The more often you Google ‘How to start writing a novel,’ the longer it will take you to write one. Believe me, I’ve been there, too. And you know what? I guarantee you, you won’t find a satisfying answer. At least not the one that’s going to have you deep-dive into your writing with zest that keeps you hooked to your own fantasy world for years. Instead of giving you another step-by-step guide, I have a few cheeky questions that can help break you out of the same thinking loops that keep you stuck. Look at it as an adventure into your creative brain that may lead you to discover the answers you’ve been seeking.
1. What lights you up the most?
What if you start writing a novel with what you already know, or more precisely, what you love doing most? Of course, you can learn about techniques, structure and writing tools first. There’s nothing wrong with that, and I’d be the last one to tell you not to do it. But it might not give you the one big idea you’re looking for. Find your sweet spot instead. Perhaps you’ll discover the lead that can become the centre of your story world. In my case, it wasn’t a hobby, but a crazy fascination with prisons that got me thinking it would be awesome writing about them. But it could be anything personal to you, and that’s precisely what will make your story unique and engaging.
A few additional questions you could ask yourself to discover what lights you up.
- What do I excel at? You might thrive in a sport or hobby you’ve been practising for years. Perhaps you’ve been into soccer since you were a kid. It could be the inspiration for writing a novel about a professional soccer player in a dystopian future where his game becomes a ride or die. Okay, this idea sounds ridiculous, but you’ll get my point.
- What have I always wanted to do? Maybe you wanted to become an astronaut, or a pilot, or a world traveller. So, life never gave you those opportunities. But you could do all these things in your fictional world. Whether it has a fantasy twist or takes place in the contemporary world, it will open doors for you because it already has your interest.
- What makes me happiest? Maybe you’re most content when you’re with friends in a bar, or you might feel most like yourself when you’re on a hike in the mountains. And Tada! There you have a setting from which you can start writing a novel. It could be your character’s starting point in the opening chapter.
2. What have you messed up in your life?
So, now it’s getting juicy. You have a basic idea of your character and setting, but you’re still wondering how to start writing a novel with no experience. But hey, are we talking about writing experience or life experience? Because honestly, I think you’ve got enough of the latter. You have no idea how much I worried I wasn’t good enough when I just began writing. I felt an intense need to polish my skills before I even put one word on paper. But I didn’t realise back then that I’d been carrying a pot of gold in life experience with me. Everything you’ve been through: your trials and errors, the friends you made and lost, the mistakes that led you to situations that made your cheeks flame with embarrassment. Name anything; it could be the writing inspiration for your story plot.
It’s not even so much about what you’ve experienced, but mostly how it made you feel. Suppose you felt overlooked as a child in a family with three siblings. In that case, you can replicate the sensation in words and let your character express the feeling of despair in similar situations you put them in. Through the realness of your emotions, you convey a message that feels genuine. So, it doesn’t matter how much writing experience you have. It matters how real your life experience is and whether you’re allowing yourself to use it in your narrative.
3. Where would you rather be right now?
I bet the answer is not behind your computer screen, hands in hair, wondering ‘where to start writing a novel’? Nah, just kidding. If you still have no clue what to write about, then maybe ask yourself if there’s any other place you’d rather be right now. In the years leading up to my full-time writing journey, I often daydreamed about all the travels I wanted to make. As a dreamer, I found it challenging to stay focused in team meetings at work. My thoughts often wandered to Australian beaches and adventure tours in the wild. Looking back at that now, it could actually have led me sooner to my inspiration for writing about the Australian outback.
So, instead of fighting it, why don’t you keep dreaming? Perhaps there’s always been a place in this world you can’t stop thinking about. Or it’s a place you’ve always wanted to go because of its rich culture and history. Let me give you a sneaky little tip. Maybe book a trip to that place that keeps your thoughts wandering and let the adventure lead you to your perfect story idea. Okay, I must admit, travel is my pet passion for writing inspiration, and I can rave about this endlessly. Which I’ve also done in my other blog, ‘7 Reasons travel is the ultimate inspiration for writing your novel’.
4. How can you create the biggest mess of your ideas?
If you’re worried about how to organise all your thoughts and what software is best for writing a book, then I’d say that at this stage, you’ll be fine with a notebook. Let it be messy first and give space to your creativity. If you try to structure too soon, you risk losing the writing flow that comes through the brainstorming phase. But if you’re already a few steps ahead and lose sight of your ideas within dozens of Word documents and Post-it notes, it may be a good moment to explore the best novel writing software.
At this point of writing, I can’t really make a comparison for you because I swore my ode to Scrivener. Once I started creating my fantasy world based on the Australian outback, there was just no end in sight. I was juggling 15 Word documents and a stack of notebooks on my shelves. You can imagine the despair trying to work my way through it. Eventually, my best friend recommended Scrivener, and it’s been so much more than an organiser. Scrivener helped me create my novel by providing building blocks for characters, world-building and plot. By moving my ideas around on little “cards,” I keep sight of what I’m working on. Once I started using it, I was able to complete the first draft of my manuscript in just a few months.
I wrote an in-depth review of my experience: Why Scrivener is the best novel writing software for building my fantasyworld on the road.
So, there you are! Whether you’ve decided you need a trip to fuel your inspiration, or you have had enough diving deep into your passions and life experiences, the chances are you’re having your first ideas right now. If that’s the case: Congratulations! You’ve got yourself the beginnings of a story, and you no longer have to ask yourself, “How do I start writing a novel?”. Why, you’re asking? Because you’ve already started.
Of course, there’s still a lot of work to do. But once you’re excited about something, it all seems less daunting to put those words down. My last piece of advice is to give yourself time to explore and have fun! Perfection will come later. In case you still feel a bit wobbly and need more guidance, then my blog, The complete guide how to write a novel on your creative adventures, could give you a nudge in the right direction.
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