Keeping your novel on track over the long haul:
for young writers

I’m a 19-year-old just beginning my first novel. I’ve made several attempts at writing a book before, but they tended to only last for one session before I lost interest, so I’ve never written a story of more than about one thousand words. So my question:

I know where I want the story to end up, but how do I keep it on track? How do I keep my writing focused and on topic rather than going off on tangents, and how do I sustain that focus throughout the entire novel?

Thank you,
Jacob Norton

Oh, Jacob, you’re right on schedule for your age. I’d started numerous novels by that time, too. You’re developing your sense of yourself in the craft. You can only do that for brief periods until you build up your stamina.

Don’t worry about longevity, just enjoy sinking deeper and deeper into the world of fiction.

Now, the way to stay on track for a full piece is slightly different from how to write an entire novel, so I’ll explain them both:

1) In order to teach yourself to stay on track for a full piece, I recommend writing short pieces. A thousand words is fine.

Plan to write something you can write in one sitting. Read short stuff—when I was a teen I used to read the short-short stories of Virginia Woolf, but nowadays flash fiction is everywhere—and let it seep into your brain cavities right before you sit down to work. Write descriptions of wherever you are. Write brief vignettes of episodes with your friends. Make up brief vignettes. Don’t try to be profound or anything. Just record your world and end where it feels right to end. This is usually just about one step short of where you thought it was going to end.

2) In order to write an entire novel, give yourself some framework, but at your age don’t try too hard to stay away from tangents.

Tangents are great stuff in novels. Tangents are the complexity that throws your central dilemma into relief. You know where you want your novel to go—that’s great! That’s your Climax. I hope it sucks for your protagonist. Write it down and tape it up over your desk, right at eye level. Better yet, stick up all four post-its. If you don’t work at a desk, stick them up along the edge of your computer screen or typewriter or the top of your notebook.

The immediate job at hand is choosing your Hook. What happened to force these characters to start heading in the direction of that Climax? Once you know that, start writing it. . .and just let it roll.

There are other milemarkers to aim for—a climax to each of the first two of your three Acts and a climax just about halfway through, plus a Faux Resolution right before the Climax where you want to make the reader relax—which I talk about a lot on my blog and in my books. There’s a lot to learn about all that stuff whenever you’re ready.

But in the meantime just have fun with it. Don’t rush! Luxuriate in the craft. You’re not going to write a novel in a sitting—many people take years.

Every time you look up throughout the writing, you’ll see the Climax you’re aiming for on that note you taped up. Then go back to your tangents. Keep a notebook handy where you can scribble down a few notes on the climaxes of each tangent. When it comes time to write your story’s Climax, you’re going to try to find a way to incorporate all the points made in those tangents. But not yet.

And when you need to take a break, take it. Go write short stuff. Start a notebook for another novel if you want. Start another novel! Write whatever you feel like writing.

Wham. You’re a writer!