How to write: Novel or otherwise. Dedicated to those starting out in the world of creative writing.
Step one: Ignore everyone.
Not the usual bit of advice is it? Now, I know what you're thinking. "Who is 'everyone'?" 'Everyone' just refers to all the books and advice givers who tell you exactly the manner in which you should write. It doesn't matter if it is a novel or a short story. Everyone has their own idea about what constitutes "good writing" and everyone is trying to tell you that the way you do it is no good. Your characters are should be doers, they should push the plot forward, You should have at least a couple chapters in your book from the antagonists point of view (that was from "Novel Writing: 16 Step to Success" by Evan Marshall. I read just a couple chapters of that and was about ready to throw the book across the room) your largest concern should be the antagonist rather than the protagonist, so on and so forth.
No. I don't agree at all. If you don't find it fun, why write it? I don't care if the plot is a mess, I don't care if the characters aren't perfectly realistic, I honestly don't care if I don't use real world physics, logic or everything else (the real world sucks, so why would I want to make my characters world suck for the sake of "realism"?) I'm just having fun writing. Truth be told, if you plan out every little thing to the letter before you start to write, first of all, you are going to get bored. Easily. Second, you are not ever going to start writing. The plot, the characters, the setting... it all doesn't matter. What matters is that you enjoy writing it. Yeah, sure, you might not be able to publish whatever it is you're writing, you might not ever make any money off of it, but if you enjoyed doing it, regardless it was still a worthwhile exercise.
Step two: Find your own style.
What are the books you like? What are some things you like doing? What kind of people do you like? What kind of people do you not like? There is no wrong way to start in writing. Come up with ideas of your own. They say "write what you know" but if you ask me (I understand that no one was, but I will tell you regardless) it is perfectly acceptable to write what you don't know (so long as you don't care about getting the details wrong.) You don't know anything about combat but what to write a big action scene? Try it anyway. Even if it is completely ridiculous and over the top, you can still enjoy reading it. As I said, there is no wrong way to start writing. And hey, even if you do need those writing how-to books to get started, that is just as valid as any other means. Still, I would not worry about trying to follow that sort of advice to the letter as that will just end up with you frustrated out of your mind.
The thing is, the easiest way to get into writing is just... start. Write an over the top romance; it may be cheesy, but they can be fun. Write an overly dramatic high school drama about... drama (as in theater.) That's fine to0. Most likely, no matter what you write, there is going to be someone else out there who will enjoy it.
(Note: as for the planning versus just writing a bit of advice earlier in this article, that is simply my own personal preference and the way I see things in this matter. Not everyone is the same, so take that portion with a grain of salt.)
