How To Write a Novel

Writing a novel will change your life.

It might not be in the way that you expect, but when you hold your book in your hand and say, “I made this,” something will shift. 

The process of getting to that point will light a spark in your creative soul and help you discover unexpected aspects of yourself. It will be one of the things you are most proud of in your life. This book will help you get there.

I’m Joanna (J.F.) Penn, award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of 18 novels and novellas with nearly a million books sold in over one hundred countries.

This book will help you write your first novel, or improve your creative process so you can write more books and reach more readers. It covers mindset, ideas and research, aspects of craft, how to write a first draft, and work through an editing process to a finished book. 

You will discover: 



Part 1: First Principles


Why are you writing a novel?
What has stopped you from completing a novel before?
Principles to keep in mind as you create



Part 2: Ideas, Research, Plotting, and Discovery Writing


How to find and capture ideas
How to research your novel and when to stop
Outlining (or plotting)
Discovery writing (or pantsing)
What are you writing? Genre
What are you writing? Short story, novella, or novel
What are you writing? Stand-alone, series, or serial



Part 3: Aspects of a Novel


Story structure
Scenes and chapters
Character: Who is the story about?
Point of view
Dialogue
Plot: What happens in the story?
Conflict
Openings and endings
Setting and World-building: Where does the story happen?
Author voice
Theme
Book or story title
Language versus story and tools versus art



Part 4: Writing the first draft


Attitude to the first draft
How to write the first draft
Dictate your book
Write fast, cycle through, or write slow
Writer’s block
Writing tools and software
When is the first draft finished?



Part 5: The Editing Process

Overview of the editing process
Self-editing
How to find and work with a professional editor
Beta readers, specialist readers, and sensitivity readers
Editing tools and software
Lessons learned from editing my first novel after more than a decade
When is the book finished? 
Conclusion



If you want to (finally) write your novel, then buy How to Write a Novel today.