Start your novel in the Novel Factory
There is no fixed way to get started with the Novel Factory. You may want to start by creating characters, or locations, or by diving into some notes.
However, for simplicity, here we will look at three major routes for getting started writing your novel in the Novel Factory.
- Use the Novel Writing Roadmap (best suited for new writers)
- Outline your novel with a Plot Template (best suited to Planners)
- Dive into a discovery manuscript (best suited to Pantsers)
Use the Novel Writing Roadmap (best suited for new writers)
The Novel Writing Roadmap is a step-by-step guide to writing a novel, created and written by novelist Katja Kaine with influences from Save the Cat, JK Rowling, Joseph Campbell, Dwight Swain, Brandilyn Collins, Allan Palmer, The Snowflake Method and many more.
It’s designed to take you from idea to completed manuscript, via a series of practical tasks – each one explained with an article, video and examples.
There are books about characterisation, and books about plot, and books about editing – but very few books put all those things into one place, and tell you when to do what, and exactly how to do it.
That’s where the Novel Writing Roadmap comes in.
The Roadmap and the Novel Factory are deeply integrated, with functions and features to make completing the Roadmap steps as straightforward as possible, such as dedicated panels to enter the details of your premise, characters, plot and more.
If you’re a new writer, then the Roadmap can help you learn the craft of novel writing – at the same time as completing your first novel.
To get started with the Roadmap, login to your Novel Factory account and click the top icon of the main navigation: Roadmap.
This will take you to a page which looks like this. Start by reading the article in the central area of the page, and the Roadmap will take you every step of the way from there.
Outline your novel with a Plot Template (best suited to Planners)
If you don’t want to follow the detailed Roadmap to writing a novel, but you prefer to do a little planning before you start writing, then we recommend you start with the Plot Manager.
To get to the Plot Manager, click the third icon in the navigation – the one that looks like an open book: Plot Manager.
This will take you to the Plot Manager Section.
Starting with a Plot Template
When you first go to the Plot Manager, it will offer you the option to choose a Plot Template from nine popular options.
If you click on the options, they will allow you to browse more detail before making your selection. Once you have selected a plot template, click ‘Generate from Template’.
This will generate a set of index cards for all the major beats of the template. Read through the description of each beat and replace it with ideas from your story, to create a well structured core to your novel.
Click here to read more about using the Plot Manager.
Dive into a discover manuscript (best suited to Pantsers)
If you prefer to just start with a blank page and see where your imagination leads you, then you need to go to the Manuscript section.
To get to the Manuscript section, click the fifth icon down the main left hand navigation, the one that looks like a hardback book: Manuscript.
This will take you to the Manuscript section where you will see a blank page, where you can begin your writing.