So, after months, maybe even years of thinking about it, you've decided to write that novel. In addition, you've decided to make your first book a work of popular fiction, which will increase your odds of reaching the widest possible audience.
Whether you've chosen to write a mystery, romance, western horror, science fiction, or fantasy, here are a handful of essential elements your novel will need:
Element of novel tip #1: Pick a genre and stick to its rules. While it is okay, and sometimes even a good idea, to occasionally bend a rule or two, overall readers have expectations that need to be met. Writers need to know the boundaries and stay within them. If you're writing a mystery, for example, you'll need a situation, like a crime, where no one knows who the perpetrator is. You'll need someone to dig for clues and also a little (or a lot) of danger along the way It may help if you think of boundaries as guidelines instead of confines. Always remember that there is still plenty of room for creativity in your story.
Element of novel tip #2: Choose a setting that will fascinate your audience. Where does the central action take place? If it's in a larger town like New York, Chicago or Las Vegas, write about things people aren't like to see or experience if they live in places like Nebraska or Kansas. Incorporate people and attitudes as well as anything exotic or unique-aspects your audience may not find anywhere else. Use the five senses; make readers feel like they've just been there long after they've turned the last page.
Element of novel tip #3: At the end of your story, decide how your protagonist has changed. Show how she's grown and why she is better off for it. This is especially important if your story is character-driven.
Element of novel tip #4: Give your readers interesting facts about a subject they may not be familiar with. People have a built-in hunger for knowledge. In Rick Riordan's 's novel, "The Lightning Thief," the protagonist is getting kicked out of boarding school and suffers a host of problems, including an encounter with a Minotaur. Throughout the novel, Riordan describes in detail the mythical creatures of Olympus and Greek mythology. Write about subjects you know. And when you don't know enough, do the necessary research.
Element of novel tip #5: Decide on point of view. The most common are first and third person viewpoints. In your novel using the first person point of view, everything is seen through the protagonist's eyes. In third person, readers observe your novel's action through a variety of characters.
Element of novel tip #6: Your novel's plot is a series of events; a narrative that gives your story a beginning, middle, and an end. In modern fiction, stories consist of the set up (what your protagonist wants), conflict (keeping her from getting it), rising action (elements used to build your story), climax, then the resolution (outcome).
Element of novel tip #7: Above all, entertain. People nowadays lead busy lives. Their time is at a premium. When they read, especially fiction, they want to be enthralled. Don't disappoint. If your novel is a thriller, give them thrills by the bucketful. A romance-show them a heroine who has loved and lost like no woman they've encountered before. Make your readers say, "Wow, that was awesome. I have to tell my friends about this one."
A final note: Though the goal of novel writing is to be read by as wide an audience as possible, you'll have a better shot at success if you're passionate about your work. Choose a genre and a story for your novel that excites you, and that excitement will be hard to keep off the page.
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