Once you’ve reached the end of the first draft of your novel manuscript, it’s time to celebrate! This is a HUGE accomplishment, one that takes some writers decades to reach. You should celebrate! At this point, you should ignore how many steps of the writing process are yet to be worked through and take a break. For now, the bulk of the writing is done, and your brain needs some rest before making the shift into edit mode.
Silly image generated using AI. (The images just kept getting sillier the harder I tried.)
I know what you’re thinking: Wait, edit mode? But you said I was done!
Today’s message is a short one after we’ve spent several weeks covering the planning stage of the novel writing process. Now that we’ve covered the basics of writing a first draft of your novel, there’s only one thing left to say: sit down and do it! Start writing, and don’t stop until the end of your story is on the page!
Image generated using AI.
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During the last few weeks, we’ve spent a lot of time on the planning stage of the novel writing process, and for good reason. Taking the time to develop a well-planned story will make writing the first draft of your novel seem like a stroll through the garden. When it comes to the drafting stage of the novel writing process, the most important piece of advice I can give you is to just start writing and don’t stop until it’s done.
The time has come to embark on the next leg of your novel writing journey! Image generated using artificial intelligence.
However, you’d probably like a bit more advice than that, so here are some helpful hints and tips to get you through this stage of the novel writing process:
A novel synopsis is a summary of the plot, characters, and themes of a novel. It typically provides an overview of the story without going into too much detail. A good novel synopsis should give the reader a sense of what the book is about, including the main conflict or challenge facing the characters, the setting, and any important themes or ideas explored in the story. It should be concise and engaging and should ideally make the reader want to read the book to find out more.
Aria plays the mystical instrument she discovered hidden deep within an ancient forest. Image generated using artificial intelligence.
The novel synopsis may also be used as a marketing tool to promote your book to potential readers, agents, or publishers. However, I also find it useful to write a first draft of a synopsis as part of the novel planning process.
Writing Sample
The following is a synopsis of a novel that we’ll call The Songbird’s Echo[1]which uses the Hero’s Journey story structure to move the story forward. Notice how the single sentences used in some of the previous outlines we explored have now been expanded to a couple of sentences for each section of the story’s structure. With each new assignment you complete in the planning process, you will come a little bit closer to having written your first draft!
Are you ready to start writing your novel? At the end of today’s post, you’ll find two brief writing assignments to help you get started!
Two basic elements of story
In novel writing, a concept and a premise are two different elements of a story. A concept is a basic idea or notion that provides the foundation for a story. It is the starting point for a novel and is usually expressed in a single sentence. For example, “a young girl discovers she has magical powers and must defeat an evil wizard to save the world” is a concept for a fantasy novel.
Every novel has both a concept and a premise at its core. Image created using Canva AI Image Generator.
A premise, on the other hand, is a more detailed description of the story. It includes the characters, setting, plot, and conflict, and explains how the concept will be explored in the novel. A premise is usually expressed in a paragraph or a few sentences. For example, “In a world of magic and dragons, 11-year-old Hermione Granger discovers she is a witch and must join forces with her friends Ron and Harry to stop the dark wizard Voldemort from taking over the wizarding world” is a premise for the novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
Write on the World 