Maybe you decided that you want to commit to a 90-day novel (or another timeline that works best for your writing speed and available time). Whether it’s your first book or your fifteenth, writers are constantly seeking advice to save themselves time on the revision and rewriting process that comes after the manuscript is finished.
A clean manuscript is about more than just writing in Times New Roman font in Microsoft Word.
It’s about getting to the heart of what you want to share with the world.
More than your word count or your line spacing, you need to know how to write a manuscript for a novel that compels people to turn page after page until they reach the end. Here are my best tips for starting a brand-new manuscript and making it as good as it can be right out of the gate.
Blueprint for a Book for the Foundational Elements
By this point, you have probably caught multiple mentions of the Blueprint for a Book method – and for good reason! Your novel manuscript is inherently stronger when you take the time to plan for your book. You start to think about why this story needs to be told, what exactly you’re trying to say, and what the premise of the book is.
It positions your book in the market and gives you clarity on the entire arc of your characters and story. You even start to think about what the book title should be and what would appeal most to your audience. In other words, why should a reader pick up your book from the shelf and spend eight hours turning pages?
You even get a solid start on your first and last pages, if you follow through to the end.
Keep in mind that the ebook is only a few dollars, but it’s a solid investment. Regardless of whether you have a literary agent already waiting for your work or you plan to self-publish, this tool is solid for anyone staring at a blank line and wondering what word to put first.
(As a side note, I’m also an Author Accelerator certified book coach. If you want to work through the Blueprint for a Book method and get solid feedback on your pages before you start to worry about formatting and manuscript format and the tiny details that comprise writing a book, you can contact me here to talk about working together!)
Plan Where Your Story Is Going – To Some Extent
This is a controversial topic among writers: should you plot your book or write mostly by your intuition? I think that even when you follow the Blueprint for a Book method, there is room for some spontaneity and discovery from your characters. I’m a true plotter, often mapping out everything up to the midpoint of the book before I ever put pen to paper.
I might not know chapter titles and formatting guidelines aren’t top of mind, but I have a direction I’m heading in.
For the start of my novel manuscript, I will write each scene that I see in my head down on an index card. Then, I carefully arrange them on my bulletin board until they seem to flow into one another. I might also write down WHY each scene matters in the grand scheme of the story so that I can ensure that a character arc is obvious and is making clear progress.
Once I reach the pivotal final scenes, I’ll map out what comes at the very end of the book (though I’ve had an idea of the ending since the start).
If you aren’t as visual as I am, then you might outline in your word processor. The goal here is to do something loose so that you can rearrange it as you go. A digital version allows you to copy and paste, moving things around. I still prefer my board because I can leave it beside me while I write instead of flipping from screen to screen, but you can do what works best for you.
Write a Little Bit at a Time
You have hit the pivotal moment where your title page is in place, but you just don’t have hours upon hours to sit down and get the story out of your head and onto the page. Many would-be writers think that they need to have a full day to devote to their craft if they want to take their books (and later, their book promotion) seriously.
The good news is that writing is far more accessible than that.
All you have to do is sit in the chair and work. Maybe you’ll get 500 words or maybe you’ll walk away with 5,000. The key objective is to always move the needle forward, no matter how little you have to write at a time.
In fact, I find that it’s even better if I leave off in the middle of a thought or a pivotal scene. It makes me excited to sit down again, and I think about how that specific scene is going to end until I finally capture those words.
Even if you only have a half-hour, writing is time well spent. I encourage writers not to limit themselves because this isn’t their full-time job (not everyone can be Stephen King). You might be surprised by how many words you can get down in a short time if you can give your full focus to the work.
Forget About Formatting Guidelines
Some people get so caught up in the weeds of their manuscript formatting that they lose sight of the story itself. What page size should you use? Where do you need a page break? What exactly is standard manuscript format (Times New Roman font, 12 point, double-spaced, if you’re wondering)?
I would caution against thinking about this too much during the writing process. If you reach the end of your novel and find yourself stymied by all of the industry standards, you can hire a book designer to help.
A professional can come in and edit your entire manuscript all in one fell swoop. An experienced designer can get your pages into the correct manuscript format in short order. It might cost you a little bit of money, but if you aren’t tech-savvy or lack time to devote to figuring out your word processor, then it may be money well spent. For those who are going the traditional publishing route, you just have to get it close and the publishing house will do the rest.
Just keep in mind that formatting is different from editing. Many writers require both before their books are ready to release.
Don’t Forget About Fun
You became a writer because you had a passion for words and storytelling, not because you were obsessed with the Chicago Manual of Style. Don’t let the process of writing a kickass manuscript derail you from actually capturing new chapters on the page. Every paragraph should be a joy to write – even if it isn’t easy to write.
Sometimes, we have to bleed a little to get to the heart of our story (as Hemingway once allegedly said).
Let those formatting details fall by the wayside as you move forward with chapter one. It doesn’t matter if you’re writing a short story, a full-length book manuscript, a novella, or something in between. You can write under a pen name, your real name, or contribute to the world anonymously.
The goal is the same: have fun telling your stories to a waiting world.
What else should a writer strive to do? If you aren’t going to have fun with your story, you should perhaps abandon the endeavor before you get too far into it. Even beta readers can pick up on the fact that you didn’t enjoy the writing, that every word felt hard and laborious. When the fun is gone, it might be time to reconsider whether this is the story you really want to tell.
It won’t always be easy, but it should always be fun.
So go ahead and open that Word document. Now that you know my best tips on how to write a manuscript for a novel, it’s time to forge ahead. What will you write today?