Writing a fantasy novel comes with its own special techniques and challenges, which separate it from all other genres, but the truth is that writing a novel is writing a novel – you still have to put one word in front of the others until you are finished. This text is meant as a step-by-step guide. You are not expected to memorize and repeat the steps as listed, the steps are listed in such a way that you may come back to them at any time. Even when you have moved from step two to step three, you may return to step two at any time. Do not expect to be perfect, nor for your story to be perfect , the very first time . There are no permanent mistakes in any draft but the last, think of your novel as a puzzle that can be fooled and fiddled with, not as a speech in front of thousands where the smallest mistake can throw you off course.