What is the best way to get started in this dive?
The first step is to polish your imagination. Make a list of possible stories you could write. An easy exercise is to ask, “What would happen if…” and finish the sentence multiple times.
Once you have a good idea, make sure you know how it will end. There’s no point in starting a novel that you ultimately won’t be able to finish. Nothing makes finishing a novel more difficult than not knowing how it will end.
Write an outline of the story. Write out the characters. While some writers just do it all free-form, if the novel has any complexity whatsoever, you’ll be better served (and more likely to finish) by doing this seemingly pedantic prep work prior to writing. And yes, the prep work could take longer than the actual process of writing the novel itself…
Then, start writing!
Again, don’t worry if your first few novels aren’t so great. That’s normal. Just keep going. You can always return to one of your first novels later after you’ve improved your craft.
Finally, don’t do it alone. Be sure to join a writing group, and have a good group of supporters who can help you and give motivation and feedback! Find a place to get honest critiques. The Break Diving writing community is a great place for this, so we hope you will join our writing group!