To write a novel, choose a story idea you can sum up in one or two sentences, decide on your genre and target length, and plan just enough structure to start. Then write a set number of words on a regular schedule until the whole draft exists, and only then begin revising. The finished first draft is the milestone that matters; everything else can be fixed later.

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This guide turns that into ten steps you can follow, with word-count maths, three worked timelines, a plotting-versus-pantsing chooser, a draft-day checklist and a clear path for what to do once the draft is done, whether you want an agent or plan to self-publish.

• Finish the first draft before polishing anything. A complete rough draft is worth more than a perfect first chapter.
• Pick a genre and target word count first. They shape the plot, pace and number of scenes.
• Plotting vs pantsing is a preference. Most writers end up using a mix.
• A daily word target turns “someday” into a finish date. Target length ÷ words per session = sessions needed.
• Revision, feedback and editing are separate stages, and they all come after the draft.

At a glance

• Write a one-sentence premise, choose your genre and target length, then plan just enough structure to start.
• Work out your schedule with target length ÷ words per session = sessions needed.
• At 1,000 words a day, five days a week, a 70,000-word draft takes about 14 weeks.
• Plotting or pantsing is a preference, and a hybrid plan of opening, midpoint and ending suits most first novels.
• The biggest mistake is rewriting Chapter 1 endlessly instead of finishing the whole draft.
• Revise in passes from big picture to line level, then get beta readers and consider a professional edit.

Before you start: what a novel is and what you need

A novel is a long work of prose fiction. There is no single official length, and expectations vary by genre and market. The UK writing guide Writers & Artists, for example, describes 80,000 to 100,000 words as a common range for adult fiction, and suggests debut authors stay around 100,000 words or below. It gives lower ranges for some categories: 55,000 to 100,000 for literary fiction, 55,000 to 80,000 for young adult and 30,000 to 55,000 for middle grade. It gives higher figures, around 125,000, for fantasy, science fiction and historical fiction. Agents’ and publishers’ own guidelines for your genre are the best guide.

You don’t need much to start:

• Time: a regular slot you can protect, even if it’s only 30 minutes.
• A tool: any word processor will do. Dedicated novel-writing software helps with long manuscripts but is optional; the guide to writing tools that help compares the options.
• A place: somewhere you can write without being interrupted, or a pair of headphones.
• A tracker: a notebook or spreadsheet to log words and scenes.

Step 1: Turn your idea into a one-sentence premise

A premise is your story in one sentence. It names a character, what they want, what stands in the way and what’s at stake. A simple formula:

When [event] happens, [character] must [goal], or else [stakes], but [obstacle].

An original example: When a quiet archivist inherits her estranged grandmother’s failing bookshop, she has one summer to save it, or else lose the only home she has ever had, but the charming developer who wants the building is also the only person who can help her.

If you can’t write this sentence yet, that’s useful information. Spend a little more time on the idea before you start drafting.

Step 2: Choose your genre and reader

Every genre makes promises. Romance promises a central love story with an emotionally satisfying ending. Mystery promises a puzzle that is solved. Thriller promises danger and pace. Knowing which promises you’re making helps you plan the right kind of scenes and ending, and it shapes how the book will eventually be marketed. The guide to what your genre’s readers expect explains how to research this.

Step 3: Set your target length and finish date

Choose a target word count for your genre, then work out how many writing sessions you’ll need:

Target length ÷ words per session = sessions needed.

For a 70,000-word novel at 1,000 words a session, that’s 70 sessions. At five sessions a week, that’s 14 weeks. Put the finish date in your calendar. A date makes the project real, and the maths tells you early if your plan is unrealistic. The full timeline table is further down this guide.

Step 4: Plotter, pantser or both?

“Plotters” outline before they write. “Pantsers” (writing by the seat of their pants), also called discovery writers, find the story as they go. Many writers sit somewhere in between, sometimes called “plantsers”.

Approach	How it works	Suits writers who…	Main risk	Tools that help
Full outline	Every chapter and scene planned before drafting	Like certainty, write complex plots or mysteries	Losing interest because the story feels “already written”	Outlining software, spreadsheets, index cards
Beat sheet / light outline	Key turning points planned; scenes between them discovered	Want direction without a rigid plan	A saggy middle if the beats are too far apart	Beat-sheet templates, a one-page plan
Discovery writing	Start with a character and situation and follow the story	Find the story through writing; character-led fiction	Dead ends and heavy rewrites	A running notes file to track what you’ve invented
Hybrid	Plan the opening, midpoint and ending; discover the rest	Most writers, especially on a first novel	Few, if you revisit the plan as the story changes	A short outline you update every few chapters

Light outline methods

• Three-act structure: setup, confrontation and resolution, with major turning points about a quarter and three-quarters of the way through.
• Beat sheets: a list of key story moments. Jessica Brody’s Save the Cat! Writes a Novel is a popular guide to this approach.
• Scene list: a numbered list of scenes, each with one line on what happens and what changes.
• Character-first planning: Lisa Cron’s Story Genius starts from the protagonist’s inner struggle rather than plot events.

Discovery writing with guard rails

If you prefer to discover the story, give yourself three guard rails: know roughly how the book ends, keep a running list of every character and plot thread you introduce, and stop every few chapters to write a one-line summary of each chapter so far. That way you can see the shape of the story as it grows.

Step 5: Build your main characters

For each main character, write down four things:

• Goal: what they want in this story.
• Motivation: why they want it.
• Conflict: what stops them getting it, from outside and within.
• Flaw: the belief or habit they must overcome to succeed.

A character with a clear goal and a real obstacle will create plot by themselves. A character without one will drift.

Step 6: Choose point of view and tense

Decide whose eyes the story is told through and whether it’s past or present tense. First person (“I”) feels close and voice-driven. Third person limited (“she”, with one viewpoint per scene) is the most flexible. Write a test page in two options if you’re unsure, and pick the one that sounds like your book.

Step 7: Write the opening chapter

The first page needs to introduce a character worth following, set the tone of the genre and raise a question. It doesn’t need backstory, a full description of the setting or every character. Many writers find their real opening only after finishing the draft, so don’t spend weeks perfecting Chapter 1 now. Write it, mark it “to revise” and keep going.

Step 8: Get through the middle

The middle is where most novels stall. Three habits help:

• Give every scene a goal. Someone wants something, and by the end of the scene they get it, don’t get it or get something worse.
• Keep a “what goes wrong next” list. When you’re stuck, choose the next complication from the list.
• Track subplots. A simple table of subplots and the chapters they appear in shows you which threads you’ve forgotten.

Here’s a simple chapter-tracker layout you can copy into a notebook or spreadsheet:

Chapter	Viewpoint	What happens	What changes	Subplots touched	Words	Status
1	Main character	One-line summary	The question or problem raised	A, B	3,100	Drafted
2	Main character	One-line summary	The first choice they make	A	2,850	Drafted
3	Second lead	One-line summary	New information for the reader	B, C	Not started	Next

Step 9: Write the ending and finish the draft

The ending should answer the main question your premise raised and show how the main character has changed. It doesn’t need to be perfect on the first pass. Writing “The End” matters more than polished sentences, because until you have an ending you can’t see what the beginning needs to set up.

Step 10: Revise in passes

Put the draft away for a while, then revise in this order, from biggest to smallest:

1. Big picture: plot, character arcs, pacing, and whether the ending pays off the opening.
2. Scenes: cut, combine or add scenes; check each has a goal and a change.
3. Lines: prose, dialogue, repetition and clarity.
4. Feedback: share with two to five beta readers who read your genre, and look for patterns in what they say.
5. Professional edit: if your budget allows, a developmental or line edit before publishing or querying.

The guide to how to revise in passes covers the self-edit in detail, and when and how to hire an editor explains the different types of edit and what to ask.

How long does it take to write a book?

It depends almost entirely on how many words you write and how often. The table below shows the simple maths for five writing days a week. Times vary widely in real life, because of drafting speed, research, illness, work and family, so treat these as planning figures, not promises.

Words per writing day	Writing days per week	Words per week	Weeks to 70,000 words	Weeks to 90,000 words
500	5	2,500	28	36
1,000	5	5,000	14	18
2,000	5	10,000	7	9

The working is simple. At 1,000 words a day, five days a week, you write 5,000 words a week. 70,000 ÷ 5,000 = 14 weeks for the draft. Revision usually takes as long again or longer. A writing routine you can keep matters more than the size of the daily target; see build a writing routine you can keep.

Draft-day checklist

1. Set the session’s word target before you start.
2. Reread only the last paragraph you wrote, not the whole chapter.
3. Write without editing. Mark problems with a symbol such as [FIX] and move on.
4. Log your word count in the tracker.
5. Before you stop, write one line about what happens in the next scene, so tomorrow’s session starts easily.

After the draft: traditional or self-publishing

Once the draft is revised and edited, you have two main paths.

Traditional publishing

For most fiction, you’ll query literary agents with a finished, polished manuscript, a query letter and often a synopsis. If an agent takes you on, they pitch the book to publishers. Some smaller publishers accept submissions directly. This route costs you nothing upfront but takes time, and nothing is guaranteed.

Self-publishing

You hire your own editor and cover designer, format the book and publish through platforms such as Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). The guide to the publishing timeline after your draft maps the stages, and the comparison of tools for formatting your finished manuscript covers the formatting step.

Two KDP facts that are useful at planning stage, taken from KDP’s help pages in October 2026:

• Pre-orders: Kindle ebook pre-orders created on or after 2 September 2026 can be set up to 18 months before release. You must upload your final manuscript at least 72 hours before the release date. KDP treats the first missed deadline or cancellation as a one-time courtesy; a second removes your pre-order privileges across your whole catalogue for six months.
• Royalties: since 7 July 2026, the 70% ebook royalty option on Amazon.com covers list prices from US$2.99 to US$12.99 (the upper limit was previously US$9.99). Conditions apply: delivery costs are deducted, the 70% rate only applies in eligible countries, and the ebook must be priced at least 20% below any print edition on Amazon.

A pre-order date is a public deadline, so only set one when your editing and formatting are realistically scheduled. KDP’s rules change from time to time; check the live help pages before you rely on them.

Common mistakes

• Rewriting Chapter 1 endlessly. You can’t know what the opening needs until the ending exists.
• Researching or world-building instead of drafting. Research enough to start, then flag gaps with [RESEARCH] and keep going.
• No target length. Without one, you can’t plan scenes, pacing or a finish date.
• Editing while drafting. Drafting and editing use different parts of your attention. Separate them.
• Waiting for inspiration. Scheduled sessions finish books; inspiration tends to arrive once you’ve started.
• Sharing too early. Feedback on a half-finished draft can stall you. Finish first, then share.
• Setting a public pre-order date too soon. Missing KDP’s final-file deadline has consequences, so check the current pre-order rules and leave a buffer.
• Abandoning the book at the 30% mark. Most drafts feel weakest in the middle. Push through to the end, then fix it.

Two early decisions shape the whole draft: which point of view to use and whether your story needs a prologue. When the manuscript is finished, see how to get a literary agent.

Related guide: How Long Does It Take to Write a Book? A Smart, Honest Plan.

Sources this guide draws on: Writers & Artists’ guidance on novel length by genre; Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing help pages on Kindle ebook pre-orders, postponing and cancelling pre-orders, ebook list price requirements and ebook royalties (checked October 2026); and the craft books named in plain text, Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody and Story Genius by Lisa Cron. All examples are original to this guide.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to write a novel?

It depends on your word target and schedule. At 1,000 words a day, five days a week, a 70,000-word first draft takes about 14 weeks; at 500 words a day, about 28 weeks. Revision usually takes as long again or longer, so many writers spend a year or more from idea to finished book.

How many words is a novel?

There is no single rule, and it varies by genre and market. Writers & Artists gives 80,000 to 100,000 words as a common range for adult fiction, with lower ranges for young adult and middle grade and higher ones for fantasy and science fiction. Check agents’ or publishers’ guidelines for your genre.

How do I start writing a book if I have never written before?

Start with a one-sentence premise, choose a genre and a target length, and schedule short, regular writing sessions. Write the first scene that excites you, even if it isn’t the opening. Track your words, and don’t reread or edit until you have a full draft.

Should I outline my novel first?

Only if it suits you. Some writers need a full outline; others discover the story as they write. A good middle path for a first novel is to plan the opening, the midpoint and the ending, then discover the rest, updating your notes every few chapters.

Can I write a novel in a month?

Some writers draft 50,000 words in a month, the target of the well-known November novel-writing challenge. The organisation behind National Novel Writing Month closed in 2025, but many writers still take on the challenge informally. That’s about 1,700 words a day, and the result is a short, rough draft that still needs revising.

What should I do after finishing my first draft?

Celebrate, then put it away for a few weeks. Revise in passes from big picture to line level, get feedback from beta readers who read your genre, and consider a professional edit. Then decide whether to query agents or self-publish.

A finished rough draft beats a perfect first chapter every time. Set your target, write the scenes, then revise. If you’re thinking beyond a single book, the guide to planning a series instead of a standalone is a good next read.