How I Write a Novel in Six Stages (Markus McDowell)

Every novel writer has their process, and this is the one that works well for me. I’ve developed my process novel over many years. Some of the processes are informed by technology (for example, being able to tag every scene with the characters involved. I can then filter by each character, reviewing only the scenes a particular character appears within.) On occasion, I’ll find something isn’t working as well as I thought, and I will develop a new technique or process. Much of it is based on reading about how other authors work, and stealing what I like.

(I do have a tendency to constantly tweak and rearrange and try new things. Everything is in progress for me—not just writing. My entire life. Someone once told me that I enjoyed testing myself, trying new ways, always experimenting. They were not talking about writing, but it made me realize that I am always doing that.)

Pre-Writing Stage

The first step is quite free form. An idea results in research, brainstorming ideas, starting an outline. This can go on for weeks, months, even years. I make notes, save articles, pictures, and ideas inside my Notion databases. Over time, this idea begins in coalesce into a narrative. It is at this point that I begin to think and write about themes, motifs, characters, literary style, and locations. Some novel ideas lend themselves to different genres—at this point I choose one.

During this time I begin an outline of the novel . I’ll finish this before I begin writing the first draft.

D1 – The Shit Draft

Hemingway said, “All first drafts are shit.” That is, you should not worry about producing a readable story. Just get it out. You can’t develop a work of art if you don’t have the raw material. I don’t worry about flow, structure, typos, etc. I just get it down on paper (screen). Some people call this the “vomit draft”

I almost always work from an outline. (In the parlance of writers, I am an “outliner” not a “pantser.”) It’s a rough outline, more about chronology or structure (if the novel is not chronologically written) than detailed chapters and scenes. I’ve had people ask if that limits creatively, but it actually enhances it. The outline is merely to keep the story structurally sound, to keep it from meandering, and to be sure that it is a viable story with the needed components to make it interesting, entertaining, and a work of art.

Along the way, the outline will change. Sometime, the final novel bears only a general relationship to the original outline. As I write, the outline (and the research alongside) provide inspiration moments and passages that always delight me. “Where did that come from?!” I say to myself. And smile.

The Story Draft

The second draft consists of focusing on the story. I read through the full manuscript, smoothing it out, writing new scenes or sections as needed, deleting what is unnecessary. The novel becomes shorter, tighter, and closer work of art, or at least with the potential to become one. Sometimes, this process results and having to go back and do more research or change other sections—even rewriting whole scenes and chapters (ugh) . Essentially, I am working to turn it into a story with all the elements that a novel should have.

The Character Draft

The third draft is where I focus on the characters. In my writing app (Ulysses), I tag every scene with all the major characters that appear therein. I work through the manuscript multiple times, looking only at one character for each pass. The purpose in this stage is consistency and realism. Is the chronology is correct for this character? Is the depiction of the character throughout consistent with their personality? Does their dialogue fit their style of talking? Do they grow and mature, or do they regress?

I also do a lot of proofreading and copyediting at this stage, although that is often part of almost every stage, except the first.

The Flow Draft

The fourth draft is a straight read-through. I attempt to be just a reader, to enjoy the story for what it is. This is not easy to do, because at this point, the novel is such a part of me that I am blind to some things (thus, the next draft). I get out of the weeds, and try to see the big picture of how the novel flows, the structure, and especially the transitions between scenes and chapters and sections.

This is where I see the end of the tunnel. It starts to feel like a viable novel. Here, I think of chapter titles (if I am using them for this particular novel). I also assess the potential reader impact of chapter endings and beginnings—can it move the reader, does it drive them to read on. Essentially, does the narrative make the reader want to keep reading.

The Beta Reader Draft

Now, I send the manuscript to some trusted readers and editors. I supply them with some questions, but they are free to comment on anything they see fit—where it is a word choice or a missed typo or something more substantial about a character or an event. This isa crucial part of my writing a novel, because there is no way that I can read it like a first-time reader. Invaluable, and I am indebted to these wonderful people more than I can express.

While they are reading, I work on an acknowledgment section, I double-checking some of my research, and work to tie up other loose ends that are still in my notes.

When I get the draft back from my readers, I incorporate their suggestions or changes (or not).

The Read Aloud Draft

The final draft is a read through aloud. I used to have the computer do this in its computer voice, which, over time, has gotten better and better. This time I will be using AI, which is so close to another person reading it to me. Wonderful! Hearing the narrative read aloud helps spot issues and errors that you miss when reading silently.

At this stage, sometimes I make changes and edits at the moment I hear them. Or, alternatively, I make notes and then go back and fix them later. I believe the latter is t he better path (don’t interrupt the story), but my impatience often leads me to the first way.

Kick it out of the nest and move on

Once that’s done, the baby bird can fly from the nest. There is always the temptation to keep reading, keep editing, keep asking others to read it and offer feedback. But that could go on forever—you can always find something else to improve, reword, or change. And so I return to my earlier statement: everything is a work in progress.

As my DoktorVater told me in my PhD program, “at some point, you have to stop and let it go.” Wisdom lies in knowing when the time has come. Let it out into the world to sink or swim on its own. You’ve done what you can, within reason. Wish it well, celebrate accordingly, take a little break, and then begin working on the next novel. (In truth, I’m always working on two or three novels at the same time, at various stages in the process, but that is for another post.)