The Ultimate  
Novel Writing Starter Kit 
 
Hey there! 👋 Congratulations on taking the first step toward one of the most 
rewarding challenges ever – writing a book! 
 
If you’re anything like the majority of the people I work with, you want to write a 
book but you don't know how to get started. Or maybe you have started, but now 
you don't know how to proceed with the development of your story.  
 
Maybe you’re feeling overwhelmed with the number of decisions to be made about 
your story. Or maybe you’ve spent YEARS working on the same novel, feeling an 
endless amount of doubt or frustration. Or maybe, worst of all, you’re about to give 
up on your writing altogether.  
 
If you can relate to any of that, don't worry – I've got you covered. As a 
developmental editor and book coach, I’ve worked with many authors who feel 
frustrated and overwhelmed when it comes to their writing. Most of these feelings 
could be eliminated if there was an easy, step-by-step process to follow.  
 
That's exactly why I created this Novel Writing Starter Kit. My goal is to break down 
the complex process of writing a novel and to teach you how to do it in a less 
complicated way. I hope this workbook will help you get started with your writing, 
and allow you to feel confident, productive, and inspired when you sit down to 
write. Let's get started. 
 
 

Getting Started with Your Writing 

 
To help kickstart your writing journey, there are three important steps you need to 
take before writing your first draft. The good news? Once you have all the details 
(which I’m going to give you in this workbook) they are pretty easy steps to take! 
 
Step #1:​ Connect with the real reason you want to write this book. 
Step #2:​ Determine what type of book you’re going to write. 
Step #3: ​Test out your story idea to make sure it can carry a full-length novel. 

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QUESTION # 01: 
Why do You Want to Write This Book? 
 
If you’re like most people, you want to write a book because you want to be heard. 
You have something to say about life or human nature, and you want others to see 
the world the same way you do. 
 
So, the first question I ask all my clients is – why do you want to write this book?  
 
Your answers to this question can help you get a better sense of the kind of story 
you want to write. For example, your answers can help you:  
 
➜ determine your story’s genre.  
➜ uncover the theme of your book.  
➜ start to see the shape of your story. 
➜ figure out your character’s arc, and more... 
 
Here’s an example from a client of mine named Camille. I asked Camille why she 
wanted to write ​this ​particular story at t​ his ​particular time in her life, and she said –  
 
"I want to write this story because I want to show that getting close to someone 
doesn't always equal pain. Ever since my best friend passed away, I've been afraid 
to get close to people because I don't want to feel the pain of losing someone 
again. But by distancing myself from others, I've missed out on some (potentially) 
really great relationships. I guess I don’t want other people to make the same 
mistake I did when it comes to friendships and relationships. I also think writing 
this story will finally help me work through the loss of my friend.” 
 
First of all, that’s a GREAT answer – and thank you so much, Camille, for letting me 
share your words in this workbook! 💕  
 
From Camille’s answer, I could imagine her protagonist transforming from 
someone who’s afraid of getting close to people to someone who lets love into his 
or her life. Or, perhaps Camille’s protagonist has to work with, and learn to trust, 
someone in order to accomplish his or her external story goal. The theme or 
message of Camille’s story might be something like – “Good things happen when 
people put aside their fears and work together.” You can also start to get a sense of 

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how Camille’s story could play out in the romance genre vs. the mystery genre vs. 
any other genre. Pretty neat, right? 
 
So, the first thing you need to do is understand why this story is so important to 
you. Why do you want to tell ​this​ particular story at ​this​ particular time in your life? 
The more specific you are, the more effective your writing efforts will be. If you get 
stuck in the middle of a draft, you can look back on your answers for inspiration 
and motivation. You can also look at your answers when it comes time to edit. It’s 
not always easy to delete things from your draft, but if you use your WHY as a 
guiding light, decisions become much easier.  
 
📝 ​Your turn to do the work: 
 
Set a timer for 10-15 minutes and answer the following questions: 
 
➜ Why do you want to write ​this p ​ articular story at t​ his ​time in your life? 
➜ What beliefs or values fuel this story? 
➜ What’s the point you’re trying to make? 
➜ What are you trying to say about life, the world, or human nature? 
➜ What are you trying to prove or disprove with your story? 
 
If you're having a hard time answering this question, or if you feel unsure about 
what’s coming up, don't worry and be patient. You know the answer even if it’s not 
immediately obvious. 
 
You can also try reading through this list of themes or universal lessons to see if 
anything resonates with you: 
 
➔ Forgiveness ​(of self or others) 
➔ Love (​ self-love, family love, romantic love) 
➔ Acceptance (​ of self, of circumstances, of reality) 
➔ Faith (​ in oneself, in others, in the world, in God) 
➔ Fear (​ overcoming it, conquering it, finding courage) 
➔ Trust (​ in oneself, in others, in the unknown) 
➔ Survival (​ including the will to live) 
➔ Selflessness ​(including selflessness, heroism, and overcoming greed) 
➔ Responsibility ​(including duty, and accepting one's destiny) 
➔ Redemption ​(including atonement, accepting blame, remorse, and salvation) 
 

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Write down your answers here: 

 
 
👉 C​ oach’s Tip:​ D​ on't worry if your answers sound generic or cliché – that’s almost 
always the case in the beginning. This exercise is all about you getting clarity on 
your message so, don’t feel like you need to make your answer perfect. You’ll be 
able to refine or polish it up later. Don’t do a lot of research or self-reflection to 
figure this out. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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QUESTION # 02: 
What Type of Book Are You Going to Write? 
 
When you hear the word “genre,” you might think of the shelves in a bookstore or 
the categories on Amazon. But, genre is more than just a way to sort and classify 
stories according to their shared elements. 
 
Genre is all about understanding and delivering on the reader’s expectations. 
And it’s the key to writing a story that works.  
 
Readers pick up certain types of books because they want to: 
➔ experience a certain kind of story 
➔ feel a certain kind of way 
➔ get help making sense of the changes in their lives 
➔ be someone else for a few hours 
 
When you understand why readers pick up books in certain genres, it makes the 
whole writing process that much easier.  
 
For example, if someone walked into a bookstore and picked up a murder mystery, 
they would have certain expectations about the content of that story.  
 
Perhaps they’d expect to see certain things like a scene where the dead body is 
found and a scene where the murderer’s identity is exposed. They’d probably 
expect to see a character who plays the role of a detective or cop. They’d probably 
expect to uncover a bunch of clues alongside that detective or cop and to learn new 
information throughout the whole story. The feeling they’re looking to experience is 
intrigue -- they want to figure out w​ hodunnit? 
 
This might sound obvious, but it’s super important to understand. If you don't know 
what your genre is -- and what your genre is all about -- you’re not going to write a 
story that delivers on readers' expectations.  
 
So, let’s take a look at the different genres as laid out by Shawn Coyne, the creator 
of The Story Grid and an editor with 25+ years experience in the “Big 5” publishing 
houses. As you read through this next section, try to identify the genre that sounds 
like the type of story you want to write. 

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External and Internal Content Genres 

 
A story will either have an external genre, an internal genre, or both. 
 
Plot-driven stories make up the external genres and are primarily driven by 
personal conflict.​ For example, the antagonist might be a monster, a villain, a 
murderer, someone competing for the same job, or even a potential love interest. 
 
Character-driven stories make up the internal genres and are primarily driven 
by inner conflict. ​For example, the force of antagonism could be crippling 
self-doubt, an emotional wound, or some fear that stands in the character’s way. 
 
The External Content Genres are – 
 
➔ Action ​(like Star Wars or Harry Potter) 
➔ Horror (​ like The Shining or Halloween) 
➔ Mystery ​(like Murder on the Orient Express) 
➔ Western ​(like Lonesome Dove or True Grit) 
➔ War ​(like The Hurt Locker or Tides of War) 
➔ Thriller (​ like Silence of the Lambs or Gone Girl) 
➔ Society ​(like Animal Farm or Thelma and Louise) 
➔ Love (​ like Pride and Prejudice or Twilight) 
➔ Performance​ (like Million Dollar Baby or The Karate Kid) 
 
The internal content genres are: 
 
➔ Worldview (​ like The Perks of Being a Wallflower or Juno) 
➔ Status ​(like Milk, Gladiator) 
➔ Morality ​(Like Wall Street, Manchester by the Sea) 
 
Stories can contain BOTH an external genre and an internal genre, but they don’t 
have to. For example, in Agatha Christie’s stories, we don’t really care if Hercule 
Poirot changes as a human being from beginning to end. What we want is to follow 
the master detective as he works on solving the mystery.  
 
If you decide to include both an internal and external genre in your story, you must 
choose ONE to be the ​main​ genre. If you don’t, you won’t know what to focus on as 
you write. And even worse, when readers get a hold of your book, they’ll be 

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confused. For example, if a reader picks up a book expecting a crime novel and is 
faced with a detective who spends more time mulling over his high school girlfriend 
than solving the crime, your reader will be disappointed. 
 
Why aren’t fantasy and science fiction on the list of genres? 
 
Fantasy and science fiction are consumer-facing genre labels. These labels tell the 
reader that there will be fantastic, magical, scientific, or futuristic elements in a 
novel, but it doesn’t really tell the reader what the story will be about. For example 
-- consider ​Twilight (​ a love story) versus T​ he Hunger Games​ (an action story). That 
means if you’re planning to write a science fiction or fantasy story, you still need to 
choose an external genre or an internal genre (or both) for your story.  
 
You might be thinking -- okay, all that makes sense, but how does choosing the 
main genre for my story help me write a book? Well, if you can nail down your 
story's main genre, you'll automatically gain a sense of clarity and focus that will 
help you finish your draft and write a story that works. 
 
For example, knowing your genre immediately gives you a sense of the:  
 
➔ overall shape of your entire story 
➔ primary c​ hange that will take place from the beginning of the story to the end 
➔ things your protagonist wants and needs (their objects of desire) 
➔ scenes and conventions that need to be present in your story 
➔ theme or message of your story, and more... 
 
For example, let’s say you’ve decided to write an action story set in a fantasy world. 
And let’s say you’ve gone one step further and you’ve decided that your protagonist 
will have an internal worldview arc.  
 
From those decisions, we can already get a sense of your protagonist’s objects of 
desire -- what she wants and needs. Her “want” is to stay alive and survive the 
upcoming conflict with the protagonist. That comes from the action genre. Her 
“need” might be something like maturing past irrational judgments of others. That 
comes from the worldview genre. The stakes of your story are life and death -- 
either your protagonist will mature and survive the upcoming conflict, or she won’t.  
 
You can also start to build a framework for your story using your genre’s obligatory 
scenes. For example, in an action novel, the story kicks off after some kind of threat 

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or attack from the antagonist. The climax is the final showdown between your 
protagonist and the antagonist. There are also certain conventions (settings, roles, 
etc.) you’ll need to include depending on your genre. For example, a mentor figure 
or an element of sacrifice on the protagonist’s part.  
 
For further study, check out this post -- W
​ hat are Obligatory Scenes and Conventions? 
 
📝 ​Your turn to do the work: 
 
Set a timer for 5 minutes and answer the following questions: 
 
➜ What’s the global genre of your story?  
➜ Will you have both an external and an internal genre in your story?  
 
My story’s global genre is: 
 
_____ Action _____ Society 
_____ Horror _____ Status (​ internal) 
_____ Performance _____ Thriller 
_____ Romance _____ War 
_____ Mystery _____ Western 
_____ Morality ​(internal) _____ Worldview ​(internal) 
 
Notes: 

 
👉 C​ oach’s Tip: I​ f you’re having trouble figuring out where your story fits, or which 
genre it belongs to, don’t give up. Ask yourself -- what story am I really trying to tell 
here? Look at your answers from the previous exercise for guidance. 

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QUESTION # 03: 
Will Your Idea Support a Full-Length Novel? 
 
For most of us, there's nothing worse than the thought of wasting a bunch of time 
and energy on a story that's going nowhere. But the truth is that not every idea is 
ready to be developed into a full-length work of fiction.  
 
Luckily, there are two different exercises you can use to test out (and flesh out) your 
story idea before you start writing the first draft. Let’s dive in. 
 
 
Exercise #1: Write your storyline. 
 
A storyline is a short summary that gives the gist of your book in 1-2 sentences. It 
tells the reader who the main character is, what the conflict is, and what the stakes 
are. It’s the WHO, WHERE, WHAT, and WHY of your story, but not the HOW. 
 
Before you write your storyline, I want you to check out these examples by genre. 
Notice how they capture the big picture sweep of the story in just 1-2 sentences. 
 
➔ Action // ​Star Wars: A New Hope​ - Luke Skywalker, a spirited farm boy, joins 
rebel forces to save Princess Leia from the evil Darth Vader, and the galaxy 
from the Empire’s planet-destroying Death Star. 
 
➔ Horror // T​ he Shining​ - A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter 
where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his 
psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.  
 
➔ Performance // ​Cool Runnings​ - When a Jamaican sprinter is disqualified 
from the Olympic Games, he enlists the help of a dishonored coach to start 
the first Jamaican Bobsled Team.  
 
➔ Romance //​ P ​ ride and Prejudice​ - Sparks fly when spirited Elizabeth Bennet 
meets single, rich, and proud Mr. Darcy. But Mr. Darcy reluctantly finds 
himself falling in love with a woman beneath his class. Can each overcome 
their own pride and prejudice?  
 

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➔ Morality // ​Manchester by the Sea​ - A depressed uncle is asked to take care of 
his teenage nephew after the boy's father dies.  
 
➔ Mystery // M​ urder on the Orient Express​ - When a murder occurs on the train 
on which he's traveling, celebrated detective Hercule Poirot is recruited to 
solve the case.  
 
➔ Society // ​Animal Farm​ - A successful farmyard revolution by the resident 
animals vs. the farmer goes horribly wrong as the victors create a new 
tyranny among themselves.  
 
➔ Status // ​Gladiator -​ A former Roman General sets out to exact vengeance 
against the corrupt emperor who murdered his family and sent him into 
slavery.  
 
➔ Thriller // S​ ilence of the Lambs​ - A young F.B.I. cadet must confide in an 
incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another 
serial killer who skins his victims. 
 
➔ War // ​Black Hawk Down​ - 160 elite U.S. soldiers drop into Somalia to capture 
two top lieutenants of a renegade warlord and find themselves in a 
desperate battle with a large force of heavily-armed Somalis.  
 
➔ Western // ​True Grit​ - A drunken, hard-nosed U.S. Marshal and a Texas 
Ranger help a stubborn teenager track down her father's murderer in Indian 
territory.  
 
➔ Worldview //​ L​ ove, Simon​ - Simon Spier keeps a huge secret from his family, 
his friends and all of his classmates: he's gay. When that secret is threatened, 
Simon must face everyone and come to terms with his identity.  

 
 
 
 
 
 

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📝 ​Your turn to do the work: 

 
Set a timer for no more than 15 minutes and write a 1-2 sentence storyline for your 
book. Don’t worry about getting it perfect! Just try to capture the main arc of your 
story - look to your genre for help if you need it. 
 
➜ Write a 1-2 sentence storyline for your novel. 
 

 
 
When you're done writing your storyline, ask yourself and others – does this 
story sound interesting to me? Is it something I’d want to read? 
 
If the answer is yes, move onto the next exercise. But if the answer is no, you either 
need to re-write your logline to focus on the most interesting parts of your story or 
pick a different idea to work with. 
 
👉 C
​ oach’s Tip:​ Check out the descriptions of movies on​ i​ mdb.com​ (the internet 
movie database). There are hundreds of examples that will show you how a 2-hour 
movie in your genre can be summarized in one or two sentences.  

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Exercise #2: Write your story’s elevator pitch. 

 
An elevator pitch is a longer summary of your story that doesn’t give away the 
ending of the story but ​does c​ over the main conflict and stakes. Think of it like the 
summary you’d see on the back cover of a book or the description on Amazon.  
 
A pitch includes the same elements as your storyline -- the WHO, WHERE, WHAT, 
and WHY of your story, but not the HOW. 
 
Before you write an elevator pitch for your story, take a look at some of these 
examples across a few different genres. As you read each example, try to take note 
of what each summary includes and, more importantly, what it excludes:  
 
HARRY POTTER & THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS ​by J.K. Rowling (​ 156 words) 
 
The Dursleys were so mean that hideous that summer that all Harry Potter wanted 
was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he's 
packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named 
Dobby who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike. 
 
And strike it does. For in Harry's second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and 
horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor, Gilderoy 
Lockheart, a spirit named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girls' bathroom, and the 
unwanted attentions of Ron Weasley's younger sister, Ginny. 
 
But each of these seem minor annoyances when the real trouble begins, and 
someone--or something--starts turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be 
Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose 
mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most 
suspects...Harry Potter himself? 
 
SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA​ b ​ y Becky Albertalli ​(74 words) 
 
Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for 
the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at 
risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way 
to step out of his comfort zone before he's pushed out—without alienating his 
friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most 
confusing, adorable guy he's never met.  

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PRIDE AND PREJUDICE ​by Jane Austen (​ 87 words) 

 
When Elizabeth Bennet first meets eligible bachelor Fitzwilliam Darcy, she thinks 
him arrogant and conceited; he is indifferent to her good looks and lively mind. 
When she later discovers that Darcy has involved himself in the troubled 
relationship between his friend Bingley and her beloved sister Jane, she is 
determined to dislike him more than ever. In the sparkling comedy of manners that 
follows, Jane Austen shows us the folly of judging by first impressions and superbly 
evokes the friendships, gossip and snobberies of provincial middle-class life. 
 
THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN ​by Paula Hawkins ​(142 words) 
 
EVERY DAY THE SAME. Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning and 
night. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban 
homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple 
breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. Jess and 
Jason, she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she 
recently lost. 
 
UNTIL TODAY. And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the 
train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to 
herself, Rachel goes to the police. But is she really as unreliable as they say? Soon 
she is deeply entangled not only in the investigation but in the lives of everyone 
involved. Has she done more harm than good? 
 
THE HUNGER GAMES​ b ​ y Suzanne Collins (​ 134 words) 
 
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a 
shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and 
cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl 
between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger 
Games, a fight to the death on live TV. 
 
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps 
forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead 
before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she 
becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that 
weigh survival against humanity and life against love. 
 

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THE SHINING b ​ y Stephen King ​(81 words) 

 
Jack Torrance’s new job at the Overlook Hotel is the perfect chance for a fresh start. 
As the off-season caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, he’ll have plenty of time to 
spend reconnecting with his family and working on his writing. But as the harsh 
winter weather sets in, the idyllic location feels ever more remote . . . and more 
sinister. And the only one to notice the strange and terrible forces gathering around 
the Overlook is Danny Torrance, a uniquely gifted five-year-old. 
 
A GAME OF THRONES b ​ y George R.R. Martin ​(238 words) 
 
Winter is coming. Such is the stern motto of House Stark, the northernmost of the 
fiefdoms that owe allegiance to King Robert Baratheon in far-off King’s Landing. 
There Eddard Stark of Winterfell rules in Robert’s name. There his family dwells in 
peace and comfort: his proud wife, Catelyn; his sons Robb, Brandon, and Rickon; 
his daughters Sansa and Arya; and his bastard son, Jon Snow. Far to the north, 
behind the towering Wall, lie savage Wildings and worse—unnatural things 
relegated to myth during the centuries-long summer, but proving all too real and all 
too deadly in the turning of the season. 
  
Yet a more immediate threat lurks to the south, where Jon Arryn, the Hand of the 
King, has died under mysterious circumstances. Now Robert is riding north to 
Winterfell, bringing his queen, the lovely but cold Cersei, his son, the cruel, 
vainglorious Prince Joffrey, and the queen’s brothers Jaime and Tyrion of the 
powerful and wealthy House Lannister—the first a swordsman without equal, the 
second a dwarf whose stunted stature belies a brilliant mind. All are heading for 
Winterfell and a fateful encounter that will change the course of kingdoms. 
  
Meanwhile, across the Narrow Sea, Prince Viserys, heir of the fallen House 
Targaryen, which once ruled all of Westeros, schemes to reclaim the throne with an 
army of barbarian Dothraki—whose loyalty he will purchase in the only coin left to 
him: his beautiful yet innocent sister, Daenerys. 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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📝 ​Your turn to do the work: 

 
Set a timer for 30 minutes and write a 250-word pitch for your summary. When 
writing your pitch, you’ll want to answer these questions:  
 
➔ Who is your protagonist? What does she want at the beginning of the story? 
➔ What’s the situation and the conflict? Who or what is standing in the way of 
your protagonist achieving her goals? 
➔ Why does it matter? What happens if she doesn’t achieve her goals? 
➔ Where does the story take place?  
 

 
(there’s more room on the next page...) 

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(there’s more room on the next page...) 

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When you're done, ask yourself and others – does this story sound interesting 
to me? Is it something I’d want to read? 
 
🎉
If the answer is yes, then you're probably ready to start writing the first draft!  
 
But if the answer is no, you'll need to re-write your elevator pitch focusing on the 
most important parts of your story -- i.e. the storyline of your global genre. For 
example, the focal storyline in a romance is the romantic relationship.  
 
👉 C
​ oach’s Tip:​ Browse through the descriptions of your favorite books on 
amazon.com​. Once you've read through a dozen or so examples, you'll start to see 
patterns and understand how to apply those patterns to your own story summary.  

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Congratulations! + Your Next Steps 

 
You’ve just taken A HUGE step toward writing a book that works! 🎉
 
 
Let’s take a second to review what you’ve accomplished. You should now have: 
➔ Clarity around the message you want readers to take away from your book -- 
which directly relates to the theme of your story. 
➔ Confidence in your story idea now that you’ve done the work to validate it -- 
which will help you write forward with focus and purpose.  
➔ Direction from your story’s genre -- which will help you see the shape of your 
story and the types of scenes, roles, and settings that you should include.  
 
That’s a BIG DEAL! 👏👏👏  
 
One of the biggest mistakes I see writers make is that they try to do too many 
things at the same time. Writing a book is like putting together a puzzle; when the 
pieces are spread out on the ground, the job seems completely impossible. But 
when you take it step by step -- and build the framework first -- the puzzle starts to 
take shape before your eyes. Hopefully, the exercises in this workbook have helped 
you start to see the shape of your story…  
 
Stick with me and I’ll show you how to take the complex task of writing a novel and 
break it down into smaller, more manageable parts. I want to help you move from 
feeling overwhelmed and frustrated with your writing, to feeling a sense of 
confidence and inspiration when you sit down to write. 
 
So, keep an eye on your inbox! I’ll soon be sending you a personal invite to my 
free masterclass where I’ll take you behind the scenes of my book coaching 
business, giving you the secrets to what it takes to write a story that works 
(without all the doubt, frustration, and overwhelm)! 
 
Until then, happy writing!  
 
 
-- 
❤ Savannah | Editor & Book Coach 
www.savannahgilbo.com  

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