Writing Stories, Novels, and Books (for First-time Writers)

This Instructables project is simply how to write good stories, whether you're a beginner or you know what you're doing.

Depends on your media type–for digital, you only need a writing app (I prefer Google Docs as it's user friendly and free). For physical, or paper, you need some paper (any type works, lines not recommended, unless you're planning on typing it all later) and a pencil or two. (I find mechanical works best, any type works)

It's probably a good idea to come up with all of these things first, as making it up as you go along can result in plot holes and confusion to the readers. There isn't really a way to do it wrong, per se, but remember, character development as you progress in the story can strengthen the idea and plot line.

This could also be part of step one, I guess, but you need the story now for sure. It shouldn't give away any of the important parts of the book, such as the resolution, but it should relate to the story or characters in some way.

This should be interesting–it should hook the reader on so they wish to know what is going on. This can be difficult to do sometimes, but it also would happen to depend on the type of book you're writing, such as an action-adventure, horror, or romance novel. For me, it was an action-adventure, so I went for something... Exhilarating, I'd say.

This shouldn't be subtle, per se, but it should be interesting. In other words, don't come on too strong, or it may seem as though you're trying too hard to introduce a character one is supposed to care about. Gentle, yet firm, like petting a puppy (or cat, I guess). Just don't come on too hard.

By now, you should have some good momentum occurring in your story. This is what we want. Leave the readers desiring more and more. If you screw up, just remember, this is all editable.

This is probably the most difficult step. Well, second most difficult, anyway. If you want to continue the book as a series, it has to end on a cliff hanger, so people want more. If it was a one-and-done kind of deal, just end it with something that resolves the story, but leaves room for more. Kind of like saying 'the end. Or is it?' at the end of the novel. Plenty of room for more, if that's desired.

Check your grammar, punctuation, writing style, and meaning for everything that you write. It's probably easiest to do as you write, but you should always do this step several times to make sure your writing is good.

Write about things you think about regularly, or things you're interested in. This will help you avoid writers' block.

Like real people, your characters should all change over the course of the story. It's not an actual rule, but it makes the story more interesting to read, as well as write.

The book I was displaying throughout this Instructable is, that's right, an actual book I've been working on for some time now. For anyone who is curious, here is the link to ARK. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Gc3rZPyJ5PDdU8_eCk3YQOphdwgRfRl1kRaVnq-9QPw/edit?usp=sharing