Tips on How to Add Continuity to Your First Novel

Writing that first novel can quickly turn from an exciting thought to a daunting chore. With so many fantastic ideas churning in your mind, in can be tough to weed out the unnecessary from the crucial. If you have your ideas written out but aren't sure how to make them come together, you can rest assured that it's all a part of the process. Rather than letting inexperience take over, take a quick look at the following tips on how to add continuity to your very first fiction novel.

Tip #1: Have one theme or point in mind to bring all scenes together in the end. The separate scenes of your fiction novel are not likely to all coincide together perfectly when listed on paper in an outline. However, creating a subtle theme to bring all incidents together in the end will give the reader the ability to look back in hindsight and see where each piece of the puzzle fits into the big picture. Even if the theme is not obvious and isn't stated directly (which it isn't likely to be in a fictional story), use it to give the novel's different scenes a direction to go in.

Tip #2: Use a consistent point of view. If you wish to only allow the reader to view the story from your protagonist's point of view, you cannot allow them to also understand every detail of any other character's thought processes. If you wish to give the reader an in-depth psychological profile of your characters, use a third-person narrator. A common mistake made by first-time fiction novelists is switching the point of view from chapter to chapter. Stay focused on a single viewpoint.

Tip #3: Create a realistic connection between the characters. What do a brain surgeon, a librarian, and a dog walker have in common? Nothing. That's where you must make the connection. It isn't likely that these individuals would have any connections socially, so creating the bond that brings them together is up to you. If you cannot do so with relative ease, it may be best to reconstruct the backgrounds of your characters.

Tip #4: Avoid making your common connection between vastly different characters familial. To expand on Tip #3, avoid the first-time novelist's mistake of attempting to connect widely varying characters by blood. Sure, it would be easy to connect the homeless man with the astronaut by calling them brothers, but why would one brother be so much less fortunate than the other? Why wouldn't the wealthier brother give the other a helping hand? Why did one go to college and the other did not? Was one sibling favored that highly against another? You could do it, but the story might get too complicated and take away from your main plot. If you are constantly trying to prove that two completely different people are related, it can impact your entire story dramatically. Be sure that you are willing to make the commitment if you choose this route and that the familial connection makes sense with the rest of the story.

Tip #5: Don't be afraid to delete chapters or scenes that do not contribute to the main plot. Every scene should at least subtly contribute to either the plot or to the reader's understanding of the characters. First time novelists are often reluctant to remove unnecessary chapters or scenes, especially if they are particularly exciting. Add the excitement elsewhere and remain focused on the novel's overall continuity.

Tip #6: Make a list of all loose ends as the story progresses. Have you ever read a novel and wondered what happened to a particular character? First-time novelists sometimes make the mistake of not remembering to end the entire story, ending only the main plot instead. Don't forget to go back and tie together the pieces that contribute to the story throughout. While it isn't necessary to tie up every loose end, try not to leave anyone hanging by a string over a gaping ravine in chapter 2 without telling the reader if and how they escaped in the final chapters.

Continuity is a key component to a well-written novel. Master the skill of forming a large, complicated story into tightly knit novel now, and your future efforts will be much more fluid and rewarding.