10 Tips to Write a Novel

I recommend to write following the reading order: 1st page of the 1st volume, 2nd page and so on until it’s complete, then 1st page of the 2nd volume, etc.

This method has several advantages: for example, you move on with the reader and thus know what they know. As the author you already know most of the ins and outs of your story and it can prove difficult to remember what the reader knows and doesn’t know at various points of the scenario. But by following the reading order, it becomes easier to remember what has been said and what is yet to be said, so you avoid forgetting to give explanations, referring to something that hasn’t happened yet, etc.

It also helps you dive into your own story, since you follow some kind of logic and rhythm. There’s a real atmosphere, whereas small text bits here and there make it harder to create a consistent universe for yourself.

Another reason is the fact that following the reading order makes it possible to add things spontaneously (things that weren’t planned initially). However if you write pieces only and then try to combine them, you can’t add something in the middle all of a sudden without having to rewrite a big chunk of the rest.

Nonetheless if you feel inspired to write some scenes happening in the future, better write them down right away (on a separate file); it’s very likely inspiration will be gone by the time you reach those scenes in your main document (the one following the reading order). So better write when ideas come, even if it means adjusting them a bit when adding the scene to the main text (in order to make a smooth transition with what comes before and after).

As explained before, in my case I had a file dedicated to already-written parts that I couldn’t put in my main file just yet. However this document came quite late as I initially refused to write anything else than what came right after what I had written previously, until I understood I was letting moments of inspiration slip by… That’s probably why it only included 13 scenes (not much for a 6-volumes novel), some of them very short.

So, create a main file where you will write the story following the reading order and where you will spend most of your time, and another one where you will write a couple of specific scenes when you feel inspired (to be added to the main file when you reach those scenes in your story).