How to start ?

[Toberich]

Hi does anyone have advice for how to start writing a novel ? Would you plot it all out first then write around that ? Or just start & see where it goes. Should I do a course first ?

Just start writing for now. Do you have an idea for the plot already?

You can't really plot until you get an idea, and you often get ideas once you start writing.
A course can be helpful if there is one near you or online, but it's not necessary. I would recommend reading Bird by Bird, by Ann Lamont. Sometimes it's easiest just to write what's around you - what do you hear, see, smell? Keep a notebook with you at all times to jot down ideas. Start getting nosy and notice people around you and how they behave, what they say, what they don't say but they want to!
If you're not writing at all yet, writing a novel is quite a big step so I would start by just enjoying the writing itself before trying to make it into something huge. Good luck

Thanks I'll try that. Just need to get started in some small way. No plots yet lots of ideas...

Start with an idea that intrigues you. Start writing about it- anything will do- just keep writing to see if your idea has legs. if it has, start fleshing it out.

Any writing you do is never wasted even if its never used. Everything flexes those writing muscles.

The only way to write a novel is to sit down and write it! You need a character, a situation or a problem that he or she has to deal with, and a setting. And take it from there. Some writers like to plan in detail, others don't.

Harriet's right. Nobody ever published half a novel.