Your First Fiction Novel: A Novice Author’s Guide

No one wakes up one fine morning with the idea of writing a brilliant book. It is a well-planned endeavour that needs a lot of commitment, planning, and hard work. In simple words, it would be fair to state that writing your first novel is easier said than done.

According to a study in 2023, the global book market is worth an estimated $139 billion, with 500,000 new books published in the United States alone. It does not happen overnight. Every book goes through a long process before it is published and shared with the world. 

Not knowing where to begin as a novice author can be overwhelming. Here is all you need to do in order to publish your first fiction novel.

1. Table of Contents

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   Refine Your Concept

You may have the greatest and most engaging idea for a fiction book in your mind. However, you cannot effectively transform it into an engaging novel without refining it. Instead of struggling with writing a perfect introduction for your novel, it is better to refine your ideas first.

Start by brainstorming your ideas with your creative friends to read more about how to write a book that meets the expectations of your target audience. 

Make sure that you note all the essentials that make your work stand out. From the central concept of your story to the conflicts and characters, try to create a vivid outline of how you want your plot to unfold in front of your audience.

1. Strengthen Your Characters

Whether a romantic movie or a fantasy novel, everyone can agree that characters are the backbone of any fictional content. You cannot expect the readers to keep turning pages if they are not able to bond with the characters.

Every character is your key to winning the hearts of your audience. You must work on each of them as they are chess pieces of chess. Every chess piece plays an important role in helping you win the game, just like every character plays a role in ensuring the success of your book.

Give individual attention, time, and energy to every character by creating a character sheet. Dive deep into their psychology, motivations, desires, flaws, and fears to define how their past experiences form their present actions.  

1. Create a Writing Routine

Establishing a routine can be one of the most challenging things to do when you are an aspiring author. Being the biggest challenge, establishing a routine also offers the biggest rewards for novice authors.

Setting aside a dedicated time of the day in a productive environment can help you unlock your full potential. It can help you hold yourself, stay on track on your writing journey, and avoid procrastination along the way.

There may be times when you feel like taking a break or delaying one day’s work to another, but you must avoid such temptations at all costs. Consistency is key to completing your manuscript. Hence, it is important to keep your final goal in mind.

1. Complete Your First Draft

When you think about completing your first draft, you must understand it is not the final draft. Authors often write multiple drafts before their work is ready to be published. Instead of spending a major chunk of your time and energy on the first draft, you must focus on embracing the freedom of your first draft.

You can allow yourself to make mistakes when you complete your first draft. At this point, you must be focused on simply transferring your ideas on the paper. Tell your inner critic to take a break so that you do not look back at every line or paragraph to see how it can be improved. 

Right now, you must only be focused on transferring your ideas into a tangible form. Tell yourself that you are free to make mistakes. These mistakes can be fixed later, but your process must not be hindered by worrying about these issues.

1. Revise and Rewrite

Once you have written your first draft, you can move on to bringing it closer to publishing. As you were recommended to tell our inner critic to quiet down, the revision process gives it an opportunity to shine. There is no reason why you should hold yourself back from editing ruthlessly.

Try to improve your work in any way you can. Start by rereading your manuscript in a quiet and comfortable place where you can focus. Whether you feel that your plot can be tightened or prose can be strengthened, do not hold back.  

However, there is a limit to how critical you can become of your own work. Therefore, every aspiring author is also recommended to hire beta readers and professional editors to help you enhance the clarity, pacing, and emotional resonance of your work.

1. Focus on Your Dialogues

Dialogues in your fiction novel play an essential role in keeping your audience engaged. Every dialogue in your novel must be focused on making the reader more and more involved in your writing to keep them turning the pages.

Every dialogue must be based on the character’s unique personality traits, worldview, and background. The right usage of dialogue can help you seamlessly advance the plot and develop character dynamics through conflict and tension.

1. Stay Persistent 

Writing a book requires patience and persistence. Even the most-recognized author can agree that completing a manuscript and publishing it is not something that happens overnight. After all, you are writing a book, not trying to win a marathon. 

Do not let small setbacks hinder you on your journey to become a recognized author in the fiction world. Instead, take every hindrance as a lesson and rebel against it to stand strong. Remember that every successful author who inspires you today has gone through the same challenges to be where they stand.

The best thing to do in moments of weakness is to think about your book reaching millions of readers worldwide and leading a path for you to be recognized for your talent and hard work.