by Megan Hart

Created on: November 22, 2009

There are as many ways to write a novel as there are writers, and there is no One True Way. Whatever works best for the author is how the novel's going to be written, no matter how many classes the writer's taken, how many books he's read, or how many articles she's consulted. In the end, the only way a book is written is by whatever means the writer finds necessary.

There are, however, common steps in every novel's conception that can be applied to both the plotting and seat-of-your-pants writing methods. Without these three steps, there can be no book, no matter what your method of writing it may be.

The Idea - A book or story has to start with an idea. Don't have one? Think again. Even the tiniest kernel of an idea can grow to become a full-fledged story with the right encouragement. Writers take inspiration from life around them, other books, movies, music, whatever they encounter. Open yourself up to the vast possibilities of "what if" and if you're a writer, the story ideas will come.

The Execution - No, not the firing squad (unless that's the type of book you're writing.) The execution of a novel is more than simply putting the words on the page, it's deciding in what point-of-view it should be written. How long the chapter breaks should be. What style or voice the story will be - comedic, tragic, dramatic, horrific. Plotters might decide this before they ever put down a word, while pantsers might not figure any of the details until they've written a couple hundred pages. The bottom line is, the novel must be written somehow. An idea is only an idea until you put the words on the page - only then does it become a story.

The Finishing - It's not enough to simply type "The End." All books need editing. Check for typos, plot holes, bad grammar, misspellings. This process can take a lot of time for a book that needs to be torn apart and sewn back together, or it can be a swift and gratifying polish of a book that was written close to perfect from the start. A fresh pair of eyes from a trusted critique partner is an essential part of this process. (Word of note - it's not an editor's job to fix your book, particularly not if you're trying to sell it. It's essential and imperative to put your best work out there, polished from the first word to the last. An editor's job is to make sure your work's the best it can be, yes, but ultimately it's the author's name on the book, not the editor's. Who do you trust most to make sure you book is exactly what you want it to be?)

Other steps in writing a novel that not all writers will take:

1. Pre-writing

2. Setting up a properly formatted manuscript

3. Setting writing goals

4. Participating in a critique group or with a critique partner

5. Re-writing

Ultimately, writing a novel is a personal experience that can't be duplicated by anyone else and needn't rely on a list of pre-approved steps to be completed.

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