: Re: When writing a novel where do you start? I have many abstract ideas for a novel, including characters, storyline etc.. I have found that writing my ideas down helps make them more real and

@Dunderdale623

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Yes, it does sound like a pretty normal process. It sounds like you are doing some great exploratory writing right now. I'm in a writer's group, and we all have different processes. You sound like you are one who writes to figure out what they want to write. Others like to plan everything before writing a single word. I fall into the former category and it sounds like you do as well. The most important thing is to trust your process and let it get stronger as you do so. Keep writing. See it as something with its own life that you nurture and attend to regularly and it will grow. Its own organizing principals will emerge as you continue to discover what it is that you want to write about, too. This approach drives planners types nuts, but it is a legitimate one, just more organic. Keep all your notes in one place, and periodically review and reflect on the growth, and make decisions based on what you've discovered so far. Then you'll be able to always make decisions about what your next step forward needs to be. I wrote an entire first draft that way. Then, I took what had arisen and used it to make a formal plan for the second draft by utilizing a book on novel planning, called The Marshall Plan, by Evan Marshall. Good luck! Happy novel growing!

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