How to write a novel? That is the question. There are probably as many answers to that question as there are people who ask it.

Wanting to write and actually doing it are two very different things. I am well acquainted with the sometimes grueling process of churning out a story. Over the years, I have tried many methods for creating and completing manuscripts, and have tweaked and honed it down to a workable (for me) process.

Using specific examples from one of my own novels, Without Mercy, I share my method in this mini how to book. The first eight steps actually deal with plotting while the last two are designed to help expand your outline into a well-developed draft. There is no one, perfect way to create a story, but there will be a method, or methods that work for you. I’m not sure if this is the one, but it works for me. Only you can decide if it also works for you. Fingers crossed that it does!

*** Warning – Please do not purchase without reading a sample. (This is solid advice for any book, fiction or non. If you are not intrigued in the sample, you will likely not enjoy the book)

"Find the Magic by Alicia Dean is by far one of the best how-to books I've come across. Using her own novel, Without Mercy, Dean takes her readers by the hand and guides them step by step through the plotting process. Dean's ten steps are useful to both plotters and those who write by the seat of their pants. I know because I do both. It's not necessary to purchase Without Mercy to understand and learn Dean's process, but once you go through her ten steps, you'll be hooked and want to read Without Mercy in its entirety.

Anyone who has trouble getting their novel ideas focused and on paper can make it so much easier using Dean's process. Find the Magic will help you get that book written, and Alicia Dean is a master at explaining and encouraging from page one ... all the way to the end." - Author Jessica Ferguson

"This is the best guideline I've ever seen on how to get started with writing a novel. Dean takes us through the steps carefully, explaining how this works for her and has worked for her over the years, by using her latest novel Without Mercy. If you're a writer, you'll know what I mean by the words pantser and plotter. Dean is a plantser (a hybrid) which makes her advice in this guideline applicable to everyone. Whether you make a detailed outline before you start writing or you just sit down at the computer and spew, you'll find the ten steps helpful.
I love the idea of ten steps because that's just the right number to make the daunting task of writing a book seem doable. Find the Magic is a fantastic place to start your journey. When friends ask me how I started writing, I'm going to refer them to this book instead of talking for hours about my method. Phew!" Author Kim Hornsby