The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing

1. Write the Novel You Love to Read

So what should you write? It‘s been right in front of you all the time: what you love to read.

Follow your passion. The most successful novels come from writers who are deeply familiar with and passionate about their chosen genre. Your extensive reading in a specific area gives you an innate understanding of what works, what doesn't, and what readers expect. Trying to write in a genre you don't love, simply because it seems easy or popular, often results in insincere and unsalable work.

Target a live genre. While passion is crucial, you must also ensure the genre you love is currently being published. Research bookstore shelves, library new-fiction sections, and publisher guidelines to confirm market viability. If your favorite genre is no longer active, adapt by switching to its currently popular form or a similar, active genre that still appeals to you.

Stay committed. Once you've identified your target genre, commit to it fully. Avoid the temptation to jump to other genres when faced with difficulty. Stick with your chosen niche, continue reading within it to stay current, and hone your craft there for the best chance of success.

2. Build Your Story on a Powerful Crisis and Goal

If you think about it, an effective story begins with a person faced with a terrible problem—a crisis—that turns his world upside down and forces him to take immediate action to set things right.

Start with a crisis. Every compelling story begins with a crisis that disrupts the protagonist's (lead's) normal life. This terrible problem must be significant enough to force the lead into immediate action and drive the entire narrative. Sources for crises are everywhere: your life, family, friends, media, dreams, or even eavesdropping.

Shape your "Suppose". Brainstorm crisis ideas, called "Supposes," and test them against three criteria:

• Genre Appropriate: Does it fit the conventions of your target genre?
• Life-Altering: Does it negatively turn the lead's life upside down?
• Captures Imagination: Does it genuinely intrigue you?
  Refine your Suppose by making it worse, bigger, changing elements, changing locale, or combining ideas until it meets all criteria.

Define the story goal. The crisis must compel the lead to set a clear story goal – an objective that, if achieved, will resolve the crisis and restore order. This goal must involve seeking possession or relief, carry terrible consequences if failed, be driven by a worthy motivation (like love, justice, duty), and face tremendous odds.

3. Define Your Characters with Purpose

Your lead is your novel‘s most important character, the hero or heroine of your story.

Start with the lead. The lead is the central figure, the hero or heroine the reader will follow. Use a character fact list to define their type (Lead), gender, age, appearance, mannerisms, speech pattern, personality, background, personal life, private life, work life, strength, weakness, and name. Ensure your lead possesses core traits readers can root for: courage, virtue, likability, and competence.

Create essential supporting characters. Beyond the lead, define key character types crucial for plot development:

• Opposition: The character whose goal directly conflicts with the lead's. Must be an equal match and have their own strong motivation.
• Confidant: A character close to the lead who serves as a sounding board, helping the lead process events and plan actions. Their goal is to help the lead.
• Romantic Involvement: The object of the lead's romantic interest (optional depending on genre). Their goal is to win the lead's love.

Use character fact lists. Create a detailed fact list for each key character. These lists provide the necessary depth and motivation to drive their actions and interactions throughout the story. Remember, characters' personalities and goals inevitably affect how the plot unfolds.

4. Plot Your Entire Novel Step-by-Step

Because without some kind of plan, a map of the route your story will take, you‘re practically guaranteed to start with a bang and, sooner or later, look up and say, ―Now what?‖

Follow classic structure. A novel follows a three-part structure:

• Beginning (first quarter): Set up the situation, introduce characters, present background, start all story lines.
• Middle (middle half): Develop main action, subplots, twists, complications.
• End (last quarter): Resolve all story lines, build to climax, wrap up.
  These divisions guide your plotting process.

Determine ideal length. Different genres have customary word lengths required by publishers for profitability and reader expectation. Research your target genre's length (e.g., using publisher guidelines, market guides, or averaging similar books) to know your target word count.

Utilize section sheets. Break your novel into small units of action or reaction called sections. Use the NovelMaster to determine the total number of sections needed based on your target word count. Plan each section on a dedicated section sheet (action or reaction), outlining the character, setting, goal, conflict, and outcome.

5. Weave Multiple Story Lines for Depth

The most effective subplots intertwine with and are somehow related to the main story line.

Add subplots and other story lines. A novel needs more than just the lead's main quest. Subplots for the lead and story lines for other viewpoint characters add depth, realism, and complexity. They show that life is complicated and characters pursue goals within the context of others' actions.

Connect story lines. Subordinate story lines should relate to the lead's main story in some way. They can:

• Add tension (e.g., a romantic subplot).
• Provide insights into the lead from another perspective.
• Create dramatic irony by showing the reader things the lead doesn't know (especially the opposition's actions).
• Flesh out other characters by showing them pursuing their own goals.

Rotate viewpoint characters. Use the NovelMaster to determine the number of viewpoint characters for your novel. Distribute sections among these characters, ensuring the lead has the most. Rotate through viewpoint characters regularly to keep all story lines active and maintain reader interest. Use "FROM #" and "TO #" on section sheets to track the flow between different characters' sections.

6. Shock Your Reader with Strategic Surprises

For me, one of the most enjoyable aspects of reading a novel is being surprised.

Plan major plot twists. Surprises are shocking story developments that raise the stakes and re-contextualize the lead's situation. They keep the reader engaged and prevent the story from becoming predictable. Plotting allows you to strategically place these surprises and plant necessary groundwork earlier.

Place surprises at key points. Position major surprises at three specific points in your novel:

• Surprise 1: At the end of the beginning.
• Surprise 2: At the exact middle of the novel.
• Surprise 3: At the end of the middle.
  Each surprise should be a major failure for the lead's main story line and progressively worse than the last.

Ensure believability and impact. A surprise must be a natural, albeit shocking, consequence of the preceding events, not a random occurrence or coincidence. It should directly impact the lead's pursuit of their story goal, making their quest significantly harder and increasing the dramatic tension for the reader.

7. Craft a Dramatic and Satisfying Ending

That‘s how you should view your novel‘s end, the last quarter of the story. It‘s the reader‘s reward for hanging in there.

Build to a climax. The final quarter of your novel is where all story lines converge and resolve. It must be the most dramatic part, providing a strong payoff for the reader's investment. Start the end with the lead reacting to Surprise #3, the most devastating failure yet.

Narrow options and worsen failures. As the end progresses, limit the lead's choices and increase the severity of their failures. This heightens desperation and suspense, making the lead's eventual success feel hard-won. Eliminate success routes, remove characters, rule out actions, and have the opposition create obstacles.

Include key ending points. Follow a specific pattern for the final sections:

• Worst Failure: The ultimate confrontation with the opposition, resulting in the lead's most devastating setback.
• Point of Hopelessness: A reaction section where the lead believes all is lost, but gains an insight.
• Saving Act: The lead's final action, based on the insight, that defeats the opposition and achieves the story goal.
• Wrap-Up: Resolve remaining story lines (like romance) and tie up loose ends.

8. Master Viewpoint to Immerse Your Reader

Every section of your novel focuses on a specific viewpoint character.

Filter through consciousness. Viewpoint writing means showing the story exclusively through the perceptions, awareness, feelings, and thoughts of the designated viewpoint character for that section. This creates intimacy and allows the reader to experience the story alongside the character.

Show, don't tell perception. Instead of stating that a character saw or heard something, simply describe the perception as it would register to them. For example, instead of "He saw a boy on a skateboard," write "A boy whizzed past on a skateboard." Avoid authorial intrusion like "little did he know."

Describe naturally. Describe people, places, and things only as the viewpoint character would naturally perceive them. If they've seen something many times, focus on changes or details relevant to the current situation. Use details in action or dialogue to convey necessary information the viewpoint character wouldn't explicitly think about.

9. Understand and Utilize the Five Fiction Modes

The way to write successful, salable fiction is to know what you‘re doing and why at all times...

Know the building blocks. All fiction is composed of five modes: Action, Summary, Dialogue, Feelings/Thoughts, and Background. Understanding what each mode does and when to use it ensures intentional and effective writing, preventing common mistakes like stopping action for unnecessary description.

Action and Dialogue drive plot.

• Action: Shows events in strict chronological order, one at a time, using action/result writing. No summary.
• Dialogue: Advances the plot, conveys information, sounds natural, creates distinctive voices, and should be concise. Use minimal tags and gestures. Follow F-A-D (Feeling/Thought, Action, Dialogue) order.

Summary, Feelings/Thoughts, and Background inform.

• Summary: Reports events concisely, telescopes time, or focuses on emotion over action. Use sparingly to avoid distancing the reader.
• Feelings/Thoughts: Shows the character's inner state. State thoughts directly or indirectly, usually without tags. Used extensively in reaction sections.
• Background: Provides factual information. Use only when necessary for understanding, present briefly, break it up, and convert to other modes when possible. Confine most background to the beginning.

10. Establish a Disciplined Writing Practice

To not only start your novel but finish it, you need a disciplined plan.

Create a dedicated workspace. Designate a permanent, comfortable, and distraction-free area for writing. Equip it with necessary tools like a computer, printer, comfortable chair, adequate lighting, and supplies. This physical space signals to your brain that it's time to work.

Set a rigid schedule. Determine a realistic writing schedule that fits your life and commit to it strictly. Announce your writing times to family and friends to minimize interruptions. Mark your writing sessions on a calendar and treat them as non-negotiable appointments. Show up at your desk at the appointed time, even if you don't feel inspired.

Set goals and rewards. Break the writing process into manageable milestones (e.g., completing a section, finishing a part of the novel). Reward yourself upon reaching each milestone to maintain motivation in the solitary process. Focus on completing sections in order, translating your section sheets into text, and don't worry about perfection in the first draft.

11. Edit Your Manuscript with a Critical Eye

The hardest part is over. Your manuscript undoubtedly needs some revision or editing—all first drafts do, whether the author is brand new or a brand name—but you have your story down, start to finish.

Become your own editor. After completing the first draft, step back for a few days to gain perspective. Then, approach your manuscript objectively, ready to identify and strengthen weaknesses. Print a hard copy for editing, as errors are often more visible on paper.

Use a self-editing manual. Systematically review your manuscript for:

• Story Sense and Logic: Ensure time tracks, goals are clear, reactions are believable, and characters behave logically.
• Describing Action: Use strong verbs, limit adverbs, cut unnecessary details, write in natural language.
• Describing People, Places, Things: Use adjectives sparingly, be specific, focus on essential details, use senses, write in the positive.
• Simplicity and Economy: Delete redundancies, unnecessary possessives/articles/qualifiers, cut unnecessary words, avoid autonomous body parts, don't overuse names.
• Clarity and Precision: Eliminate clichés, use past tense for habitual action, watch pronouns and modifiers, avoid weakeners like "appeared to," limit exclamation points.

Refine and polish. After making revisions, enter them into your computer. Run a spell checker but avoid grammar checkers. Print again for a final proofread to catch typos. Consult reference books for grammar, usage, and style questions.

12. Market Your Novel with a Compelling Synopsis

A synopsis, a brief narrative summary of your novel. It‘s a vital marketing tool for a novelist...

Create a powerful sales pitch. A synopsis is a concise narrative summary of your entire novel, used to entice agents and editors. It must be compelling enough to make them want to read the full manuscript. It also serves as a basis for cover copy and future book proposals.

Follow specific mechanics. Format the synopsis professionally (double-spaced, standard margins, slugline). Write it entirely in the present tense. Tell the entire story, including the ending, in chronological order. Aim for approximately one synopsis page per twenty-five manuscript pages.

Make it sizzle. Start with a strong hook presenting the lead's crisis and story goal. Weave in vital details about the lead, time, and place early on. Focus on the main story points, including characters' motivations and emotions, as these drive the narrative. Indicate other story lines with new paragraphs. Use capital letters for a character's name the first time it appears. Avoid showing the structural mechanics (like mentioning flashbacks or plot points by name). Polish meticulously for grammar, spelling, and presentation.

Last updated: May 19, 2025