SRD Editing Services welcomes the first author to our Guest Blogger series!
Today’s guest, fiction author Angela M. Herrick, provides her insights on writing your first novel.
When people find out I’m a writer, they often express their desire to write as well. I’ll respond with something akin to “Well, why don’t you?” The answer is usually some version of “I don’t know where to start.” An understandable response; I felt the same way when I had the idea for my first novel, Devil’s Chord. But now that I have some experience, here is my advice for writing your first novel. 
At first, I approached it as though I was writing a research paper in high school. Since my main character time-travels to the Harlem Renaissance, I looked up everything I could about that time period. I even took my sixteen-year-old son out for ice cream when I found out he was studying the Harlem Renaissance in school, just to pick his brain. Don’t judge me; it has been a long time since I was in the eleventh grade, and it’s a good idea to gather research from multiple sources. Next, I attempted to construct a detailed outline, but that felt stifling.
Frustrated, I set aside my outline.
I decided to clean out my desk while waiting for inspiration. That’s when I found a legal pad filled with notes from a writers’ conference I had attended a few months before. By the way, did you know that you can attend a writer’s conference without being a writer? I wish someone had told me, because I spent the opening reception in a cold sweat, waiting to be identified as a fraud and kicked out. Instead, when I admitted to other attendees that I was just getting started, they were incredibly supportive. But I digress…
My advice for writing your first novel? Combine planning + pants-ing
I found my notes from the “How to Write Your Novels in Thirty Days” workshop. Devil’s Chord was intended as a NaNoWriMo project, which meant my goal was to complete the first draft during the thirty daysofNovember.
One helpful piece of advice for writing your first novel I took from the workshop instructor was that I didn’t have to start my novel at the beginning; I could write any scene I was inspired to write at that moment. The idea was incredibly freeing, as the scene I was most excited to write wouldn’t occur until the last third of my story.
At this point, I had tried both traditional approaches to writing a novel. I had plotted a very rigid outline that would have made my Honors English teacher cry tears of joy. In true Pantser style, I had plunged into the deep end of my story and written exactly one scene. It was exhilarating! I finally had something on the page; I felt accomplished. But as soon as I finished that scene, I was unsure of what to write next. That’s when I realized I was neither a Plotter nor a Pantser. I was somewhere in between. A Plantser, if you will.
Save the Cat!, but also, Go into the Unknown
I recalled a book that I had enjoyed reading years before: Save the Cat! by Blake Snyder. It’s intended for screenplay writing, but I decided to use its story beat structure for my novel because I love movies almost as much as I love books. Besides, who wouldn’t want their novel to be cinematic? Right? Using the recommended story beats from Snyder’s book, I retooled my outline and set off on writing the rest of my novel. (In the meantime, Jessica Brody reworked Snyder’s book into her now-classic book of advice for writing your first novel, Save the Cat! Writes a Novel.)
Did this transform me into a plotter? No. While I like to map out my story beats, I still find that as I’m writing, fingers flying across the keyboard, one of my characters will say or do something that I definitely didn’t intend for them to do. For example, at the midpoint of Devil’s Chord, the male lead, Jack, believes that it’s the female lead, Rebecca’s birthday, and decides to propose to her. My plan was for her to accept; however, before Jack could even get down on one knee, Rebecca revealed that it wasn’t actually her birthday. This derailed the proposal and a good chunk of what I thought would happen in the story’s last half. But it turned out that Jack actually needed to hold onto that ring a little longer. When he still had it in the present, it was proof that the journey to the 1930s had actually happened. 
I had to admit that sometimes, the imaginary people in my head have better ideas than I do. So, when they make an unexpected choice, I keep writing. Off we went into the Unknown!
Will the characters and I make it back to our story beats? Maybe…probably, we’ll likely return to them in time for the finale, also known as the “Final Image,” to my fellow Save the Cat fans.
A Wealth of Advice for Writing Your First Novel
If you’ve always wanted to write, please take the leap! There’s no right way to start; just sit down and begin. Exploring different methods can help you find what works, making the process feel more approachable and less intimidating.
If you need inspiration, check out your local writers’ group (most libraries have one) or a writers’ conference. If you need a road map, check out books on story structure.
In addition to Save the Cat, there are The Hero’s Journey and The Anatomy of Story, which focus on character-driven narratives.
You may also want to explore nontraditional methods, such as those in The 7 Point Story Structure or The Snowflake Method. Find the method that resonates with you. If not, my advice for writing your first novel is to simply start writing your scenes and put your story together like a puzzle. As for me, I’m going to continue to do whatever helps me finish the book. I hope you will, too. While there are many stories already out there, remember that no one can tell yours like you can.
Guest Blogger: Angela M. Herrick
Angela M. Herrick writes emotionally driven speculative fiction about the moments that change everything—and the cost of trying to undo them. Her novels blend time slips, science, and the supernatural with deeply human stakes, inviting readers into stories of love, loss, ambition, and the consequences of second chances. She is the author of the Devil’s Chord series (Devil’s Chord and Devil’s Dissonance), interconnected novels about music, ambition, and dangerous bargains across time. She also writes standalone speculative fiction, including Death Cure, a race against mortality, and Project Mulligan, a time-bending story in which a mother risks everything to prevent a tragedy.
Whether her characters are chasing artistic legitimacy, racing against death, or fighting to rewrite a devastating moment, Herrick’s stories ask one central question: If you could change the past, should you—and what might it cost? Her books are ideal for readers who enjoy high-concept speculative fiction grounded in emotional truth.
To find additional books by Angela, visit AngelaMHerrick.com or follow her on Amazon.
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