How to write a novel, from idea to finished draft

To write a novel, give a character something they want, put something in their way, and write one scene after another in which that conflict changes something, until it is resolved. Everything else, from structure to style, is a way of keeping that chain of scenes under control for 70,000 words or more. The writers who finish found a story that could carry its own length, then wrote it scene by scene until the end.

For the full project, from idea to beta readers, see how to write a book, and if you are still at the very start, how to start writing a book gives a 30-day plan.

What makes a novel a novel

A novel is long enough to hold a change. A short story can show one moment of pressure. A novel lets a person try, fail, adapt and become someone else, or refuse to. That need for room is why length matters, and why a thin idea collapses around chapter ten.

On length, sources agree on the range and disagree on the edges. Jericho Writers puts a typical adult novel at 70,000 to 120,000 words and guesses the true average is near 90,000. Reedsy gives 70,000 to 100,000. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, in the rules for its Nebula Awards, draws the line at 40,000 words, below which a work is a novella. Average book word count breaks this down by genre.

Step 1: Find the engine

The engine is the force that makes a reader turn the page. It has four parts, and you can write them in four sentences before you write a page.

If any row is blank, the book will stall in the middle. The change row is the hardest, and the most important, because it tells you what the ending must prove. Character development explains how wants, flaws and beliefs produce a change that readers believe.

Step 2: Choose a point of view and a tense

These two decisions shape every sentence, so make them early and test them on a real scene.

• First person. Intimate, with a strong voice, but the reader knows only what the narrator knows.
• Close third person. The most common choice. You stay near one character's thoughts but can use a more flexible voice.
• Multiple viewpoints. Useful for large casts and plots, though each viewpoint needs its own want and voice.
• Past or present tense. Past is the default for most fiction, and present gives immediacy but can feel tiring across a long book.

Write the same page, say the harbourmaster refusing Ilse a permit, in two of these options. Keep the one that tells you more about her without explanation.

Step 3: Plan in scenes, not in chapters

A chapter is a container. A scene is where the story happens: a character with a goal meets resistance and the situation changes. If nothing changes, the scene is background and can usually be cut or folded into another one.

For each scene, a one-line card answers four questions:

1. Whose scene is it?
2. What do they want in this scene?
3. What goes wrong or gets complicated?
4. What is different at the end?

Then use a structure to put the cards in order. The three-act, seven-point and hero's journey shapes are all available as templates, and story structure compares them. If you prefer to plan before drafting, how to outline a novel walks through it. If planning bores you, draft first and then sort the scenes you have written.

A word on stakes: a novel needs them to rise. If scene twenty feels like scene five with different scenery, ask what new cost the protagonist faces. A useful check is to read your scene cards in order and ask whether each one is harder than the one before it, or at least different.

Step 4: Write the draft in scenes

A scene-by-scene approach gives you units you can finish in a single sitting. A 90,000 word novel is about 60 scenes of 1,500 words, and 60 sessions is a number you can plan around.

A few habits help over a long draft:

• Open late and leave early. Start the scene as close to the conflict as you can, and end it once the situation has changed.
• Make every scene turn. Someone should learn, lose or decide something.
• Keep a facts file. Eye colour, ages, distances and who knows what are easy to forget over months.
• Do not fix as you go. Note the problem in a list and continue, because chapter two will change anyway once you know your ending.
• Finish the draft before you revise it. An unfinished book cannot be edited into a good one.

The plan board in Musael shows the scenes as cards in acts and chapters, and the plan and the manuscript are one structure, so a scene you move on the board moves in the draft. The manuscript editor saves on your device first, so writing on a train does not depend on a connection.

Step 5: Get through the middle

Many novelists slow down after the opening excitement and before the ending is in sight. Three questions help:

1. What does the protagonist try next, and why is it harder?
2. What does the reader learn that changes how they read the opening?
3. Who actively opposes the protagonist in this stretch?

If you cannot answer, that is information. It tells you which scene to write or cut next, and it is more useful than waiting for inspiration.

Step 6: Revise in passes

Revision is a series of passes with one question each. The order saves work, because there is no point polishing a scene you will cut.

Jane Friedman's site carries a useful case for the line pass. Amy L. Bernstein writes that her sixth novel weighed in at about 96,000 words when she submitted it, that she lopped off roughly 8,000 words in revision, and that she still wrote a number of new scenes. Her conclusion: "It's all about what you write, not how much you write."

Do the continuity pass with a list in hand. It is the place where long books slip, and where mistakes about who knew what and when tend to hide; how a continuity checker reads a manuscript shows what such a check compares. Musael's continuity checks compare the rules you set against the manuscript and show the sentence that breaks one, and they do not replace a human editor. Save a version of the manuscript before each large revision so you can compare and go back.

When to share it

After your own passes and before line polish, give the draft to a few trusted readers with specific questions: where did you want to stop reading, and which character mattered least? Look for patterns across readers, not single opinions. Musael can send chosen chapters to beta readers who need no account, and you see how far they read; the steps are in send chapters to a beta reader.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to write a novel?

It depends on your pace and the length of the book. At 500 words, four times a week, an 80,000 word draft takes about 40 weeks, and revision takes more time. A repeatable pace is more useful than a fast one.

How many words is a novel?

The SFWA defines a novel as 40,000 words or more for its Nebula Awards. In practice, publishers and agents expect more: Jericho Writers suggests 70,000 to 120,000 for adult fiction. Genres vary, so check recent books like yours.

Do I need to outline a novel?

You do not need a full outline, but a loose structure helps most writers avoid stalling. A premise, a few turning points and a one-line card for each early scene is often enough.

What is the hardest part of writing a novel?

For many writers it is the middle: the part without the novelty of the opening or the destination of the ending. Raising the stakes and adding opposition usually restarts it.

Should I write the whole draft before revising?

Yes, in most cases. A finished draft shows you what the book is, and revising a partial draft often means polishing scenes that change later.

Where Musael fits

The writers who finish a novel are the ones who can still find their own plan in month six. Musael keeps the plan, the manuscript and a codex of characters and places in one project, so a long draft stays consistent. Its AI editor, on the Ink and Press plans, reads your chapters and gives notes; it never writes your scenes.

Sources

• SFWA, Nebula Awards rules (word-count categories): nebulas.sfwa.org
• Jericho Writers, "How Many Words in a Novel?": jerichowriters.com
• Reedsy, "How Many Words in a Novel?": blog.reedsy.com
• Amy L. Bernstein, "The Case for Shrinking Your Novel", Jane Friedman: janefriedman.com