Learning How to Write a Novel: Structuring and Organizing

Learning how to structure a novel can be a daunting task. However, novel structure is important in keeping your readers’ attention.

Structuring your novel systematically can make learning how to write a novel for the first time less daunting of an undertaking. However, will this take away your creative license?

Absolutely not! Believe it or not, organization is an open door to greater creativity. And why is that? Because you know what you are writing about makes perfect sense. With that in mind please follow this list of tips very carefully:
• Begin by writing a list of all your ideas. Then, take these ideas and organize them into chapters and seconds. If the mood strikes, also write brief summaries or bits of your story as your creativity hits you.
• Know the basic structure of a novel which is beginning, middle, and end. The beginning would be where you would introduce your plot and characters. The middle would be when most of the action takes place while characters try to resolve problems.
The ending is when the outcome is presented-whether the characters were successful or not in solving problems. The ending might also reveal truths about characters not revealed earlier on in the story. It could also leave some resolutions left up to the reader’s interpretation as long as the main conflicts are resolved.
• “Connect” your chapters together. You can structure your novel by ending each chapter with text that leads into the next scene-which usually is at the beginning of a chapter or chapter section.
• If necessary, include an epilogue. This is not always needed, but if you want to share how characters are doing months or years after the story has ended you can add this. It may help or it may not depend upon how your novel ends.

Now that you know a little bit more about how to write a novel, you may as well start writing. The sooner you start the sooner you can finish, revise it, and then get published. If you have any concerns or experience writer’s block along the way, our novelists for hire are always available to help.