Want to write a novel?
Here's how to start.
Every book starts as a question you can't stop asking. Answer a few of your own, one step at a time, and leave with a real plan for your story.
Takes 20–40 minutes · saves as you go · print it when you're done
Six short steps, at your own pace
- Go in order, or jump around. Use the step buttons below to move between sections. Nothing is required, so skip anything you're not ready to answer.
- Write fast and messy. A few words in each box is plenty. You're making a map, not the book.
- Your answers save automatically in this browser on this device. Close the page and come back anytime; they'll be waiting. (They won't move to another phone or computer.)
- Open "More help with this step" under each step for extra prompts and examples when you get stuck.
- Finish on Step 6. It gathers everything into one plan you can print or save as a PDF to keep beside you while you draft.
- Start over anytime with "Start a new plan" on the last step. Print first if you want to keep the old one.
If you use a private window or clear your browser history, your answers won't be saved, so print or save a PDF when you're done.
Find the heart of your story
Don't worry about getting it perfect. You're sketching, not carving. You can change any of this later.
More help with this step
- Stuck for an idea? Ask "what if?" about something you can't stop thinking about: a place, a fear, a memory, a news story.
- Logline example: "When her village's wells run dry, a restless girl must cross a dying land to find a seer before the last magic is gone."
- Pick your genre early. It tells you what readers expect: romance needs a happy ending, mystery needs fair clues, horror needs dread.
- Knowing your ending is a compass, not a cage. It's fine if it changes once you get there.
Meet your people
Start with your main character. Add anyone whose choices change the story.
More help with this step
- Want vs. need: she wants to win the competition; she needs to stop proving herself to her father.
- Give every main character a flaw that causes real trouble in the story, not just a quirk.
- Villains believe they're right. Write down what your antagonist thinks they're protecting.
- Try a quick interview: ask your character what they'd grab in a fire, what they lie about, and who they'd call at 2 a.m.
Build the world
Specific beats general. One strange, true detail makes a place feel real.
More help with this step
- Use all five senses, especially smell and sound; they make a scene feel lived in.
- Rules matter more than maps. If there's magic or technology, note what it costs and what it can't do.
- Let the setting push back. Weather, distance, laws and customs should make life harder for your characters.
- Real places count too. If you're writing your hometown, walk it with a notebook.
Board the whole story
One or two lines per chapter is plenty. Most first novels land around 20–30 chapters.
More help with this step
- Each chapter needs a change. Someone learns something, loses something, or makes a choice. If nothing changes, combine or cut it.
- End chapters on a question so readers turn the page.
- The midpoint is a turn, not just more of the same: a reveal, a betrayal, a shift from running to fighting back.
- Blank chapters are fine. Fill in the ones you can see and let the gaps surprise you while drafting.
Set your word goal
A finished draft beats a perfect page. Pick a pace you can keep.
More help with this step
- Small and steady wins. 300 words a day is a 90,000-word novel in under a year.
- Track words, not hours. A visible count keeps you honest and motivated.
- Stop mid-sentence. It's easier to start tomorrow when you know exactly what comes next.
- Missed a day? Just start again. Don't try to make up the words all at once.
Your novel plan
Here's everything in one place. Print it, or choose "Save as PDF" in the print window.
Your answers save on this device only
Once you start drafting
A plan gets you to the page. These habits get you to "The End."
Give yourself permission to write badly
First drafts are supposed to be messy. Get the story down, then make it good in revision. You can't edit a blank page.
Don't edit while you draft
Keep moving forward. If something's wrong, leave a note in brackets, like [fix this later], and keep going.
Show what characters feel
Instead of "she was nervous," show her checking the lock twice. Let readers feel it through actions, bodies and choices.
Make every scene earn its place
Every scene should move the plot, reveal character, or raise the stakes. The best scenes do all three.
Read your dialogue out loud
If it sounds stiff when you say it, it reads stiff too. People interrupt, dodge questions and leave things unsaid.
Find your sounding boards
Talk your story through with someone you trust. Saying ideas out loud often shows you what's working and what isn't.
Rest, then revise
When the draft is done, put it away for a few weeks. You'll come back with fresh eyes and see what needs fixing.
Read like a writer
Read widely in your genre. When a book grabs you, go back and notice how the author did it.
The Novel Planning Kit
The printable version of this planner: story board, chapter beat sheets, character and setting pages, and a 30-day word sprint tracker. US Letter and A4, instant download.
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