Still, it's important to adhere to certain rules when writing a novel. This is partly because your readers will expect a basic structure, but it's also about refinement. Stories have been told for as long as humans have been around. In that time, the art of storytelling has been honed and refined. It's now down to a science. So when creating the structure for your novel, stick with the basics, but don't be afraid to get creative.
Your Novel Must Have a Beginning
I know this sounds like a ridiculously obvious statement, but I really felt it had to be said. In all the flurry over starting your book with a hook, with action, or even in medias res (in the middle of things, for those unfamiliar with the term), authors tend to forget that the beginning of a novel has more than one purpose. Yes, the beginning should hook your readers, make them want to keep reading, but it must do other things as well.
The beginning of your novel must introduce your characters, and must do this effectively. Beginning a novel in medias res is no excuse for skipping this all-important part of writing a novel. You have to introduce at least one of the primary characters in your novel and you have to establish where the novel is taking place. You also have to get the plot moving.
These three things -- characters, setting, and plot -- should be bound together right from the beginning. You have to identify your characters, setting, and conflict almost immediately. It's okay if the conflict in Chapter 1 isn't necessarily the big conflict of the novel. It's even normal. But these things still need to be there if you want to get your novel off the ground.
Don't Ignore the Middle
I can't tell you how many books I've read in the last ten years have weak middles. It's almost as if authors are writing the beginnings, the endings, and then just throwing words at a page to come up with the easiest way to get from A to B. But the middle of a story deserves just as much attention as any other part of your novel.
Nothing between the beginning of your story and the end is random. Everything that happens should flow from the choices and actions of your characters. So it has to make sense. Consider an event that happens on one side of a mountain range. But your main character starts the story on the other side. Part of the middle of your story will be about your character crossing the mountains. But why? No one just wakes up one days and decides to cross a dangerous mountain range. Your protagonist must have a reason for crossing those mountains, and it must be a believable reason.
I've read books lately that ignore the plausibility factor. Characters do things purely because it will further the plot, but they have no real motivation for their actions. This is a result of ignore the middle part of the story.
The middle of the story should also be made up of conflict and confrontation. Not the final conflict, but the little things that lead up to the final conflict. Think of it as putting your protagonist in a vice (emotional of physical). You slowly tighten the vice, and the majority of this tightening happens in the middle of the story.
Pay attention to this tightening. In fact, spend most of your time refining this tightening. Each little confrontation should bring the protagonist closer to the climax of the story. This tightening should continue until you're ready to tackle the final climax.
The End of a Novel is Important
One of the greatest crimes a novelist can commit is to let the reader down, and this inevitably happens at the end of the novel. You've hooked the reader, you've kept their interest, you've ensured the middle of your novel shines. And then you ... lose it. You wrap up your story in the fastest way possible, just wanting to get it over with. This leads to sloppy writing and *gasp* scene stealing.
What is scene stealing? It's the thing that sometimes happens when you're in a rush to finish a story. A minor character (sometimes the villain) become convenient, and you use him or her to wrap up the story. They effectively steal the scene from your protagonist. This usually happens because it's sometimes easier to use another character to do what the protagonist is supposed to do. I've seen it a lot with newer writers.
But don't let this happen in your book. If it seems to be happening despite your best efforts, you've probably chosen the wrong protagonist. If you can correct it with relative ease, you were probably just being lazy in the first place. Either way, you don't want any scene stealing at the end of your novel.
Scenes are Miniature Novels
Each scene (or chapter, depending on how you've organized your novel) should also have a beginning, middle, and end. This doesn't mean you have to reintroduce you characters with every scene, but you should look at each scene as a story in itself. Does it make sense? Does it do its job? If not, can you fix it? What does it contribute to the overall story? Should that scene exist at all? Evaluate each scene as an individual, and as a greater whole. And don't be afraid to hit the 'delete' key.
You need a beginning, middle, and end. Don't confuse your readers, don't leave them hanging, and above all, don't let them down. Polish each part of your novel until it shines. Then go back and polish each individual chapter until it glistens.
