The Tidy Guide to Writing a Novel: Tidy Guides, #1

By Rachel Aukes

Do you dream of writing a novel, but not sure where to start? Have you been working on a book for ages but feel stuck? Despite all your best efforts, do you feel overwhelmed?

The Tidy Guide to Writing a Novel brings you a no-nonsense approach to write your book right the first time. In this guide, you'll learn how to:

• Plan and organize your story ideas by breaking them out into easy, digestible bites
• Use the simple yet mighty Little Ups approach to confidently write your first draft and subsequent drafts

The Tidy Guide to Writing a Novel is a 30-minute read that's jam-packed with information essential for writers at any stage in their careers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Waypoint Books
• Release date: Nov 26, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386330738

Rachel Aukes

Rachel Aukes (@RachelAukes on Wattpad) is the author of 100 Days in Deadland, which made Suspense Magazine’s Best of 2013 list. Rachel lives near Des Moines with her husband and an incredibly spoiled sixty-pound lap dog. When not writing, she can be found flying old airplanes and planning for the zombie apocalypse. For more information, visit RachelAukes.com or find her on Twitter as @RachelAukes.

Book preview

The Tidy Guide to Writing a Novel

THE TIDY GUIDE TO WRITING A NOVEL

The clutter-free, 30-minute course for writing your book right the first time

RACHEL AUKES

Waypoint BooksWaypoint Books LLC

THE TIDY GUIDE TO WRITING A NOVEL

Edition 1.0

Copyright 2018 Rachel Aukes.

All rights reserved.

Reproduction in whole or part of this publication without express written consent is prohibited.

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Cover Design by Evernight Designs.

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Introduction

To write is to adopt an exciting, self-driven lifestyle where you have the opportunity to create characters that readers fall in love with and build worlds that readers want to live in.

Writing a novel can be both the most rewarding and the most intimidating experience you face in your life. To finish a novel is a huge accomplishment, and no major accomplishment comes easy. A novel is a layered symphony of worldbuilding, character development, dialogue, narrative, and much more. It’s easy to get lost. Many people who start writing a book never finish. I’ve met writers who’ve been working on their first novel for years, some longer than a decade. I’ve talked with many more who have bits and pieces of a novel sitting in a drawer, collecting dust.

I find these unfinished dreams a tragedy. It’s one thing to decide that you no longer wish to write a book, but if you still dream of writing one, having an unfinished manuscript will always weigh on your spirit and confidence. It’s time to finish that novel.

I spent years dreaming of writing a novel. I’d written plenty of short stories when I was a child, and I continued to dabble in short fiction into adulthood. I’d jot down story ideas, but I never started a novel, not even a few words. Writing a book was this colossal mountain that I had no idea how to