Mrthdrb

I’m starting to write a fiction novel. A friend of mine works in publishing and she thinks the plot for my book is great but I’m not sure how to start.
I know a lot of the details and I’ve thought up everything in my head but I don’t know how to change my thoughts into words.

I’ve always wanted to write and I did a few writing classes in high school but never really went anywhere with it as I went straight into working to save for a car.

Any tips on how to start or just writing tips in general would be greatly appreciated!

Not a duplicate of What are some online guides for starting writers? as they’re asking for writing guidelines whereas I’m asking for general tips on how to start my book.

I have two previous answers that will help you, Here, on the Three Act Structure and Here, on Getting the first 50 pages or so started.

These are geared to discovery writers, like me, but if you already have a plot to follow, they can help you anyway.

The biggest mistake I see beginners make is they want to jump in too early on the "action" or the "big idea", they think it helps to start with a big fight or the aliens arriving or whatever.

This seldom works. The reason is because in a novel we readers need to care about the characters that are in danger, or being hurt, or that are fighting. Nearly every novel (and most movies) actually begin rather mildly; to introduce characters in their "normal world". This is done to invest the reader in the character(s) so they care about them, before you put them in a blender.

In the three act structure (which about 90% of all popular stories follow), the first 10% to 15% of the book is about the characters before any big conflicts or challenges.

The problem with beginners arises because the most memorable part of the beginning is the "inciting incident", something unusual that happens to the main characters about halfway through the first Act. That is after the introduction to the normal world, but the normal world is critical for the reader to know who this happens to so they care about her.

The first Act is about 25% of the story; in an 80,000 word novel that is 20,000 words. Halfway through is 10,000 words. The standard submission format for a novel (which is how I write mine) is about 250 words per page.

So, 10,000 words is 40 pages. That is a lot of writing about your character(s) normal world, their day to day life, their pre-existing relationships with family, friends, lovers, coworkers, their job (or school or whatever else they do most of their day), and other aspects of their pre-existing life in general. We need a sense of who we are going to follow on this adventure, what she is like, how she responds to problems, who she loves, and why she behaves like she does. Who causes her problems?

Part of this 40 pages is simultaneously introducing us to the setting. You don't have to do too much if this is a modern world without any magic, but you do have to find ways to naturally introduce and let us know about anything unusual; like magic, or aliens, or sci-fi elements, space travel, futuristic equipment, etc. Ditto for fantasy worlds, and fantasy cultures.

There is a lot to do in the first half of the first act, and it needs to be done in an entertaining way (not just a long lecture about how it all works; those are called "info dumps" and are terribly boring -- we show people how things work using scenes with characters doing things; we don't just pull them aside for a lesson about it).

But beginners often want to skip this, because they want to get to the drama. Don't be in a rush. Readers like to read! They don't mind that nothing big happens immediately, they are used to stories starting this way, in a normal world with normal things happening, and characters dealing with normal problems.

Read up on the Three Act Structure, it will only take a few hours, so you can see how nearly all modern stories get structured. You can Google that and get millions of hits, if you want to read more.

The "structure" is about what happens, when it happens in the story, and what the results are; broadly speaking it is what you should be writing about in each section of your story.

The Three Act Structure is not like a rule you have to follow or you get rejected; it is actually the result of studying what is common in how very popular stories have been structured. It is just what we have noticed most well-received stories have in common. Following it won't guarantee you also write a great story -- What it can do is help you avoid writing a bad story with obvious flaws.

What I do is get to know my characters well, my MC in particular, create a situation and see what happens. I write what occurs.

If you have all of the elements in your story ready, but that blank page is looking back at you, just pretend you are telling your story to a friend. Write what happens and see if it works for you.

We each have our own process, some quite strict and others fluid. Find what works for you and write.

Do not expect perfection. You say you are a beginner - I have several novels that will never see the light of day because their purpose was to improve my skill as a storyteller.

You have an advantage in that you have a friend in the business who has already told you that you have something worth writing. Many of us are looking for such a person to let us know if our work is something they would be interested in publishing, but you have an in.

My process works for me, but might not work for you. I name my character, that tells me who they are at their core. I start asking myself questions about him or her, then insert into a situation and start. If nothing interesting happens, that might be interesting if the character is intriguing enough. My character meets another and things start happening.

I occasionally read mine aloud to check for proper flow. The ear will catch what the eye does not.

Make sure that you like your characters. Do your best to make the important ones as well rounded and real as you can. Give dimension to the walk-ons too, but less is required there as they are not the focus of the story.

Feel free to choose multiple protagonists and do whatever works for your story.

In my case, my characters drive the plot and frequently change direction. I strive to remain true to them, keeping their actions and thoughts in character.

No matter what happens - keeep writing.