For many writers, beginning a novel is the hardest part. After all, it’s those crucial first few lines and paragraphs that hook a reader, right? If you don’t grab their attention right away, there’s a risk that they’ll put your book down and choose another one instead. Or they’ll pick up their phones. Or watch TV. Do any of the other billion things there are to do besides reading your words.

So yeah, those first few lines can feel like a lot of pressure. Sometimes, the pressure can grow big enough that starting a manuscript can feel impossible. Not so!

So what can you do?

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When beginning a novel, plan ahead!

Especially during National Novel Writing Month, it can be useful to have a framework to refer to when you’re beginning a novel. Some writers write out key plot points while some outline entire scenes. Some write dialogue first, then add the details later. I personally like having a list of characters, along with some of their most significant personality traits, along with a timeline that includes both where the novel will start, what the climax will be, and a potential ending (which inevitably changes throughout the revision process!)

It can be useful to have these plotting notes both when you get stuck and when you’re figuring out exactly how to begin a novel. You’ll then have characters who you can throw together and ideas for situations they may encounter on their journey to this climax. You can get the perfect opening later—but at least now you know where to jump in!

Write junk. Write anything.

Anne Lamott coined the famous phrase “sh*tty first drafts” in her book Bird by Bird, and this is a philosophy to keep in mind anytime you start a novel. Remember that it’s your choice who you show these first few pages to, which means you don’t have to show anyone! So make them as messy as they need to be! No one is judging you! Sometimes you need a bunch of nonsense on the page to help you realize what you really want to say. Just keep going. Don’t get stuck working and reworking those first few lines until they’re perfect…because then you’ll never move forward.

Cut it out!

Often, as writers progress in their manuscripts, they realize that the first few pages—even the first few chapters—don’t actually add anything to the book and serve more as expository information that they can later dole out gradually. Sometimes these opening paragraphs contain background information that doesn’t need to be said, but that can inform a character’s behavior throughout the book. Don’t cherish your words so much that you’re afraid to delete or move them around!

Ultimately, don’t worry about straying from the plans you made when you decided to begin a novel. You don’t want a book that’s so structured that it feels lifeless, so if your characters take you in a new direction, trust them! Add new characters. Change where people live or experiment with a new genre! It’s amazing what your mind will think of when you’re in the “zone” and inspired. Remember that you can always edit at the end, and if you need to, leave notes for yourself as you go along about what you need to fix later. (When you do, there are some great revision tips on the KidLit website.) This will help you with that forward progress.

Remember that you can’t finish a novel until you begin one. But you do have to move forward from there! So keep writing! You can do it!

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