“There’s nothing scarier than staring at a blank page.” Many people have said that throughout history, but my mom was the first one I ever heard that from. She was right. A blank page… that first blank page, especially, can be terrifying.
Writing can be a real maze of ideas and creativity. I’ve honed a step-by-step process that takes you from a flurry of brainstorming to holding your very own manuscript in your hands. If you’ve ever wondered how writers bring their tales to life, join me as I unlock some of the magic behind the curtain and reveal one of many possible paths to crafting a story that will leave your readers enchanted.
Step 1: Brainstorming and Organizing Ideas
Let’s take the fear out of that first blank page by filling it. The first step in this process is to unleash your creativity and brainstorm all the ideas you want to include in your novel. At this stage, you don’t need to worry about order or presentation; you just need to let your imagination run hog wild. Write down every detail and every scene you want to include. After that, you arrange these scenes in chronological order, leaving room for connecting scenes to ensure a smooth flow from one point to another.
Step 2: Adding Smaller Events and Details
Next, you figure out how to move from one scene to another. You add 3–5 smaller events or plot points that help bridge the gap between major scenes or add other major scenes where they are needed for the story to progress and make sense. While doing this, start adding more details, dialogue, and foreshadowing to bring your story to life. This is a great time to add some small bits of information that are hidden in the details of earlier scenes, to allude to larger events that take place later in the story. Foreshadowing in this way adds depth to your story.
Step 3: Crafting the First Draft
This stage is all about writing the first draft. You should focus on adding lots of details, describing how characters arrive at settings, and ensuring necessary dialogue and the aforementioned foreshadowing are present. The goal is to create a solid first draft, which doesn’t have to be perfect or pretty.
Step 4: Second, Third, and Fourth Drafts
I should emphasize that first drafts are allowed to be rough. The second draft is where you make your story coherent and you should read over it to fill in missing details, remove redundancies, and improve clarity. The third and fourth drafts involve fine-tuning the language, fixing punctuation and spelling, paying attention to word choice, and polishing the narrative.
Step 5: Taking a Month Off
After completing the fourth draft, I recommend leaving the manuscript untouched for an entire month. This break helps gain a fresh perspective on the work and allows for new ideas or improvements to emerge naturally. By now, you will have read back over it so many times, that it blends together.
I can’t stress this enough: Take a break!
Step 6: Draft Five — Incorporating Fresh Ideas
Upon returning to the manuscript, use draft five to incorporate any ideas or scenes that came to mind during the break. This is a great time to look over your work with a fresh eye. You will likely find many mistakes you missed before and you may find some details that either no longer make sense in the story, or that you feel need altered for clarity. Be open to changes and let the narrative guide the writing.
Step 7: Sixth and Seventh Drafts
By draft six, your novel is nearly complete. The focus should shift to polishing grammar, spelling, and ensuring the writing flows smoothly. In draft seven, pay close attention to punctuation, aiming for a polished manuscript.
Step 8: Gathering Feedback
Understand the importance of fresh perspectives. I suggest sharing your work with a maximum of three trusted individuals. This step provides valuable insights into what makes sense to readers and uncovers any overlooked errors. Professional editing can be expensive, but if you choose to utilize their services, now is the time to do it.
Step 9: Draft Eight — The Final Touches
In draft eight, incorporate the feedback from your trusted readers and/or editor, making changes that align with your final vision. Thoroughly proofreads the manuscript one last time.
Step 10: Draft Nine — Formatting
In the penultimate draft, format the novel into chapters. If you choose to go through traditional publishing channels, you’re done.
Congratulations, you have a finished manuscript! You should be proud! You’ve come so far!
At this point, the manuscript is ready for submission to literary agents and publishers.
Step 11: Final Draft (For Indie Authors)
For those choosing to go the Indie-Author, or Self-published routes, the tenth and final draft involves formatting the manuscript into a finished book, complete with title pages, copyright information, and disclaimers as needed.
Writing a fiction novel in six months might seem daunting. It might feel bigger than life, but many authors, including myself, have proven that with the right approach, dedication, and a touch of humor, it’s entirely achievable.
From brainstorming to publishing, I hope this step-by-step guide will help aspiring authors realize their dream of becoming successful fiction writers.
Remember, it’s okay for the first draft to be rough — great novels are born from perseverance and the joy of storytelling.
If you want to be a writer, write. Keep a notebook with you, because everything is inspiration fodder, from the way a leaf falls to the ground, to the stranger in an intriguing outfit on the subway.
Now you know how to write a book. So go ahead and unleash your creativity, let your imagination craft a captivating world for readers to explore. You’ve got this! Happy writing.
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