There are tons of blogs on the internet that will offer different types of advice for starting your first writing piece, and each post is written by individuals with different personal views and ideas that work for them. Likewise, this post is tailored to individuals with a similar mindset as myself, so here's hoping that this list will be helpful to some of you beginning writers out there!
Step One: Plan It Out
If you already have an idea in mind for your first book, then you're part-way there! This is the most important step in creating your novel, aside from putting it down on paper or typing it onto your computer. Personally, I always keep my ideas in a binder or journal, that way I have time to tweak the plot line and give myself the first pitch of the original idea. If it looks good when you drag it our of your mind and create it into a solid thing that you can see physically, then you're almost ready to get started. It's okay if you don't have every line of the story planned out before you begin writing, as long as you have a loose outline to follow. I find that most of the fun in writing is watching the story come to life and create it's own plot twists and scenes. With that being said, it's okay if when you finish your planning there are a few potholes; you don't have to have things perfected in order to begin.
The first draft of your novel is like a lump of clay; You should certainly have a vision of what you want your piece to look like as a finished product, though the sculpting and detail aren't added until you actually begin. Sometimes it doesn't always turn out as you envisioned, but you can always edit and rewrite once you have your first draft. The beauty is in the process, so you should worry less about the initial quality of the original product, and enjoy the action of actually creating it.
Step Two: Create Your Characters
This step should honestly have it's own post, since it is such a vital part of creating any story. Later on, I'll post my guide to creating characters, which will make this part of the creation process much easier.
It helps me to write things down to see my ideas in person, in order to get an idea of what people who don't have the wondrous pleasure of seeing inside of my head will actually be looking at. In other words, it makes it easier for me to tell if what I have in mind makes actual sense. To get started with your characters, it's important to note that any good story has more than just a protagonist and an antagonist. They may be the two most important characters in your novel, though supporting characters are vital, too. After all, what would Harry be without Ron and Hermione? Even Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom have significant rolls in Harry Potter, even if they aren't the main characters. Supporting characters don't necessarily have to be constructed in as much detail as the main characters, though it will definitely add volume to the story if you jot down a few distinguishing traits and quirks about each one.
Step Three: Start Writing
This, of course, if the most important step. Even with the most careful and detailed planning in the world, your story will never come to life if you don't start somewhere. It doesn't have to be perfect, so don't even worry about reading over every chapter with the intention of correcting everything that you don't like. Just post it, get it out into the world and you can make your corrections later. Your story is just a lump of clay right now. The real sculpting begins after the first draft is written.
Personally, it helps me to have my work posted on a public platform such at Wattpad, where people have access to read the existing work and express their opinions about it. When you have people reading over your first draft, they serve as editors, of sorts, that can definitely help you tweak the finished product. It's also helpful to see what sort of genres that the audience you're trying to reach is interested in, so you can write more popular content in the future. You'll have to keep an opened mind, of course, and not take everyone's opinion as gospel. As with anything, some people can be just plain rude and not want to see you flourish, so you'll have to learn to tune the naysayers out and keep plugging along at your novel.
It's understandable if you're a bit apprehensive to expose your early work to the public eye, especially if it's the first time you've ever uploaded anything to the public, but if you trust me enough to take my advice and do so, I think you won't regret it. This isn't for every writer, I understand, so if you feel more comfortable trusting your first draft to someone close to you for proof-reading, that would also be sufficient. Make sure to submit the lump of clay to someone you trust to give their honest opinion, however, in order to make sure that your novel can be crafted to its best potential.
These were my personal steps to creating my first novel that now has more than 3 million reads on Wattpad, so hopefully this helps and works for some of you, as well! In addition to the advise above, I implore you to trust the process, more than anything. There were certainly times where I came close to unpublishing my book from public view and nearly stopped trying to write in it, but I kept my head down and continued on, anyway. Even if your work isn't popular at first, keep uploading and don't stop wiring until you're done with the first draft. It really does pay off in the end, and you'll be proud of yourself for having gotten that far. Good luck with getting started, I know that you can do it!
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