Writing Your Novel from Start to Finish: A Guidebook for the Journey

by Joseph Bates

Equip yourself for the novel-writing journey!

Starting a novel is exciting, but finishing it--that's the real challenge. The journey from beginning to end is rife with forks in the road and dead ends that lead many writers off course. With Writing Your Novel from Start to Finish: A Guidebook for the Journey, you'll navigate the intricacies of crafting a complex work of fiction and complete the journey with confidence and precision.

To maximize your creativity and forward momentum, each chapter offers:

Techniques to break down the elements of the novel--from character-building to plotting and pacing
Mile Markers to anticipate and overcome roadblocks like ineffective dialogue and "the unchanged protagonist"
Guidelines for Going Deeper to explore and implement more nuanced aspects of storytelling, such as finding your voice and the role of theme
Try-It-Out Exercises and 27 interactive worksheets that help elevate your writing.
No matter your level of experience or where you are in your project, Writing Your Novel from Start to Finish provides the instruction, inspiration, and guidance you need to complete your journey successfully.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Reference, Self Help, Crafts, Adult

272 pages, Paperback

First published November 11, 2015

About the author

Joseph Bates is the author of Tomorrowland (Curbside Splendor, 2013) and The Nighttime Novelist (Writers Digest, 2013).His short fiction has appeared in such journals as The Rumpus, New Ohio Review, Identity Theory, South Carolina Review, Fresh Boiled Peanuts, and InDigest Magazine. He teaches in the creative writing program at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Visit him online at www.josephbates.net.

Reviews

[Kelsea Yu · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5🌟
Perfect for new writers looking for a guide on novel writing! The book is ordered from start to finish of the writing process with tips and worksheets along the way. Doesn’t go too in depth on any one subject, so I wouldn’t consider it a comprehensive guide, more a little of everything. I found quite a few helpful reminders and new ways to think about different parts of the process.

[Mariana · Rating 4 out of 5]

UN LIBRO QUE TE AYUDA CON LAS BASES DE TU HISTORIA.
Para eso está creado este libro.

Está muy bien desarrollado, con preguntas que pueden tener los autores a la hora de crear sus mundos, personajes, plots, tramas, etc.

El libro está divido en tres partes: inicio, desarrollo y final.

Que es como están estructuradas las novelas y te ayuda dando buenos tips para el desarrollo de tu novela. Dando algunos ejemplos de grandes libros para entender mejor la teoría, también cuenta con páginas de trabajo para que empieces a desarrollar la idea de tu libro mientras vas aprendiendo con Joseph.

Este libro me ayudó a tener mejor claridad con mi novela, gran libro y excelente herramienta.
Un gran libro de estructura creativa y escritura.

[Nicole Dust · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is kinda intense. (If I’d read it before RM, my mind would have been blown. But . . . I learned a lot of this stuff at RM, so it was just rehash. XD)

[Dianelys · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best part of the book are the worksheets that are included.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seriously, one of the best writing resources I've ever found. From "start to finish" this book covered all the basics and then some of what it takes to write a novel. I highly recommend it to all writers. Whether you are a newbie writer or a seasoned veteran, this book is a fantastic resource to add to your collection. Best of all, it wasn't one of those dry, factual nonfiction books that destroys the thrill of the writing craft. It was fun to read as much as it was informative.

[Bre Mckae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Avengers Initiative Reading Challenge: I used this book for Scarlet Witch’s board.


Overall:
This book has lots of good advice, BUT the examples weren’t always my favorite. I kind of wish that there had been different choices: I was only able to follow along with 2 of the three main examples that was repeated throughout because I haven’t read/watched the other two yet. I find this a lot, though. Rather than choosing a classic tale everyone knows (one was the Wizard of Oz, which was much closer to that than the other options), writers tend to choose things that have a large fanbase but are not really general knowledge ingrained into society (like Cinderella is, for example).

That said, there were one or two distasteful comments as well, and finally, the last two sections really weren’t very in depth, and just repeated from earlier more than anything.... I kind of wish they had chosen to do just the STARTING YOUR NOVEL part, rather than saying START TO FINISH.

Not bad, but I’d say there are other craft books you should probably go for before this one.

[Stacie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Writing your Novel from Start to Finish, A Guidebook for the Journey by Joseph Bates is true to its title. It is a common-sense, step-by-step guide for writers that begins with the development of ideas and characters and ends with revision of a completed first draft. With appendixes of practical writing tips and worksheets that help writers develop their characters, plot, and POV/voice, some writers will no doubt find this guidebook invaluable. Others, like myself, may already be deep in the writing process - and find that this book, while still a useful resource, isn't necessary to read from beginning to end.

Writing doesn't have to be (and for many, usually isn't) a linear process, and I'm sure Bates knows that many who pick up this book will find themselves skipping to the section(s) that suit their writing needs. The use of examples from well-known literature throughout is helpful for those who are learning the way novels take shape and perhaps writing their first novel - or looking forward to higher ed. literature or creative writing study.

I gained some insight to my own novel-in-progress from completing a few of the worksheets, and also appreciated Bates's list of writing tips - many of which I'm already incorporating into my "writing life." Although this isn't a book on writing to rival my dog-eared copies of Writing Down the Bones or Bird by Bird - it is a book that offers a straightforward path to writing your novel, like the title suggests - from start to finish.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is difficult for me to classify. It isn't a "must-read," and it would've confused me if it had been the first how-to-write book I'd ever read. But it does have useful things to say and I thought it was pretty readable. As the title suggests, Bates tackles writing a novel as a linear effort: begin at the beginning and work your way through to the end. If that's not how you operate, you'll probably find this book better for helping you revise your draft rather than helping you come up with that draft in the first place. I read the paperback version of this book, and wished the publisher hadn't chosen to print so many sections as a small white font on a green background, which was difficult to read. More annoyingly, the web address for the printable version of the worksheets is incorrect (as of this writing, add "-2" to the end of the address in the book to get to the worksheets, or you can also find them by doing a search with the book title at Writers' Digest's site). Read this book for an overview of a way to write a novel, but you'll probably want to supplement it with other books.

[Aurora Dimitre · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book, and I think for someone who has written less (I have completed novels, I do know how to get from Point A to Point B to End) it would be seriously helpful. It was written in a way that was interesting, and fun, and overall, it was a decent book.

[Mark Hennion · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have become a harsh critic of craft books, especially in the wake of WD books rolling out seemingly endless titles, many of which are clearly not ready for press. THIS IS NOT THE CASE HERE.

Generally speaking, for a craft book to come home with me from the store, it needs to provide a fresh take on topics that have already been covered endlessly, or, *gasp*, the book must provide new insight into the craft of writing. I believe Joseph Bates has achieved both.

Using the fun model of considering writing a novel as a journey (which is absolutely friggin in), Bates colorfully (literally: the book has beautiful shades of green and signposts) and carefully lays out the practical advice of writing a novel, gives tips on how to avoid slowing/slacking pace, and, most importantly, provides worksheets that are ACTUALLY useful. So many of WD's books provide overly generalized writing exercises that a simple Google search would yield. For Bates, he directs the reader during the portion of their novel journey to specific informational sheets which have proven endlessly useful during the composition of my current novel. Even better, by undertaking the sheets provided, I was able to provide myself a roadmap while I wrote the rest of my book (I'm a heavy plotter who allows for detours; see how rich this metaphor truly is?).

On a more basic level, the book is written encouragingly without pandering or being patronizing ("Anyone can do it!", and so forth), and the book does dwell on areas that trap many travelers on the journey (i.e. the temptation to stop and fix a work in progress, overanalyzing whether sufficient stakes and tension are laid out/executed between Act 1 and 2, and so forth). Even as a literary writer who affords for the magic of heat-of-the-moment moments, the advice Bates gives has driven me through my newest 170,000 word novel.

Absolutely worth multiple reads, even for the worksheets alone. 5 absolutely solid, shining stars.

[Cliff Haley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent book for help jump-starting your novel. What I love most about this book is that it walks you through the writing process in a fun, creative way. As the cover art suggests, Bates structures the book lie a map for a road trip. Using colorful graphics, creative subheadings, and extremely helpful charts, Bates makes the novel-writing process seem exciting and fun. I strongly recommend this book for aspiring authors because it's easy to read and very playful.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been the best reference book on writing I've read so far. I purchased it as required reading for a class on novel writing and found it to be extremely helpful. I think the title is correct. Bates takes writers through the process from start to finish. There are sections I've read many times. A valuable resource for anyone writing a novel.

[Eliza · Rating 4 out of 5]

It conjured up my inner author! This book is seriously a helper! It teaches you how to write novels with fill-me-outs with famous novels. It takes it one chapter out of time in the order a novel is to be read so it makes complete sense to read. The only problem I had with this book is that when you’re reading the examples from other novels, it seems to have the problem of spoiling. There are a few books ai was interested in reading, such as “Silence of The Lambs”, that have now been kind of ruined. I think it would be better if they used example ideas sometimes instead of spoiling a story. Other than that, it’s pretty good!

[Laura Bazal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid 4.5. I thought this was very helpful, especially with the second and third parts of the book that were particularly practical. The first section too me a bit to get through, but I will use it again to go over my novel when (when!) I have finished it.

[Isabel Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for establishing discipline with your story and character development, especially if you are needing structure, sticking to the perimeters of story telling and plot building. I truly recommend this book.

[Rachel Colla · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great first book to read when starting out with the daunting concept of writing a novel. The worksheets and appendices of further resources are particularly helpful as a starting point for crafting the fine details of a story. Very glad I picked this up!

[Trent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good bits of info for writers. One of the better books on writing i've read this year.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book for my writing reference shelf with excellent worksheets for building my stories.

[Thomas Drago · Rating 5 out of 5]

An invaluable resource, both to me as an author and as a creative writing instructor.

[Anna Purchase · Rating 5 out of 5]

very helpful. practical advice and nicely designed. loved the analysis using popular books.

[Cassandra Lee Yieng · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first time I read it, I couldn't take the advice. But now I can. This book is systematic and an easy read. Recommended for the writer who needs an extra push to outline that pesky novel idea.

[Hillary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good advice, especially for the editing phase. Helpful examples!

[Anthony Rosati · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved every page. Well-written with clear advice and lots of helpful examples. The worksheets at the end are also useful. Recommended even for casual writers

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writing your novel from start to finish was an extremely helpful guide especially for writing challenges such as NaNoWriMo. I personally enjoyed the worksheets available for download online and the clear and concise language. The book is outlined in a way that makes it easy to navigate between sections depending on what you are trying to write or read. This book uses easy-to-read language and is really helpful for those who are interested in exploring different tactics for writing a novel.

[Emily Brady · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great step-by-step book getting a novel written. It walks you through initial ideas to editing and revising with lots of information and organizing worksheets to help get your book out of your head and onto the written page.

[Kelly Schuknecht · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am surprised by the reviews for this book. As of the date of my review there are only two reviews on Amazon and both of them are only 3 stars. I feel like there must be some sort of secret about this book that I don't happen to be in on. Personally, I thought this book was excellent!

If you have ever tried to write a novel (or have that on your bucket list for "some day"), this book is a must-read! I think Bates does a wonderful job of walking the reader through everything you need to know in order to put together a story that people will want to read. It may all seem pretty obvious, but having attempted to write three novels myself over the last few years, I found the information in this book eye-opening. If I participate in NaNoWriMo again in the future, I will definitely read through this book again before I begin and the worksheets in the back will be a fantastic resource.

I highly recommend this book if you write fiction and/or want to write a novel someday.

[Craig Little · Rating 3 out of 5]

Firstly, and most obviously, the title is a lie. No book can really encapsulate the writing process because it varies for every individual.

What this book does, and does excellently, is give a great guideline for outlining a novel (or any story) with a lot of factors to consider. The consistent examples throughout of three stories and how they fit the concepting despite all being obviously distinct from each other help, even if one of my bigger takeaways was "I really need to read Silence of the Lambs again."

As a writing guide, this feels like a good supplement to a more holistic guide to novel writing, such as Stephen King's "On Writing."