What is a Novel?

What is a novel image

What Is a Novel?

If you’re going to write a novel, you need to know exactly what a novel is—and what it isn’t.

A novel, strictly speaking, is a lengthy work of fiction. Depending on what genre you’re writing in, a novel might range anywhere from 40,000 to 125,000 words—that’s 160 to 500 pages. There are novels that are shorter or longer than this, but that’s about the average.

In general, it’s accepted that a novel is 50,000 words and up.

Beyond that, the only real guideline is that a novel is fiction—it’s made up in some way. Nonfiction works have their own unique set of guidelines and criteria, and are written using different techniques and concepts. (We also have a guide on how to write a nonfiction book if you’re interested in that.)

You can write in a huge variety of fiction genres—science fiction, fantasy, literary fiction, contemporary fiction, romance, thriller, mystery, horror, suspense, paranormal, magical realism, Western, historical fiction, YA, middle grade, gothic, Southern, and so many more—or you can combine genres. You can even create your very own cross-genre or genre-bending category!

That’s the awesome thing about fiction: the only limits are your imagination.

But this can also be a little intimidating. With so many options, how do you figure out what to write about and how to start your novel?

Right now, you need to decide how you want to go about the novel writing process. Do you want to be a plotter or a pantser?

elements of a fiction novel

Elements of a Novel

If you’re thinking about writing a novel, odds are you already know what you want to write about in some way—you have a character nudging at the back of your mind that won’t leave you alone, or you’ve come up with an idea for an amazing imaginary world, or you’ve got this fantastic idea for a thrilling adventure.

That right there is your starting place. You don’t need to have every element of the story established before you begin—it’s enough to have one element that has grabbed you and won’t let you go.

We’ll work out the other elements as you go along!

What are those elements?

They include:

  • Protagonist(s)
  • Antagonist(s)
  • World or Setting
  • Challenge
  • Growth
  • Resolution

You can boil these down to four main areas:

  1. Concept
  2. Characters
  3. Setting
  4. Story Arc

If you liked this post, here are some other articles you might love:

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Think Pieces: What They Are and How to Write One

Image
A think piece, also known as a thought piece, is an article or piece of writing intended to stir up the reader’s thoughts. It is usually speculative, with a lot of expository material, context, and the author’s analysis and opinion of existing ideas. Sometimes, think pieces can lean toward the controversial, especially when they seek to challenge majority opinions. Particularly provocative pieces are often the ones that get shared all over social media or the internet. Editors of magazines, blogs, and websites often pay for think pieces, but they are not that easy to write. This is perhaps why many writers aspire to be published in mainstream publications like The New Yorker, The Washington Post, The Economist, The Atlantic, and The Saturday Evening Post , but their submissions barely get a sideways glance.  The good news is that getting a think piece published does not depend on your name or reputation; instead, quality is king. The key is being able to think deeply about a t...
Read more

The Best Mobile Apps for Writers

Image
If you’re a writer looking for a better way to write on your smartphone or mobile device, this post will help. Using a text app or word processor just won’t cut it if you’re doing heavy duty writing on a mobile device. These tools can help whether you have an Android or Apple device. 1. IWriter iWriter is a writing tool that functions excellently on Android and iOS. It is the best app for writing articles, books, or taking detailed notes. iWriter is a simple and elegant text editor. You can download it via iTunes or Google Play . You can check out iWriter subscription pricing here. 2. JotterPad Jotterpad makes it possible to convert files from PDF to WORD and some other popular formats. The app supports Markdown. It includes text styling, a thesaurus, a built-in dictionary that’ll even help you rhyme. It has essential features such as snapshots, typewriter scrolling, undo/redo, night vision, universal dark theme, and phrase finder. JotterPad supports full Cloud integr...
Read more

Author Business Cards: Why You Need Them and How to Make Them

Image
The first rule for being a successful author is to write. The second rule for being a successful author is to write more. The third rule for being a successful author is to always be networking. You never know where your next fan will come from. It might be someone who finds your book on Goodreads, but it might also be the person in front of you at the grocery store or the guy you bump into when you’re out for pizza. You might get chatting with someone at the bowling alley. You might end up discussing your book at the DMV. Your next reader could be anyone, anywhere. So you need to be prepared! That’s why business cards still matter in the digital era. Although we all tote tiny computers in our pockets all day, it’s still a pain in the butt to exchange contact information on a phone—not everyone uses the same system, vCards work with contact and email programs but aren’t universal, and NFC transfers are kind of clunky. Besides, after you dump your information into someone else’...
Read more