Are you among those that believe fiction writing is hard? Or you believe it is just writing the story as it comes? Whichever you believe, it is important you plan your book well so that you can record the kind of success you want for your book. Just as you need to plan your non-fiction book, you need to plan your fiction book too. In this article, I will share how you can replicate the same process pro fiction writers use in writing their books (the aim isn’t to have you box yourself but to arm yourself with the ammunition you need).

STEP 1: Understand your concept

When writing a fiction, it is important you understand the concept you are writing about. What is your book idea/storyline? And yes, you might not need to know where the story will end, just have a possible plot in mind. Have these three sorted:

l  A character with a problem

l A setting

l A conflict

Your concept could be an existing idea, a new idea, idea gotten from prompt or even an existing plot.

Your concept could simply be something like:

This story is about a 25 years old Southern Nigerian  lady, Jane Samuel. Her life changes the moment she realised she had 2% chances from stopping her dad from rotting in jail. She set out on a mission to reveal the truth about the murder her father was framed for but at the centre of unveiling killer, she realised her own blood is her worst enemy and she was the target after all.

In the example above, we have our character, her dilemma (conflict) and the setting. The story could eventually take other turns but we have a clear view of what the mission is in the story.

STEP 2: Character profiling/sketch up your characters

When you are writing a novel, you have got to know who your characters are. Adequate fleshing out of your character will birth great book. If you  aren’t convinced yet about if your character fits in your story, then a character profiling is your best shot. A character profile is a detailed information or biography of your characters, it includes both the external and internal details of your characters.

External details could include age, appearance (hairstyle, eye colour, physical build), hobbies, skills, body shape, name, place of birth, cureent location, education, nationality, occupation, any distinguishing features, preferred outfit, mannerism, health, walking steps, how they speak, etc

Internal details could include what they desire most, biggest accomplishment, personality, emotion, problems, etc.

STEP 3: Pick the planning method

Now that we have the basic information about your novel, it is time we begin planning how to write your book. How do you want to write your book? Will you be using the free writing method? Will you be outlining? You will also need to brainstorm on the list of interesting images that will help pass your message across even if you are the only one that will be seeing the images, and also a list of interesting details of the characters. Read the article on 3 Simple Ways Pro Writers Plan Their Non Fiction Books to know more about the writing processes.

In this planning method, some of the other things you can do are:

I. Set writing goals

II. Decide on form, style and voice

III. Have deadline in mind

IV. Outlining

V. Mind map – Ask a lot of what-ifs

STEP 4: Writing

The final step is to write actually. Everything you did in the first three steps are recursive. Just ensure that you know your plot and characters like the back of your hands. Some authors make mistakes of switching character; don’t let that be you.

These writing rules should guide your writing

i. Use your dialogue as naturally as possible.

ii. Don’t use passive voices.

iii. Master your tenses and choose which you are going with.

iv. Know your style and structure. Understand how your story will be told and stick to it.

With this, planning your fiction book should not be an hitch. Remember you can tweak it to your taste once you have mastered the art. Till then, keep writing.