How to Start Writing Your Novel, part 1

a six-part series on getting your novel off the ground

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Ten years ago, I published a post on Medium called “How to Write a Novel.” If Medium statistics are correct, the post has been read more than half a million times. If you’ve been a subscriber for a while, it’s likely that you originally found The Caffeinated Writer through that post, which for a while was the first thing that popped up if you googled “how to write a novel.”

I imagine the reason How to Write a Novel: 10 Steps found an audience is that the idea of a road map for writing is appealing. What I’ve discovered over many years of writing and teaching is that there is no road map. Every novelist must reinvent the wheel in some way, every time. This is as true for your fifth novel as it is for your first. That said, there are fundamental building blocks that (almost) every novel needs. Understanding those things will put you in a much better position to begin.

This month, The Caffeinated Writer moved to Substack. To kick off the redesigned newsletter, I’m reprising and revising How to Write a Novel in an updated six-part series. We’re going to look at one foundation per day for six days. Each post will be brief and practical and will include a short assignment. At the end of six days, I’ll host a chat to answer your questions. Today is all about situation.

1. Start with situation.

You don't have to have your novel planned out before you begin. You don’t need an outline. You can do it that way if it works for you, but you don't have to know your plot in order to start writing your book.

You do have to know your situation. You have to know why this particular story is being told at this particular time. What is at stake? Why should the reader care?

For the first fifty pages, at least, write your novel without an outline.

Start with a situation and see where it goes. It works for Stephen King, who explains in his essential writing guide, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft:

A strong enough situation renders the whole question of plot moot. The most interesting situations can usually be expressed as a what-if question.

A teacher shared the “what-if” advice back when I was an undergraduate at The University of Alabama and it has served me well ever since, providing a starting point for all of my novels. Here are two of them:

• What if a newlywed couple receives an invitation to an exclusive, secretive organization called The Pact that promises to help them achieve a lasting marriage? (The Marriage Pact)

• What if a recently widowed FBI agent returns home to Northern California with her teenaged son, only to discover that the entire town is under the thrall of an annual achievement exam called The Wonder Test?

The what-if doesn’t have to say much about the plot at all or where the story is going. The what-if just identifies the situation that sets off your novel.

Next up: How to Start Writing Your Novel, part 2

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Do you want to write a complete draft of your novel in 2024? NOVEL in NINE begins on February 5th. Go here to learn more.

Or do you just want to get your feet wet? If you want guidance and accountability to help you start your novel, you might enjoy my 8-week course, Foundations of Novel Writing.