How To Turn Your Idea Into A Novel

It happens to the best of us. You’re sitting down *watching a late-night show* to destress from your day when all of a sudden you think to yourself.

“What if |insert awesome idea here|were to happen instead.”

*Inspiration has to come from somewhere, There is no such thing as a 100% original idea that doesn’t have an element that has happened in some type of media before it. Vampires falling in love with humans has been done thousands of times, but if you put enough of a twist on it then it’s perfectly fine that your idea came from somewhere else.*

How are you supposed to get this awesome idea that’s in your brain down onto the pages of a novel? It’s easier than you think.

First things first! WRITE. IT. DOWN.

If I had a nickel for every time I had an idea for a novel while I was watching a movie, reading a novel, traveling to someplace, or simply daydreaming while I should be focused on something else… and promptly forgot about it minutes later because I didn’t write it down.

I would have more nickles than I could carry.

Whenever inspiration comes to you, make a note of it. Type it out on your phone or grab the first writing instrument and piece of paper that you can and scribble down as much as you know. When the idea for my recent work in progress came to me, I was watching an episode of Goosebumps on the couch with my dad. There was an episode when two children were sent back in time and imprisoned in the Tower of London awaiting execution.

I had a simple idea, “what if a princess fell in love with an executioner?”

I jumped up from the couch and wrote this down on the back of a coffee shop napkin and went on watching the show.

The napkin lived on my desk for a while, but I didn’t pay it any mind until the daunting and awe-inspiring NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) emails came around again and I decided that was the idea I was going to write about.

Who are your main players?

You know your idea for your story, now you need to know who the stars of the show are.

Most novels have a running list of the same characters.

I’ll use one of my favorite novels Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen as an example.

Protagonist: Your main character or the star of your show. The plot revolves and relies on them. If you took them out you wouldn’t have a story.

e.g Elizabeth Bennet

Antagonist: The main “villain” in your story. They don't have to be dark and evil in every case or want to cause major harm to the protagonist. Take Mrs. Bennet as an example. Elizabeth wants to marry for love, but her mother is the antagonist in this case because she wants Elizabeth to marry whoever will take her regardless of Elizabeth’s feelings toward the man.

Your antagonist directly stops the protagonist from getting what they want.

“Sidekick”: Someone who is close to the protagonist and is going to help them on their journey. Sometimes they hinder your protagonist, but more often than not they are the voice of reason that keeps them on the path of the plot. This can be either Jane Bennet or Charlotte Lucas.

Love Interest: Not every story has to have a love interest in the romantic sense but every story has to have someone the protagonist loves.

Some examples include:

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee-Scout has a love for her father Atticus

Matilda by Roald Dahl-Matilda develops a love for Miss Honey

The love can be a romantic interest, familial love, love lost, or even friendship.

Your protagonist can’t truly be heartless and uncaring or your readers won’t be able to relate to them.

Outline

Yes, the step some authors dread, but even if you are a pantser (a writer who writes by the seat of their pants) an outline will help you get the major parts of your story down somewhere in case you need something to reference as you write.

The simplest of outlines includes four things:

Someone, who is somewhere, wants something, but something gets in their way.

Your protagonist, your setting, your main goal, and your antagonist.

If you're new to writing following the three0act structure will be the easiest guide to help you outline your novel.

How To Plan Your Novel Using The Three-Act Structure

If you’re not quite sure of all the details of your novel spend some time relaxing with a notebook in hand and think about your idea. What would help make it more exciting? How many characters do you know about?

Fill an entire page with thoughts and ideas about your story and then fill out the three-act structure and get to filling in the blanks.

If you’re not ready to write your first novel then I suggest starting out with a short story of your novel idea.

Novelist. Start with Short Stories

Before you know it your idea will turn into a full-length novel and you’ll be moving on to the most daunting task that any author has had to face.

Editing.

Best of luck and keep writing!

With love,

B.K. xo

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