A 9-Step Guide to Writing Fiction

Fiction writing is quite a challenging task, even for seasoned writers. The demons of self-judgment, procrastination, fear of imperfection, and self-doubt are the culprits in most cases. These emotions overpower every author before they start working on their new novel. However, they know how to defeat them, which eventually works in their favor to write fiction.

So, if you also wish to write your fiction novel and see it selling off the store shelves, we have some helpful tips for you. All you have to do is dedicatedly work on your dream book right away! Remember, you can hire professional academic writers on paper writing platforms like DoMyEssay to write me a speech, essay, book review, or any other paper you’ve got as homework while you write your first novel.

How to Write Fiction Novels

Develop a Writing Routine

No amount of hard work and effort will pay off if you are not consistent. It is crucial to develop a writing routine to finish your piece. Most famous authors write somewhere between 1000-2000 words a day. Contrary to the belief that quality is more important than quantity, writing entails continuous practice. Unlike you turning to a professional paper writing service to write my lab report with best authors or work on your other college assignments, you have to work on it yourself.

So, you might not be writing your best, but once you get into the habit of doing it daily, your skill improves. Sit to write at the same time every day and perform the same task before and after it. It is advisable to pick a time when you feel most productive and energetic during the day.

Pick Your Story Idea

Creative minds wander a lot. You may have a few story ideas in your mind. But if you won’t choose one and begin working on it, you won’t see any progress. Hence, you should pick an idea that you feel is most unique, exciting, and can be marketed well. Moreover, choose the one that you are the most passionate about. The sooner you choose your idea, the sooner you start materializing your dream novel.

Choose Your Narration Style

The next step is to choose your point of view. For example, a story may be narrated in the protagonist’s voice, may take a side character as a narrator, or can be told through a third person’s point of view. This POV character will be your story’s camera.

Ideally, you should stick to one or two narrators throughout your novel. However, if you wish to include more perspectives, ensure that you don’t change the POVs frequently. Too many POVs with frequent switching may cause your readers to lose interest.

Build Main Characters

In most fiction novels, there is a main character whom the story revolves around. You can also involve more than one main character. It will depend on your story idea. However, one character usually dominates the story.

Think about your main characters, how they look, their goals, and their traits (good and bad), and develop your character. So, if they are protagonists, why are they so? And if you are working on an antagonist, what made them a villain in the story? Similarly, build other characters too.

Determine Your Plot & write fiction

You can be one of the two types of novel writers plotter or pantser. Plotters like to create a detailed outline first, while pantsers discover a story’s course as they write. However, even pantsers require a rough sketch of how the story will unfold. Regardless of whichever type you are, try to create an outline for your plot and be open to molding the story as it progresses.

Choose the Structure of Your Story

Every story has a beginning and an end, and all the drama, events, and transitions in between. How you tell your story makes a lot of difference to how hooked your audience feels. You can either narrate from the beginning and take it to the climax, event by event or choose to tell a random yet significant event relating all other parts of your fictional story with it. This method is more prominent and attention-grabbing.

Some authors prefer to start with a complete description of the plot setting, while others choose to create a hook by initiating a scene without going into much detail.

Study Your Audience

What route your novel takes depends a lot on your audience. Not everybody will like your story, just like how you don’t like some. If you write without understanding your target market, you might fail to entice them through your narration. Thus, you have to determine who your reader is. You can draw your target audience persona by answering the following questions:

Who are you writing this novel for?
What are their age and backgrounds?
What types of books and genres do they like?
What narration and story structure do they like the most?

Leave Room for Imagination

The avid readers are fabulous dreamers. Those who like to read novels love it when a story takes them into a world of imagination. Use this to your benefit and tap into the theater of their minds. Don’t spoon-feed every piece of information. Instead, leave some of the details to their imagination. Jerry Jenkins’ Show, Don’t Tell is one of the best tricks you can use here.

Bring the Plot to a Logical Conclusion

It is essential to conclude your novel to let your readers feel satisfied. The conclusion can be a trail of peaceful events after a rollercoaster journey, or it might be a tragic end, leaving your readers in tears. You can also leave the story open-ended, allowing your audience to deduce, just like how they don’t exactly tell whether Jamie dies or a miracle saves her in “A Walk to Remember.”

Wrapping Up

Fiction is a way to let readers explore your world of imagination. The success of a fiction novel depends on the core idea of your story, the style of your narration, and how you knit events into the plot. Use the above tips to write your first fiction, and don’t forget to edit well.