Ever had great ideas for a novel but don’t know how to start, let alone finish it? I remember back when I was in secondary school, I had this “brilliant” idea for writing a novel that would chronicle the typical life of Nigerian boarding school student, with a hilarious angle. I got as far as a chapter or two and everyone who read it actually thought it was pretty hilarious, but that’s where it ended for me. I never got around to finishing it. The thing is, motivation is almost as hard as writing the novel itself. And most times you have a vague idea of what you want to write, you just need some help fleshing it out. Enter Now Novel
Now Novel is an online tool that helps writers organise and flesh out ideas in a methodological manner. Just think of it as the “paint by numbers” of novel writing. The idea is to get you to focus on completing your novel, not getting an outline, not starting your novel, but actually finishing it.
There are 3 core parts to Now Novel:
- Online tools- a question and answer/wizard style system that helps you to develop your plot, character, setting and the like. This also includes a blog with many writing resources.
- The Community – groups, a forum and a critique section. The critique section is where you can review others and get your work reviewed.
- One-on-one mentorship – as a premium offering, Now Novel provides a mentor who will help you guide your novel, as well as hold you accountable.
Unlike most other services that only work with existing ideas, Now Novel will go as far as helping you find your idea. There’s even a dashboard with features like “mood creator” and “story tester” which help you gather your ideas coherently. And you can choose how much of the process you want to complete each day, so it never feels lie a burden. All your work is saved for you online. You can watch this brief intro video to get a better idea of how it works. If you like it, go ahead and sign up
Now Novel is the brainchild of a published author and writing expert from South Africa, Bridget McNulty.Together with her brother – Brendan McNulty (development) – and his wife – Dagmar Timler (product and marketing) – they make up the Now Novel team.
Photo Credit: Olivander via Compfight cc
