Poetry, Novels, Movie Scripts pt2

I decided to continue the series today and focus on part 2 which will cover writing novels.  Novels are a lot harder to write than poetry because you have to focus on telling a much longer story, developing characters, a good plot, and a storyline that hooks your readers.  There is a lot of detail you need to put into your novel. 

• The first step in the writing process is always to be inspired to write.  I know it's sounds
  ridiculous.  There are a lot of people who want to write a best selling novel, but are not inspired enough and their work suffers.  The quality of writing is not at the level it could have been. 
• The next step is to come up with a good plot.  In other words, figure out what your story is going to be about.  It could be anything from a war hero coming home from war and adjusting to a normal life, to a child dreaming of being a pirate. 
• The next step is to determine the setting and genre of your novel.  Where is the story going to take place.  It is in the past, present, or future.  Is it in your home town, somewhere in your country, or someplace fictional.  Also you need to determine if your novel is going to be a comedy, action, drama, horror, science fiction, or romance type of novel. 
• Next, create a list of characters.  I usually get a notepad out and make a list of names for possible characters and figure out which ones I would like to use.  I recommend starting with your main characters and work your way to the supporting or secondary characters.  I use the notepad to write out the character description, how their personality is supposed to be like, and where I would like to see that character end up.  A lot of the time, I base characters off of people that have been in my life at some point.  Especially in the beginning, it helps for the author to make a stronger connection to his/her characters.
• The next thing (and I strongly recommend doing this) is making a chapter outline of where you would like the story to go.  My first novel I wrote did not have the structure that it should have (at first).  I wrote the story however it appeared in my mind (which can work).  But when you have the outline in front of you, it is easier to stay on track and focus a lot more on the details of the story than where it is going. 
• At this point you are ready to write the story itself.  At that point it is all on you.  The only pointers I can give during your writing process are to make sure you are very descriptive with your settings and characters.  Use your dialog to tell the story and do not try to be perfect with your wording (this isn't english class).
• Make sure you work hard at writing if this is something you really want to do.  Set goals or a schedule up for times to write or you should be at whatever chapter by this date. 
• Edit and rewrite the story.  Trust me this is something you will find yourself doing quite a few times. 

Writing a novel is one of the things I love doing the most.  It helps you create a whole other world where you control your characters and become invested in them.  When someone else reads the novel, and they get that same feeling and investment, it gives you a feeling that can't be described. 
Here are some other links that might help you with your writing:
http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Novel
http://www.novel-writing-help.com/how-to-write-a-novel.html
http://www.creative-writing-now.com/how-to-write-a-novel.html

As always I welcome any questions or comments.
http://soundcloud.com/anthonycharlesofficial/episode-20-andrew-hess-author