If you’re writing a book for the first time, it’s good to have the tips you need in one place. Here are our advice pages on all aspects of novel-writing.

How To Have Ideas And Inspiration

Nothing is harder to come by than inspiration, and it’s not enough to be inspired, you need a concept a publisher is also likely to get excited by.

• How to have ideas and beat writer’s block
• Coming up with ideas
• How to write your elevator pitch
• 9 tips to conquer writers’ block by Jane Struthers

Story, Plot And Pacing

Your book’s heart is its story. Get it wrong and your book will not be saleable.

Our advice:

• How to write a plot outline for a novel
• How to plan a novel: a plot structure template
• How to chart your plot mountain or plot diagram for momentum
• How to write seven basic plots

Character

Any good story needs strong, convincing characters to populate it. Even if you’re writing a true story (a memoir, for example), you need to bring your characters to life on the page. Here’s how to do it:

• Your ultimate character creator
• How to develop characters and inner worlds in fiction
• How to write characters (not clichés)
• How to write different points of view
• How to show, don’t tell, in writing

Prose Style And Editing Your Work

Sentences need to matter as much to you as paint does to a painter. And remember that good writing is usually good re-writing, so be prepared to put in the hours.

Our guides:

• Your writing style checklist
• How to self-edit your draft
• How to write dialogue in fiction
• How to write setting and space
• How to present your manuscript
• Taking it slowly by Dexter Petley
• When to stop editing by Paul Roberts

Next Steps

Have we remembered to mention that writing a book for the first time is quite hard?

Help is at hand, if you need it from us.

• Get editorial feedback on your work. We work with partial manuscripts, as well as complete ones.
• Try a writing course. Our courses are online, so you’ll be able to work around commitments.
• Come to our events like the Festival of Writing to meet literary agents in person and pitch your manuscript. Signing up to our mailing lists you’ll be first to hear announcements.

More On How To Write A Book

Link to: How to Write a Book (10 Doable Steps for New Writers)

How To Write

A step-by-step guide