question at him after the other. We spent two hours talking about ourselves, our lineage, our grandparents, and everything else. No, we were not connected at all, except that we had the same face.