How to Write a Novel – A Practical Guide (Interview Session)

‘’A man who is not born with the novel-writing gift has a troublesome time of it when he tries to build a novel. I know this from experience. He has no clear idea of his story; in fact he has no story. He merely has some people in his mind, and an incident or two, also a locality, and he trusts he can plunge those people into those incidents with interesting results. – Mark Twain

You’ll agree with me that the saying above is true, writing a novel can be a challenging and daunting experience, especially for aspiring authors.

As a result of the challenges that come with writing many has given up on their quest to author a book.

However according to William Faulkner if a story is in you, it has to come out.

But the question is how do you write a novel and how do you make it come out in the right way and manner?

There is no better answers for the above questions, as a matter of fact, telling you how to write a novel might sound theoretical except you see through the lenses of someone who has traveled the path.

Thus in this article, how to write a novel, I’ll be unveiling the steps that a very talented young writer shared with me in an interview session.

First let’s get to know who this writer is.

Our guest today is Justina, she is a dentist, a fiction editor, a book project consultant, and a Christian fiction writer. She has written two novellas (At the Scent of Water and Tangled), a short story (Trapped) and a novel (To Love Ojimaojo).

She has also written two nonfiction, How to Format dialogue in Fiction Writing and From Blank Page to Published Author.

Justina’s work has been featured in Writers Space Africa Magazine, a literary magazine for African writers and in Crystal Magazine. She emerged as the winner of the short story competition organized by Royal Proofreaders in January 2023.

She worked with Ifeadigo Publishing Company between 2021 and 2023 as an editor, where she helped refine manuscripts and made them ready for publishing.

Let’s dive in….

How to Write a Novel

How did you approach crafting the plot for your latest novel, and what tips can you offer to aspiring writers on creating compelling storylines?

My first approach was to determine the Writing Method that would help me develop, write and complete a 60,000-word novel. Outlining? Plotting? Pantsing?

Next, I tested if my story idea was compelling enough to carry me on a novel journey. I use the CCSP formula: Conflict, Character, Setting, purpose. Does the story idea have a strong conflict? Are the characters true to life? Is the setting unique? Is there a purpose I can recognize?

Once I decided that the story idea was great, I moved on to developing and expanding the story idea. I used the Three-Act Structure. I divided it into; The Beginning, The Middle and The End. I created a list of scenes, from the beginning to the end. This ensured that I knew what next to write from chapter to chapter, hence preventing writer’s block.

Could you walk us through your process of developing characters that resonate with readers, and what advice do you have for writers striving to create memorable protagonists and antagonists?

I could write a lot about characters because I spent enough time on them.

The first thing I did was to determine who my protagonist (s), antagonist, and supporting characters were. Then I created Character Summary Sheets. What I did was to take each character (especially the central characters; I had two) and describe them. Name, role, tribe, religion, complexion, height, likes, dislikes, quirks, goal and ambition, values and every other thing I felt would make a character relatable.

I spent more time on the central character’s (protagonist) goals than other characteristics. What’s their goal or motive? It is this goal that will determine how the story will move, bend, and turn out. Why must they achieve these goals? If they failed to achieve these goals, what would happen? What are the stakes in the story? In my story, Caleb and Ojimaojo were the protagonists, and both of them had goals. These goals gave the story trajectory.

I worked on the antagonist’s goal also. An antagonist has a goal and a reason for achieving that goal. Like we know, an antagonist does not necessarily have to be human. For both Caleb and Ojimaojo, it was Ojimaojo’s faith.

Here are tips that can help writers create memorable protagonists and antagonists:

1. Make your character have a strong goal or ambition that they will stop at nothing to achieve: If the goals are strong, they will have to overcome many obstacles to overcome them. These obstacles will raise the stake of your story and get your readers riveted in it.
2. Give your characters enough motivation to pursue their goals.
3. Make your characters, especially protagonist and antagonists, unpredictable: If the readers can predict the story or characters, the story becomes less compelling. Make your readers predict your characters’ next move and then disappoint them. They will keep turning the pages.
4. Give your protagonist a flaw: No one is perfect, not even a saint. To make your character more likable and real, give them a flaw. Make this flaw a crucial part of the story.
5. Pay attention to their names: I don’t just give my characters any name, especially the lead characters. I ensure their names resonate with the characters’ attitude, behaviour, or roles.
6. Give them a unique attitude. I refer to the unique attitude as mannerism. Maybe they lick their lips while they talk. Maybe they speak in their native language when they are angry. These mannerisms make the readers know them better.

There are other tips I would have loved to share but time and space won’t allow.

Outline plays a crucial role in shaping a novel. Can you share your method for constructing a novel outline, and any strategies you employ to maintain coherence and pacing throughout the narrative?

I create a scene-by-scene outline. It helps me know what to write next and helps keep my writing juice flowing.

After I have expanded my idea and developed my characters, the next thing I do is to create a scene summary. Each scene becomes a character or more. With each scene, I know who and what I am writing about. This also ensures there is congruence and coherence from chapter to chapter.

Dialogue is often the lifeline of a novel. How do you approach writing authentic and engaging dialogue, and what techniques do you recommend for writers to master this aspect of storytelling?

When I write, I imagine myself as the character (s). If I am in this particular situation where my character is, what will be my reaction? What will I say? How will I say it? If I am angry, how will I pass that across?

Also, I identify the relationship between the characters as they dialogue. There’s a way two friends or lovers will converse. It is totally different from how a boss and an employee, or a teacher and a student will talk. I can use slangs with my friends, give short-form answers, but when I am talking to my boss, I will be more formal.

I identify the period or time. If my story is set in the 19th century, the words my characters will use may be different from those of the 21st century.

I also make sure my dialogue is peppered with dialect, especially in informal settings like a mother talking to her child. It makes it more real. Words like Pele and Ndo (which means Sorry in Yoruba and Igbo languages respectively) makes the story more relatable.

In addition, I ensure I do not write speeches, but break long talks with actions. My characters may pause, they may stutter, because we all do this in our normal conversations.

I show more than telling. Instead of writing, “he said happily” I replace with an action that shows happiness.

The last thing I do, which is very effective, is to read my dialogues out. As I read them out, I pick whatever looks unnatural to me and correct.

I’ll advise writers to read good novels more. They will help a lot with writing good dialogue.

Research is essential for adding depth and authenticity to a novel. How do you balance research with creative freedom, and what advice do you have for writers seeking to incorporate research seamlessly into their narratives?

Research adds authenticity to a story. While writing To Love Ojimaojo, I had to make more research on the real estate profession. I needed to include some real estate jargon into the story and I wanted to be sure I used them appropriately. I would not want a situation whereby a real estate mongul would pick my book and throw it away in anger because I murdered the profession (that’s on a lighter mood though I researched on some locations and schools, and some restaurants/hotels.)

When there’s a need to mention a specific establishment, I ensure whatever I write does not damage their reputation. I would not want a situation where I would be sued for mentioning them. There are times I cook up fictional names of establishment, just to avoid any drama.

The female protagonist in my book is an Igala. I am not from the Igala tribe. I had to reach out to two Igala friends and ask questions. What’s peculiar about the Igalas? What are their favourite dishes? What value do they uphold? Is there a specific way they dress?

My advice to writers is to make enough research about whatever they are writing, especially if they are not familiar with it. If your plot is about a psychiatrist falling in love with his client and you’re not a psychiatrist or in the medical field, you can interview a psychiatrist, read books on the field, read published journals, ask questions in the groups where they are. Reach out to friends and colleagues that can help. It helps you create a richer plot and makes it more real.

Every writer faces challenges during the writing process. What obstacles did you encounter while writing your latest novel, and how did you overcome them?

The challenge I faced while writing my latest novel was moving from the murky middle to the end. At a point, I got tired of the story. Maybe because it was my first time of writing a novel (I had written novellas and a short story). I knew how it would end (because I had created an outline), but getting to that satisfactory end became a big issue.

What I did was to reach out to my writer friend who asked me some questions to identify what the real problem was. She encouraged me and asked me not to give up. I prayed too (I believe in prayer and it works for me). Moreover, I was writing a faith-based story.

Also, I let the story rest for a while and moved on to other things. I was working on my undergraduate thesis then, so I got busy with that. By the time I returned to the story and the outline, I was eager to complete the story and within 24 hours, I completed my first draft.

Editing is a crucial stage in the novel-writing journey. Can you share your approach to self-editing, and any tips for writers on refining their manuscripts before submission?

After completing my first draft, I let the manuscript rest for two weeks. I occupied myself with other things and reached out to prospective beta readers and my editor.

After two weeks, I returned to the manuscript and revised it. I checked for congruence, spelling and punctuation errors, subject-verb agreement, show not tell, consistency in names, time, location and places. I added, removed and modified some parts. It was a rigorous process.

When I completed that, I had a new manuscript, a second draft. I sent this draft to beta readers who gave me constructive feedback that helped fine-tune the story. With their feedback, I had a third draft (slightly different from the second). It was this that I sent to the developmental editor.

My editing process can be summarised as: First draft➡Let it rest ➡revise➡self-edit ➡send to beta readers➡revise/self-edit ➡send to my editor.

Finding a unique voice is key to standing out as a writer. How did you discover your narrative voice, and what advice do you have for writers striving to develop their own distinct style?

I started writing when I was in secondary school and published my first book, a drama, as a hard copy. At that time, I barely knew anything about narrative voice. All I knew was that I loved reading stories. My school had a library where I frequently read, and drama seemed the easiest genre for me to write. After publishing that book in 2013, I stopped writing to focus on my university education.

I returned to writing in 2019 after taking a writing class, though it wasn’t focused on fiction. My second book was an e-book in prose form, not drama. Since 2019, I’ve noticed a unique trend in my writing: I incorporate music into my stories. The lead character often sings a song, usually just two or three lines of lyrics, in all my stories from that time onward.

The music can be from music ministers or traditional church songs with unknown composers. This became a distinctive feature of my writing. For example, if you read At the Scent of Water, Tango, Trapped, or To Love, you’ll find songs embedded in the narrative.

I believe this adds a unique touch to my stories. Additionally, writing in the first person, whether in the present or past tense, has helped me connect more deeply with my readers. I’ve only written two books in the first person—Trapped in the first person present tense, and To Love in the first person past tense. These books resonated well with my readers, and I received a lot of positive feedback.

Finding your unique voice comes through practice. It’s essential to decide not to copy others but to develop your distinct style. Everyone has their uniqueness, and it often takes intentional practice to identify it. For instance, I admire Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s books because she prepares her writing with her talents, making her stories relatable. Even though I don’t understand the Igbo languages she incorporates, she always provides translations, making her work accessible and engaging.

Being unique means not imitating anyone else. While it’s natural to have role models or mentors, it’s crucial to be intentional about developing your voice. Through practice, you’ll discover what is unique to you. This could be something you naturally do in your writing, not because others are doing it, but because it reflects who you are and what you want your readers to experience.

There’s an author I love, Adesua (she used to write under a different name), who writes captivating romance stories in the first person, both present and past tense. She also incorporates songs into her stories, though they are not faith-based but popular songs by various artists. I started adding songs to my books before I knew about her, which reaffirmed my unique approach.

Finding your unique voice is not difficult. You just have to let your true self shine. Don’t inhibit your writing; let it flow naturally. This way, you will identify your distinctive style.

Balancing show versus tell is a common struggle for writers. How do you ensure a healthy balance between descriptive prose and narrative exposition, and what suggestions do you offer to writers aiming for effective storytelling?

What determines whether I will show or tell is the pacing.

If I want to describe something quickly or pass a piece of information that the readers need to know and move on, I tell. For example, if my character needs to eat before she goes to an event where the real story is, I don’t need to show how the character eats.

I will just inform my readers that the character ate something and left the house. I will only describe (show) the process of eating if what and how she eats has something important to do with the plot of the story. If a scene is fast paced, telling is better than showing.

However, if the information I want to pass across is vital to the plot of the story, if the characters need to see and know specific details about a particular scene/character/setting, I will show. I will make sure I give a detailed description. Such scenes are usually slow paced.

In dialogue, I do more of showing than telling. Like I said earlier, I avoid writing speeches, but break talks with actions.

I recommend reading novels by good authors and studying how these authors show and tell. I also recommend Janice Hardy’s Understanding Show, Don’t Tell. The book helped me greatly.

Lastly, what overarching advice would you give to aspiring novelists embarking on their writing journeys, and what steps can they take to cultivate their craft and achieve success in the competitive world of publishing?

My overarching advice

Keep writing as you learn more about the craft. If you read hundreds of book about writing or take many courses on writing, you won’t make much progress and undertake how this craft works except when you practice.

As you write, you’ll become better (your next book will usually be better than the previous. Well, for most writers, I think).

Let’s wrap up

To aspiring novelist, if you want to learn how to write a novel, I would say, embrace the journey. Write consistently, seek feedback, and don’t be afraid to revise and rewrite.

Immerse yourself in the world of literature—read widely and critically, analyze what works and what doesn’t.

Join writing groups and if you like, you can join our WhatsApp writing group here, likewise attend workshops, and connect with other writers to share experiences and insights.

In addition here is a article that can help you get better as a writer immediately, click here and if you already have a manuscript we’ve an article that can teach you how to write a book proposal and pitch your book to agents and publishers click here.

Above all be patient and persistent, as success in the competitive world of publishing often requires time and resilience. I wish you all the best in your journey.