Preplanning your novel. Some people outline, other writers just write. I’m the latter—a pantser with a plan. So, before we go any further, an explanation of the methods:
“To Pants or To Plot: Which One Is Best for Your Story?” by Nisha Tuli. This article has lots of references to other reading as well.
If you’re an outliner, I thought this article was helpful: “Outline Tools to Structure Your Children’s Book Plot.”
As a pantser, I still need to know some things before I can start actually writing. Whether I start with a character or plot, I need to know a little bit about who and what. I also like to have thoughts on where I think the story is going.
These posts from my archives might be of use before you write your novel.
Character related:
Making Friends: Character Development
Naming Characters – from Mary’s Notebook
The Right Number of Characters
Show Your Character’s Character
Viewpoint in Children’s Fiction – point of view – which can definitely change as you revise
Plot related:
Know what you’re writing:
Writing a Novel? Where Does It Fit?
Especially for pantsers:
If you’re at the beginning stages of writing a novel, and don’t have an outline, how do you keep track of people, scenes, days of the week, etc.?
Here are some posts sharing thoughts on those topics:
Do You Have Style? aka Master Character Chart
The Story Ladder or Novel Timeline
I’d love to hear from others on how they plan and begin a novel. Feel free to share in comments.
Not long ago I read several blog posts about the value of a style sheet, although I’d call it a master character chart. It’s a place to put details about every single character in your novel so you’ll be consistent. It’s probably easy to remember that your main character’s name is spelled Maisie, not Maisy, but what about other characters? The more minor they are the harder it gets. Was that Zak or Zack or Zach? This chart is a helpful place to consolidate that info even if you make individual worksheets for your characters.