Are you a new writer? Just getting started on this exciting path? Or are you a seasoned writer looking for help on getting a short novel written and published quickly? Then you’ve come to the right place. If you sit down with no plan in place, you are going to struggle but it is perfectly possible to do this.

Before you Start

Decide the Length

Whatever you are comfortable with – it could be a really short story of a couple of thousand words, it could be 10,000 words.  Just have a goal in mind before you start.

Choose Your Topic

Again, whatever you are comfortable with. You could base it on current affairs or you could use something in the news as a basis and work it from there. Use your imagination, get creative and go for it. Give your novel some shape before you attempt to write it.

Leave Your Ideas Brewing

Once you have an idea in your mind, forget about it. Go about your daily life – if the idea is a good one, trust me, it won't leave you alone. You will start to write your novel in your head; your characters will start to take shape as you ask and answer questions about them. Let your imagination run wild and write down everything.  Sit and stare into space, turn the music up loud, whatever you do, however you do it, just let the ideas flow.

Let Inspiration Find You

Somewhere along the way, inspiration will come to you. You may be taking a walk, driving to work, watching something on the television, even the news. Something will strike a chord with you, resonate with your story and you need to go with it. It may mean reshaping the main character but better now than when you are halfway through the book! Whatever it is, let it come and let it flow through you – if it feels right, it is right!

Think About The Elements of Your Story

Short stories and short novels are not a whole lot different from full-length novels. It doesn’t matter what the story is about, it has to have specific elements that all stories share to make them interesting, including:

The challenge or the conflict – there has to be something to give your story some meat, to give your character a reason for existing. It can be anything, so long as it brings suspense to the story.

The antagonist – no book is all about the good guys – you need an enemy of some sort.

The protagonist’s goals -  what is your protagonist looking to achieve? To solve?

The stakes – what does your main character stand to lose? It's no good having a story if your character doesn’t have something to fight for.

How does your protagonist achieve his or her goals? – does your protagonist have any special skills? Any talents or advantages that can help them achieve their goals? Is there anything unique about them? How does he or she attain that goal? It could be anything so long as it fits the story and is relevant.

By now, you should have your story basics down and are ready to write and publish your novel in just 30 days.