Finish Your First Novel: A No-Bull Guide to Actually Completing Your First Draft

by Char Anna

Jumpstart Your Creative FLOW, Banish Writer’s Block and (Finally) Write Your Dream Novel

Whether a story has just popped into your brain or you’ve been dreaming about it for years, it’s easier than ever to power through your first manuscript with this must-have guide from writing coach Char Anna.

Char ditches the fluff and shares tried-and-true methods that will arm you with all the knowledge you need to jump feet first into putting your story to paper. Through her engaging techniques and strategies, you’ll learn how to outline like a pro; craft interesting, complex characters that your readers will root for (or against!); avoid plot holes, pacing issues and other common pitfalls that can trip up new writers; write effective dialogue and so much more!

No matter if you’re writing a contemporary thriller, a historical romance or an epic fantasy, Char’s instruction and hands-on exercises will take you from a novel newbie to a seasoned fiction writer in no time at all.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Self Help

144 pages, Paperback

Published August 15, 2023

Reviews

[syd ⋆˚꩜｡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very simple to understand, which makes it incredibly helpful for beginners. I’m already 65,000 words into my first draft, so I’m not exactly the target audience for this guidance, but I still found it remarkably helpful. I was able to *finally* figure out my main character’s motivation, which basically cracked open my book, and has made it much easier to work on. Overall, I think this book is great for all writers, but especially those just starting their project. I seriously plan on going back and reading this again!

[Catie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had just been making my way through another tome about how to write a novel, and I started to ask myself — "how am I going to remember all of this? When I flip through this again, and read through my annotations, how am I going to find what's most relevant and important to me in that moment?" And then Char came out with this guide and I was completely intrigued. It delivers exactly what it promises: it's not about theory, it just gives you the essentials of what you need in one cohesive place with some diagrams and a couple charts to help you understand how to get started. not only that, but it is exactly what she talks about on her instagram with the same great branding, but all in one concise resource! and the glossy pages make you feel like you're holding a high quality workbook/textbook but it's THIN at just 137 pages of content.

go elsewhere for theory, come here when you need to stop stalling and start writing!!

[Ishleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow.

I had high expectations going into this, and safe to say that they were not disappointed!!

Finish Your First Novel is an incredibly amazing book that goes into detail about every aspect of well…writing a book!

I wish I had this when I was writing my debut series because it would’ve made things 10000 times more clearer for me!! In fact, there are so many things I want to do now from inspiration upon reading, and I’m even more excited to continue working on my new series.

I would highly highly recommend this book to anyone who’s working on a first draft—whether that be their first one, or fifth! No matter how many years you’ve been writing for, this book will teach you something you never knew. I can guarantee that.

[anteros · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, my goodness. This book. This book is EXACTLY what I needed. I never buy books about writing, but I knew this was the one, so I did. Char is a genius. She makes writing look so easy and thanks to this book I've got clarity about my book and how I want to write it.

I think every amateur writer needs this so they don't give up nor lose motivation to actually write a good book.

[Jade R. Vermeulen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply genius. Really useful!

[Freya O’Brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Char’s book is a treasure trove of helpful advice, tips, templates, examples and thought provoking questions. To say it’s the perfect guide to planning and writing your first book would be an understatement!

I have been toying with the idea of writing a novel for months now, but my idea has felt very fragmented. I had an idea for my world, and a vague protagonist but not much else. That is…until now! Armed with Char’s templates and insight, I have completely transformed my approach to writing. I now have a world with greater historical, societal, ecological and geographical detail, and a set of characters with internal goals and substance. I am also developing my plot to add more depth and conflict to my character’s journey♥️

I love this carefully crafted guide, and I can’t wait to use what I’ve learned to write my first novel ♥️It is a must-have for aspiring writers and more seasoned authors, I believe there is something here for everyone ♥️ 5/5 stars!

[ChamberBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was gifted this book and to say I was excited was an understatement! I have been following @the.plottery for such a long time so being able to read her book filled with knowledge on writing was such a cool moment for me!

There are so many great tips and helpful peices of advice, I personally enjoyed her segment for story/chapter structure...especially since it's one of the things I really needed to focus on!

I am currently in the process of creating a story with my twin sister so I read through this very intently! But even if you only want a bit of help or just ideas on how to make your writing better than I highly reccomend this book!

Char Anna really hit it out of the park with this book and I am hoping that she's able to make more helpful books like this in the future!

*I was sent a book but all thoughts are my own!

[Charis · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are stuck at any point during the novel-writing process, this book is for you. Whether you’re just getting started or have drafts behind you, at any point you are at, this book has some helpful advice for you.

For me, this book has been great with helping me outline and discover character motivations. The chapters were to-the-point, helpful, and spelled everything out well.

This is a practical book that gives many good examples from published novels or other pieces of media you will be familiar with.

With character exercises, writing a blurb, understanding story structure and more (not to mention the appealing format of this little purple book), this will jumpstart your desire to get into that novel of yours and finish it to bring it to the world, as good as it can be.

[Hekku · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! I just recently started to write my novel project and this book helped me better structure my outline and understand how each pieces of a story fit together. I even made a story structure cheat sheet based on one of its chapters. This book was the boost I needed to keep writing after my first 2 chapters, because as Anna beautifully says: "No one else can tell this story as well as you can."

[Brie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just what I needed to get out of my writing slump. With templates, examples, and questions to get your creativity flowing, it’s very easy to follow. If you’re not yet confident in outlining, this is a must-read!

[Prateek Vasisht · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book, easy to read, concise and informative. Must read for first time writers, or indeed any writer of any type of book, or even broader, anyone who does (written) communication related work.

[Lex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful for first time writers 👏

[skai_booksandbracelets · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a writing plan that feels straightforward and motivational. it encourages creatives to develop their ideas, characters and plots just enough to write with intention. It points out universal principles of storytelling, and encourages authors to use them or break them woth purpose.

[BlankAccount567 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this writing craft book because it's a get-up and go kind of book. While not being the most in depth book of writing craft (it didn't need to be and it's not advertised as such), Finish Your First Novel is extremely good at covering the basics in an easy-to-understand way. It's short, but covers important topics well. I read in a couple of days, but could have read it in one if I wanted.

After finishing, I felt that I had picked up a couple of tips, reviewed some topics I hadn't thought about in a while, and I felt ready and motivated to dive into writing again.

[Char]

I wrote this and I think it's pretty neat.

[D · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very basic beginners guide to drafting a novel. Nothing more.