How to Structure Your Novel Before You Write It: A Step-by-Step Guide

Writing a novel is probably one of the most thrilling creative endeavours you can embark on because it is not just a process but an actual journey which can be filled with happiness and frustration, and satisfaction.

The reason why it is often called a journey is simply because it is usually 300 pages long, with most novels being bigger than that. This means you simply cannot start and finish writing in novel in a single day or in a single week. Sometimes novels take years to finish, and perhaps in construction terms, it might be the same as creating the Taj Mahal because of its sheer scale and complexity.

So, if you are planning on writing your very first novel, where do you begin?

We are going to help you with that exactly, as this is going to be a guide that will solve one of the most difficult aspects of writing a novel, its structure.

This is going to be a step-by-step guide on how you can structure your novel and this will help you out if you are doing this for the first time.

But before we get on with the guide, we need to understand why novel structure matters so much and then we can move on with the guide.

Why Novel Structure Matters

The structure of a novel matters simply because it is the basic framework, or rather the basic skeleton of your story and when you have that structure in place, it will help you with multiple things.

With a strong structure, you can organise your ideas while which is definitely going to help you out while you write the actual novel.

Since there are so many ideas that you will have to introduce in the novel, having a structure like this will also help you maintain consistent pacing throughout the novel.

Along with that, you can also build better tension and emotional payoff with a good structure and ensure that your novel does not have any bits that are slow or saggy per se.

Ultimately, a good structure will help you finish what you started because starting a novel is easy but continuing it and pushing on and finishing it is the hard part. Statistically, there are probably more unfinished novels in the world than finished ones.

Step-by-Step Novel Guide

Step 1: Start With the Idea

The very first thing you need to do, even before you begin with the structure, is to sort out a few things.

The very first thing you need to do is to find out and finalise what the story is about, along with the central theme of the story and even the central conflict of the story. Doing this will make the structure much stronger.

After you figure out the central theme, you need to ascertain the main character of the story or the main characters. You need to then finalise what this main character is going to do.

The third step of this process is to find out what stands in the way of this primary character, which will ultimately create this story.

A simple way to do this is to make sure that if you are able to boil down the entire story into a single sentence or two sentences, then you know you have done this correctly.

Step 2: Choose The Structural Framework

There are different structural frameworks to choose from because you can go very traditional and do a Three-Act Structure, with the first act usually introducing characters and the second act being about confrontation and the third act being of resolution.

Or you can try out something different, such as a structure with more acts, or you can even try out a different structure in the form of The Hero’s Journey and this is actually quite a popular structure, especially in fantasy.

Step 3: Map Out Your Key Plot Points

After you have chosen the structure, now it is time to map out all the important plot points and you can break it down into plot point number 1 and 2 and progress it like that.

The first plot point is usually what starts the story and kicks things off. The second plot point is usually a point of no return where the primary character does not really have the means to put things back into normal without a major turning point or event.

This major training point is usually also called the midpoint of the story, which is then followed by one or two plot points, followed by the climax. The climax usually results in the resolution.

The series usually goes like this:

Inciting Incident> Plot Point 1> Midpoint> Plot Point 2> Climax> Resolution

Step 4: Flesh Out Character Arcs

Now, it is finally the time to create the character arcs and in order to do it you can ask a few questions, and the answers will determine the character arcs.

Since every character has to grow, you need to ask yourself about how the primary character’s experiences change, and then you should ask yourself about the kind of problem they must overcome and finally, what kind of journey does this lead the character on and how it shapes the plot.

If you ask these questions, then the answers are going to help you find out the character arcs.  Do it for all the characters, and you are now even closer to a strong structure.

Step 5: Create a Scene List or Outline

Now it is time to connect the different plot points with scenes because these points cannot exist on their own, and you need to find out what happens in each scene and how all the characters are involved in these scenes.

In order to do this, you can try out different tools such as index cards, both physical and digital, and you can also utilise the snowflake method, where you simply begin from a simple point and then expand like a snowflake from that single point.

You can also try out chapter-by-chapter summaries in order to create a scene list.

Step 6: World Building, Subplots and Supporting Characters

A single primary character will not be enough for a story, and that is why you need subplots, and you need to outline them and how these subplots will get involved with the primary plot.

Along with that, you need to plan out a little bit more for the secondary characters and their arcs.

Additionally, you should also plan out the fact of how these subcharacters mix with the primary character and how their plots intertwine with each other without overshadowing the primary plot.

You will also need to build your world and timeline, and make sure these plots go with that timeline of events, and you can even sketch out maps and also write character back stories and put the whole thing together.

This is basically how you create a structure for your novel, and in addition to that you must also think about some other important things such as whether you are putting in something interesting in each chapter and how each chapter is actually necessary for the story and you must also think about the pacing of the story.

When you are doing all that, you must ultimately identify what message you want to portray with the story and what the primary idea behind the story is.

If you do all that, then you will have yourself a launchpad that is your structure, which will help you to start writing.

And if you are someone well on your way to writing the story and you have completed writing the manuscript for the novel and are looking for a reputable publisher to publish with, we are here for you.

We are Orange Publishers and we are one of the most reputable names in the industry when it comes to publishing in India. We present you with the convenience of self-publishing paired with the reliability of traditional publishing, all under a single roof and name.

We have extensive experience in publishing novels and we would love to help you publish your first novel. We welcome you to visit our website and check out everything we do.