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The Creative Penn

How to Write a Novel Ebook

How to Write a Novel Ebook

£7.99 GBP
£7.99 GBP
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Writing a novel will change your life.

Ebook edition, delivered by Bookfunnel, read on any device.  Buy on other stores.

It might not be in the way that you expect, but when you hold your book in your hand and say, “I made this,” something will shift. 

The process of getting to that point will light a spark in your creative soul and help you discover unexpected aspects of yourself. It will be one of the things you are most proud of in your life.

I’m Joanna (J.F.) Penn, award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of 18 novels and novellas with nearly a million books sold in over one hundred countries.

This book will help you write your first novel, or improve your creative process so you can write more books and reach more readers. It covers mindset, ideas and research, aspects of craft, how to write a first draft, and work through an editing process to a finished book. 

You will discover: 

Part 1: First Principles

  • Why are you writing a novel?
  • What has stopped you from completing a novel before?
  • Principles to keep in mind as you create

Part 2: Ideas, Research, Plotting, and Discovery Writing

  • How to find and capture ideas
  • How to research your novel and when to stop
  • Outlining (or plotting)
  • Discovery writing (or pantsing)
  • What are you writing? Genre
  • What are you writing? Short story, novella, or novel
  • What are you writing? Stand-alone, series, or serial

Part 3: Aspects of a Novel

  • Story structure
  • Scenes and chapters
  • Character: Who is the story about?
  • Point of view
  • Dialogue
  • Plot: What happens in the story?
  • Conflict
  • Openings and endings
  • Setting and World-building: Where does the story happen?
  • Author voice
  • Theme
  • Book or story title
  • Language versus story and tools versus art

Part 4: Writing the first draft

  • Attitude to the first draft
  • How to write the first draft
  • Dictate your book
  • Write fast, cycle through, or write slow
  • Writer’s block
  • Writing tools and software
  • When is the first draft finished?

Part 5: The Editing Process

  • Overview of the editing process
  • Self-editing
  • How to find and work with a professional editor
  • Beta readers, specialist readers, and sensitivity readers
  • Editing tools and software
  • Lessons learned from editing my first novel after more than a decade
  • When is the book finished? 
  • Conclusion

If you want to (finally) write your novel, then buy How to Write a Novel today.

Ebook edition, delivered by Bookfunnel, read on any device.

Buy on other stores.

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Customer Reviews

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A
Amanda Brown
Essential reading for aspiring and experienced writers

If you want to write a novel, learn from the best. Joanna Penn, the author of 18 novels, presenter of the Creative Penn podcast, public speaker and teacher on the topic, shares her knowledge in this comprehensive guide. Whether you are thinking of writing a novel, have started your first draft or are a seasoned story teller, this book is full of practical advice.

Peppered with her personal experiences throughout, Joanne takes you through the mindset required to completing your novel, the elements which make up a successful story, different methods for planning and writing your novel and the selection of your support team - editors, beta readers, proofreaders, and more.

Having read Joanna's book, I discovered that I am more of a discovery writer than I thought. This has freed my imagination to take my characters on a journey while keeping the book's premise intact. Thank you for all your non-fiction books - they are all worth reading.

L
Liz
The least prescriptive how-to book I've read.

I loved this book. Plenty of information to be able to get started, without being an overly-long read. There's also a wealth of reading recommendations for further study, and I've added quite a few new books to my reading list.

The chapter on discovery writing was especially helpful. I've got so many folders where I stash odds and ends that might one day add up to a story. This section showed me that this chaotic process is okay. I haven't found that validation in other writing books.

Also, this is the first time I've bought direct from an author in many years. I'm very impressed by how smooth the process was. My previous experiences with other authors were of books that didn't quite work properly in terms of formatting for my Kindle, or of a complicated process for getting the files. Ordering direct from Joanna was a dream, such a smooth and easy experience. I'll definitely be buying direct again.