NewNovelist Screenshots

Start writing with these easy-to-follow steps:

1. Start by creating a working title and a one-line summary of your story. You’re then asked to choose which category (plot-driven, character-driven or epic) and plot-type your story uses. All of this is explained in easy to understand help screens. You can also go back and change these later on, so you don’t need to agonise over it too much.

   

2. You now define the major places and settings in the story. The Ordinary World section deals with the everyday life of the main characters. It won’t figure too much in the story itself, but defining it helps to establish a back story for your hero, and put the story in a context.
   

   

3. The "Extraordinary World" section concerns the places or settings that are somehow changed as a result of the events of the novel. Think of it like the sets in a movie. By filling in as much detail as you can, you’ll make it easier later on to create consistent, convincing scenes for your characters.

   

4. Most stories center on the actions of one or two main characters, and the reader is often allowed to learn about their past life and personality traits gradually over the course of the book. As the author, it is your job to know all this stuff before the story even starts.

   

5. Do the same for the antagonist (if your story has one) and all the incidental characters. You probably don’t need as much detail as for the hero, but whatever tidbits you can add all helps to make each character’s dialogue sound distinct and credible.

   

6. All that’s left is to actually write the thing! newnovelist provides a sample outline, based on the plot type you chose at the start. You don’t have to follow this, of course, but if you write a chapter for each section, you should end up with a story that at least follows normal plot conventions. And all the way through there are tutorials and help sections to steer you, reassure you and help you avoid the dreaded “writers block”!

   

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