ANTAGONIST (S): the villain, the force opposing your hero, threatens, hinders or attacks the protagonist; not always, but usually a human being; it could be a storm, fierce animal, a mental condition, past memory, etc. You should know the antagonist as well as the protagonist.
VIEWPOINT: your choice (1) of viewing the story through the main character’s eyes only; (2) through main character’s eyes with narration; (3) omniscient in that you know what all characters think and why they do what they do.
GENRE: helpful for you to know where your story fits, e.g., mystery, romance, science fiction, etc., as there are certain precedents to be observed or ignored.
PLOT: the story, the reason the reader turns the pages. Girl meets boy; man climbs mountain; woman finds independence; choose any one of countless possibilities.
THEME: usually intertwined with the plot, e.g., love story set within an AIDS (theme) epidemic.
STARTING POINT: a very important choice; the closer to the story’s pivotal point the better.
OUTLINE: I recommend a loose one where character discovery rings true and motivation flows freely.
MOTIVATION: why a character does what he/she does; initiating the action or opposing it. The protagonist/antagonist’s primary motivation seldom changes, but will take a backseat to the many obstacles a good story with throw at him/her.
CONFLICT: rarely does a plot work without conflict; the bigger the better, the more the faster the reader turns the pages.
SETTING: the place (s) where the action and exposition take place.
EXPOSITION: what you would like to divulge or feel the reader should know about characters and events. Use this sparingly.
DESCRIPTION: characters, settings, etc.; have it fixed in your mind’s eye as you write; use it sparingly and never jam it in.
RESEARCH: if knowledge is an ocean, suck it dry and use it only where the story dictates.
REWRITE: along with research, the most important phase of writing a compelling novel. Teach yourself to enjoy it, for there are never enough rewrites.
IMPUT: walk gingerly here as friends and family are not always objective when reading a manuscript; if you can afford it ignore them and buy a line and/or copy editing.
Now that the novel is completed, you want to see it in print.
It is only natural for a novelist to want a mainstream publisher; you will rarely reach one without an agent. Getting an agent to peddle your manuscript is tough if you are an unknown with little credentials. But we all must try, so try. A contest winner/runner up gets attention; unfortunately contest entries can be expensive for a scant one chapter entry; careful of scammers that are more interested in revenue than literature. Know your genre and study the agents who consistently sell in that market. Write an original and gripping query letter, selling yourself and the novel. Because of supply and demand, the agents, who hold the key to the temple door, i.e., the publisher, can be real arrogant, condescending asses when viewing your months of creative toil. Hopefully, they won’t beat you down, before one agrees to take you on. Even then, you will face another mountain, that of working with the agent.
In the interim, and it can be a long one, I recommend print-on-demand publishing. Many free and reliable POD publishers exist on the internet, as do many not so reliable and not so free. Most will have a site where you can market your novel. You can send customers there and buy your book in any quantity for resale.
Since your POD will be competing with the big boys, established authors, for sales, I recommend, if you can afford it, a strong editing (spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.).
Lastly, there are many respectable small house publishers (easy to find on the internet) you can query without an agent who might give your novel an enthusiastic push.
Please feel free to contact me via email if I can help you get started and stay focused.
Good luck,
Chuck Fair
chuck@chuckfair.com