My Novel Writing Process

Great advice and I know you know your game on writing a novel, so truly take your advice to heart on this, Bill. Thank you for sharing and have a great weekend now!! :)

Good tips. I like you broke down the "sparks," that they should happen around ever 25,000 words.

I like your method. In fact, I lie it so much I may just start thinking about attempting a novel. You amaze me, Billy. Up, useful, awesome and interesting.

Excellent tips and guidelines, billybuc! I take my hat off for you :)

I have never seriously considered writing a novel, but the way you have broken this process down, it makes me think I may consider it.

Excellent! This makes me want to stay in all weekend and write, write, write.

Bill, great advice as always. My favorite English Composition instructor always told us to just start writing and "dump everything" onto paper. Go back and worry about making it pretty later on. Fretting over grammar and syntax really slows down the creative process.

Knowing your characters is also vital, but we also need to recognize that circumstances can cause an individual to "rise to the challenge" and become a new person (right now I'm thinking of Bilbo Baggins).

I do have two questions: (1) how do you go about finding an editor for a manuscript, and (2) (regarding your comment under "First Draft"), what do you have against Tolstoy?

Bill, I love the idea of adding more detail in the second draft. That's a tactic I will certainly use when I get there.

I have some questions for you:

1. Do you draft in Word?

2. Do you start a new doc for each chapter or do you continue on with one document?

3. Do you save your first draft as is, then 'save as' your second draft?

4. When making character and setting notes, do you do it on paper or do you create an electronic document?

Great advice Bill. Sounds really doable. I can see breaking up the process would be helpful. I struggled through my first draft searching for the perfect word and trying to methodically set the scene. Going back the second time around makes better sense and helps to get the ideas out of your head before they poof into thin air. Have a great weekend. Hope it stops raining soon.

Thanx for the answers, Bill. I've made the mistake of creating a new doc for each chapter of The Gifts of Faith. I think the reason I did so is because it started out as a short story then I changed direction. Oh well. Live and learn.

And thanx for mentioning I provide editing services. Much appreciated!

Bill, I knew you were a pantser, but it doesn't sound like you do any sort of outline? I guess since you've put the time in to know your characters so well, they can tell you the story! One question/clarification: When you write the first draft, without doing any editing, how long does it end up being? Are you saying first draft is 75,000 and then second draft (when you add the 25%) ends up with a total of 100,000?

Thanks and have a great weekend!

Great

As always a sterling article and for me applicable to life in general.

Thank you for the awesome advice you continually share with us. It's amazing how you do what you do so well. I thoroughly enjoy your novels and I'm certainly looking forward to your next one.

Fiction writing is just something way beyond my skill set. At least one day when I decide to leap into the unknown, I'll know I can look to your helpful articles on it. Happy Weekend!

This is extremely useful for me, bill, because although I have plenty of ideas and a few sketches of various characters, my downfall is being able to organise them all. I flounder, I can't decide what to do and then I'm apt to give up which is not good and somewhat defeatist!

A good structure come guidance is what I need and this is exactly what you've done here. So thank you! You have given us a good template.

I'm still working on my family memoirs/history as a basis for a story and that organises itself so I'm taking the easier option!

Invaluable ideas and advice here, useful for many of us I'm sure.

Just had a really busy Friday so looking forward to a lazy weekend. Hope yours is a good one.

Ann

An excellent example of novel writing. I truly admire your style and clearly it pays off. Initially writing a brief for each character is commendable. I note you begin with an opening and an ending - does the ending ever change as the novel takes pace and the characters begin to dictate?

I usually write how-to articles, but I have never tried a novel. I might have to give it a shot!

Well Bill,

Pretty good stuff, I'd say. Since you are following the voice of experience and 'what works for me', I see nothing wrong in this.

For my first book, I wrote the first chapter as a result of a writing competition. I knew what my book would be about, and I knew that I would start with my childhood, so that's what I did. However, in my book the Prologue comes first. I also wrote the chapters in different order and re-arranged and added as was necessary.

For a book, I re-read many many times, and return to the work quite frequently over months and make changes or add bits. My book was spiritual, so I chose a writing friend from the Path I follow, a woman following a different Path; someone new to the Path, and what you might call an open thinker.

Like you, I wanted different people to read and re-read the book. This is invaluable. I did not use a paid Editor in the true sense, but I had a friend who is a proof-reader plus, and she worked with me through every chapter and again through the entire book when it was finished. Enough for now. Best wishes with your upcoming book. Peace.

I learn something new each time you write. Not that I want to write a book, I just like to learn...Thank you....

Thank you Bill. As always you provide helpful advice in a manner which makes it seem individual just to the reader, all from one source article. We can all take something useful from your words and grow from it. I am not sure how you do it, but you are very good at it!

I have been saving chapters individually... now you have me wondering if I will lose some.. :)

Excellent advice sir, it has all the ingredients of guidance for both the beginners and those who have stuck with an unfinished effort. Thanks.

Characters identification, Drafting phases and 'insertion of Sparks' are simply helpful. Your efforts are not only embellishing hubpages with quality writes but also inspiring us to do the same. May God shower His abundant mercy on you.

I think it's very interesting to read the process of other writers. I think we can all learn something from each other; you never know when someone's method can make your writing go smoother. (excuse my semicolon! joke) Although I've seen that particular Stephen Cannell video before, all writers can find something useful in the large YouTube library of Q & A's that his daughter has maintained. I admire him and it is sad that he is gone. He was a good writer who didn't let his dyslexia hold him back from achieving his goals as a television writer/producer and novelist.

For my process ... admittedly, I am a bit more ADHD (okay, anal!) than some writers when it comes to making and keeping copies of my stuff because I am afraid of losing work - either by accident (any number of oops moments have happened to me. lol) or by editing and re-saving a draft multiple times so that my original is gone, and with it, any original direction or dialogue I may have had for the story.

I use a flash drive for each project. I make one main folder on the flash drive and title it "Draft Copy." I don't write in one continuous document. As I write each chapter, it is saved in its own subfolder (titled Chapter 1, Chapter 2, etc). When I'm done writing, I do a complete copy paste of the draft, put it into a second folder on the same flash drive and use that as my editing workspace. That way I have a complete first draft of the work and a complete copy of the draft to edit to my heart's content. Until my story gets its sea legs, sometimes I have three totally re-worked chapter 1's in the edit folder and two versions of all the other chapters. Sometimes there are 3 last chapters all with alternate endings! Each edited chapter is saved individually so I can pick and choose which one fits well with the work as a whole. When I am ready to say the work is complete, I print it out and give it to 3 or 4 "select" friends to read. Usually I take a 5 to 7 day break from re-reading that work, and go start a new project. Later when I come back to it, my eyes always seem to catch something I missed. When my "select" friends give me their ideas and thoughts, I take their suggestions (or not), and make my final copy.

I have found that if I use the first draft to do multiple edits, then I've lost my "original" as well as any unique dialogue or narrative. Sometimes the first draft has some really good stuff that can be lost in the never-ending editing. So that's what I do. I know there is probably an easier way for me to get from point A to point B, and that's why I like reading what others do. I'm sure my process will go through many changes in the future as it has in the past 40 years. Thanks for writing this article. It should give all your readers some pause to examine the way they work and possibly make a few changes for the better.

If I begin the process of writing a full-length novel one of these years, I'll review this and all of your novel writing hubs and posts.

About knowing your characters and staying true to their personalities, I wonder if knowing their dynamic places on the enneagram of personality would be helpful.

Knowing your characters is so essential, I agree. Especially if you are to let them "tell the story" which I like to do, as well. Without that approach, a more detailed outline would probably be necessary.

My novels are in a series, so my characters have to be 1) either totally consistent with their past behavior, or 2) change as part of the story elements. I sometimes find using partial outlines during the first draft to be sure that is done properly.

Another very useful article. Thanks, for sharing, again! ;-)

Very useful and interesting tutorial. Your guidelines are so clear-cut to follow. Voted up, useful and interesting.

Interesting read and good to learn how you write a novel. Thanks and you have a great weekend my friend.

billybuc

Interesting, and an approach I would you had I any inclination to write a novel. I like the title, and I would read the book jacket based on that title alone, and especially if it had some interesting art on it.

What is your goal usually for total word count, and how many chapters will satisfy the story?

How do you pick the voice of your story, such as first person or other?

What I like to do is come up with story plots?

I liked Death Wish, but I had no interest in watching Silence of the Lambs. I did watch Dexter up until its last two season, then I got tired of it.

Looking forward to reading more about Shadows Kill.

Great and so perfectly explained.

Hi Bill. I always wondered what the process was for writing a book. I always looked at it as an overwhelming task but you laid it out nicely and it actually doesn't seem quite as scary. Thanks for the education. Have a great weekend.

Well, it may not be the official way to write a novel but it sure sounds good to me. It seems perfectly logical to draft, fill in, edit, and finish. Is that what you're saying? I know I'm simplifying but I also know this is an easy description to understand and implement.

Now I know you were a teacher in a former life ;)

Voted all but funny and pinned. Have a great weekend!

Boy, all points are definite take-aways for any writer. It's something I need to work on. I am far from being that structured and if I was, would probably save me a lot of grief. Thanks for the tips, Bill and have a wonderful day. Kim

Bill, this kind of nuts and bolts stuff is so valuable. Too often people hide their process in the belief that it being public will somehow lessen its value or pull business away from the source. I think just the opposite. I'm far more likely to read the work of authors who share their craft freely and I'm much more inclined to do business with those that give information. I really respect your ethics and look forward to watching your effort come to fruition. Voted up and all that jazz because you are a gift to the HP community!

I tend to combine first and second draft work. I find I can't write the story without going into details. It doesn't seem 'real' to me otherwise. I know they say just write the story first and make it pretty later, but that just doesn't work for me. I don't go back to edit for at least a week. That's when I really begin to pull the story together.

Wow Bill I don't know how you have the time to write. Just answering all the comments is work enough. I have so many drafts and some chapters saved on my computer of my current for saga for Rubies - some examples of it are on the hub. I too think that there is no exact right way to write (no pun intended) a book. The answer to me is in the editing process. I usually edit my book several times before I have someone else read them. I have a friend that does editing and she usually works with me on it. She's very very good at catching any typos along with giving advice on how the story should fall. Thanks for the great hub and have a wonderful weekend.

Thank you very much for sharing these tips, Bill. I've always been more interested in writing poems and short stories than novels. Lately I've been thinking about a topic which I think would be better expressed as a novel than a short story, however. I may need your guidelines soon!

Thanks for the valuable information. I don't want to be a dumby-pants, so I think I will take your advice. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Bill, you are a prolific writer. I really loved this article…especially the significance of the 2nd draft. And the editing! It’s so important to have an editor who is not only skilled, but candid. I wish I had the time to write more, but work often conflicts so, that I feel as though I’m trying to serve two masters. I’m sorely tempted to go on sabbatical in search of that desert island, or some isolated cabin, deep in the woods – not the “Nell” kind, but you know what I mean. :-) Voted up and shared. As always, I wish you much deserved success with “Resurrecting Tobias” and “Shadows Kill.”

I like how you give authority to your characters; I find that interesting. Thanks for sharing your process. It helps.

Your idea about the "sparks" is very interesting, and you used it with great skill in your Tobias novel, especially the spark where Toby got drunk and there were extremely negative consequences. I won't say exactly what in case you hub readers are contemplating buying the book. Anyway, my wife heard the gasp in the next room when I read that "spark".

I suppose outlining and character development is very important, but I'm afraid with my limited attention span if I did that I would get bored with the project before I ever wrote a word. I prefer to let the first draft be the outline. I was punching away on a novel tonight and found that I was entertaining myself with some stuff that I was writing that was completely unplanned. I guess every writer has their own modus operandi. Great hub!

Great insights and I really know that writing a novel is one of the most difficult tasks.

Many thanks for your excellent tips on novel writing. You have inspired me to get going with the two novels i have put onto my to do list for next year. Personal circumstances have taken me away from writing articles for hubpages but it's my aim to try fitting in two posts here before the new year . Again many thanks for your great sharing post.

Well, I have always envisioned myself writing a novel with the words just flowing out, no edits or anything needed. Of course I know that is a dream, but when I read a really good book, that is how I think the author wrote it.

Never thought about writing a novel but the process is an interesting one.

Thanks for sharing this with us, Bill! We all have our own way of writing, and I'm likely going to stick with my mine.

I never had any cue what the process was. I always just barrel ahead and do everything in one shot. Perhaps your way would be much better, but for some reason, I can never allow myself to do anything in pieces.

I thoroughly enjoyed this article. My wife and I have been toying with the idea of writing a novel for some time. I am certainly going to take some things you said to heart, and see where that takes me in my writing.

Aside from that, I cannot wait to read your newest!

Steve

My first dive into crafting fiction and it strikes me that this creative process is similar, to something I know, making a necklace. The question is like the focal point of a piece of jewelry. The beads are positioned as the characters. They tell the story of the why the focal was chosen. I think I can do this. I never thought about fiction this way before. Thank you.

Your hubs are always very interesting....... and useful....