You'll be familiar with the old adage that every story should have a beginning, a middle and an end. Well, the same is also true for the process of writing a novel. The beginning is taken up with formulating your thoughts on the theme, plot and characters. The middle is the actual process of putting pen to paper. And the end is the process of editing your completed script and getting feedback so that you will hopefully then feel confident enough to seek a buyer for your novel.
In the beginning:
A mistake that some amateur writers make is to jump straight into the writing stage. It's an obvious temptation. You have maybe had that initial spark of inspiration and you want to strike whilst the iron is hot. However, most novels that begin in this fashion end prematurely, as the writer's inspiration dries up and they find that they don't know where the story is going.
Most successful novels are preceded, therefore, by a period of planning. The writer works through what themes and topics they want to explore in their proposed novel. They think also about the storyline. Of course, the plot doesn't need to be set in stone right from the outset and often the writer will have further sparks of inspiration that result in a deviation from the original plan. However, having a rough outline of how you expect the story to develop usually helps greatly when you actually get around to writing the first draft of your novel. It can also pay off to devote a little time to fleshing out your characters. Having a clear idea about their backgrounds and motivations will help ensure that they come across as authentic and that you are consistent in your representation of them.
Writing the first draft:
Probably the biggest danger that a writer faces, when setting out on the quest of writing a novel, is the possibility that the words will dry up. Whether you call this writer's block or just disillusionment with the novel, it can kill a novel and result in it being binned or filled away; left to get dusty on some shelf. It's vital, therefore, that you find the determination and self discipline to keep writing, even if or when it begins to feel more like a chore than a labour of love. The chances are that if you can stick with it through the bad days, you will come out on the other side reinvigorated and the novel will become a joy again.
How, though, can we increase our chances of persevering with our novel? Well, probably the most important bit of advice that I can impart is to make writing part of your daily routine. The more we do things, the more reinforced they become and the easier it becomes to continue doing them. This applies whether we're talking about an exercise regime or a writing regime. You should look, therefore, to set aside a regular time each day for writing. The time that you schedule will depend upon other commitments and also upon when you feel best attuned to writing. Some of us are morning people and some of us are night owls and linking your writing time to when you feel most alert will be very beneficial.
It's also important to ensure that you are free of distractions during your writing time. Turn off your mobile, close the door on your study and tell other household members only to interrupt you if it's an emergency. Some writers like to have music playing (Stephen King, for example, listens to AC/DC records!) but others work best if there is total silence.
Your work space is important too. If you are writing a novel, you will be spending a lot of time in it, so make sure that it is set up in a way that is optimal for you. Having Internet access may be important to facilitate research and you will probably want easy access to a dictionary and perhaps to files containing your notes on the novel or previous chapters that you have printed and want to re-read.
Most successful writers also set themselves a daily minimum word limit that they are going to achieve or, alternatively, commit to writing for a set number of hours. Setting yourself these targets can be a vital component to ensure that your novel maintains momentum. From reading Stephen King's book "On writing", I seem to recall that he sets himself a minimum target of writing 2,000 words per day. If you are combining writing with holding down a day job, then you may need to set yourself a lower target but the key aspect isn't the number of words but rather the commitment that you are making to driving the novel forward.
Another tip that many find useful is to avoid excessive editing during the writing of the first draft. The perfectionist in you may want to re-read every chapter and correct all errors and make amendments to the dialogue and narration. However, this slows down the pace that you are setting and is more likely to lead to a position where you get stuck and feel you can't go on. Leaving the editing to the end can feel uncomfortable but is likely to be the most effective approach.
What comes after "The End".
You've typed the final sentence of your novel and you lean back in your chair with a sense of deep satisfaction. You have every right to be pleased with yourself and should allow yourself to celebrate this success. After all it's been a long journey. However, it's important to note that completing the first draft is not the end of the journey. It is just a stage along the way; a stop-over point. You now have to go back and review what you've written and tidy up the bits that require editing.
The editing process, and going through multiple drafts, is often very frustrating for the novelist. The glamorous part is writing the story and coming up with all the plot twists, elegant dialogue and characterisation. The last thing you really want to do is to have to go back over every word, checking for spelling and grammatical errors, as well as inconsistencies and instances where your writing was vague or could simply be improved. However, this stage is often as critical as the writing stage; at least if you want to convince a literary agent or a publisher to take you on. And, as well as putting the finishing touches to your opus, you will also need to consider how you're going to sell your novel to interested parties. That often requires the writer to distil the appeal of their novel into a more concentrated form, via a plot outline and they will also need to write a convincing cover letter.
Summary:
The process of producing a novel is about more than just the time you spend typing out the words of each chapter. Before you even begin putting fingers to keyboard, you should have done some planning, concentrating on things such as the themes and topic you wish to explore, the rough plot and fleshing out the main characters. The writing stage is fraught with dangers, the main one being that you will run out of steam and simply give up. Creating a regular writing routine will help to avoid this pitfall but, ultimately, success will be dependant upon your levels of determination and self discipline and also upon how much planning you have done. Finally, bear in mind that your novel isn't complete until you have gone back and edited it. Indeed, you may find that you go through several drafts before you have a version that you are happy to put before a publisher or literary agent. Writing a novel is typically quite a long process and may not be as much fun as you had anticipated. It should, however, be extremely rewarding once you have the final draft sitting in front of you. Along the way, however, it's important to remember that it is effort more than inspiration that will be the fundamental key to achieving your goal.