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How to write a novel — the complete journey

From the first elusive idea to a finished manuscript: the method to write a novel without burning out.

Writing a novel isn't a matter of inspiration but of method. Choose your narrative plan (Save the Cat, The Hero's Journey, Snowflake, free outline), character sheets linked to the text via @mention, an editorial AI that reads your entire project, non-linear writing to push past the muddy middle, publisher-spec DOCX or EPUB export. The complete studio to finish the manuscript.

Structure

Choose your narrative plan: Save the Cat, The Hero's Journey, Snowflake, or free outline.

How do you write a novel when you've never finished one ?

Blake Snyder's Save the Cat for tight Hollywood beats, Campbell/Vogler's Hero's Journey for fantasy and adventure, Randy Ingermanson's Snowflake to build from premise to scenes, or free outline for pantsers who discover as they write. The method bends to your brain — not the other way around.

All features, free50 AI credits offeredNo credit card
01The journey

The seven steps to write a novel, from the first spark to the final pass.

Catch the idea, build the premise, develop the characters, place the outline, hold the first draft, rewrite, submit. Each step has its tools, its traps, its shortcuts — and Extypis holds the thread.

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Step 01

Catch the idea

It all starts with an obsession that won't let go: a scene, a character, a mood, a moral question. Stephen King calls them « the things that come up out of the mud ». Note them without judgment. The best novels often grow from one image that refuses to die — an empty library, a midnight train, a wedding gone wrong. Keep it in a notebook or directly in Extypis.

Notes & quick storyboard
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Step 02

Build the premise

If you can't sum up your novel in one sentence, you don't yet know what you're writing. The premise contains the protagonist, the desire, the obstacle, the stakes. Randy Ingermanson calls it the « one-line sentence » in the Snowflake method. Lisa Cron in Story Genius argues that without it, no scene lands. It's the brutal test: if the sentence holds, the novel can hold.

AI editor pitch
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Step 03

Develop the characters

A novel isn't a plot, it's a character reacting to a plot. Each major protagonist deserves a sheet: voice, secret, blocking belief, emotional arc, conscious want vs unconscious need. Side characters too. Without it, by chapter 25 your characters all start sounding alike.

Character sheets + arcs
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Step 04

Place the narrative outline

Plotter or pantser — most published authors are actually « plantsers »: a clear destination, key milestones, freedom in between. Save the Cat (Snyder) for tight beats, The Hero's Journey (Campbell/Vogler) for fantasy, Snowflake (Ingermanson) for layered construction, Three-Act Structure for sobriety. Pick the method that fits your brain, not the one that sounds best.

Narrative plan (Save the Cat, Hero's Journey, Snowflake, free)
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Step 05

Hold the first draft

The first draft demands the most discipline and the least talent. Anne Lamott calls them « shitty first drafts » — every author's sacred right. Steven Pressfield in The War of Art names the resistance directly: it's the work to push through. The rule: keep moving, even badly. A finished imperfect manuscript beats a thousand perfect abandoned ones.

Non-linear writing + AI continue
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Step 06

Rewrite — really

Stephen King: « Writing is rewriting. » Three to five complete passes, depending on the author. First pass: structure (does the outline hold ?). Second pass: voice and characters (are they consistent ?). Third pass: line by line. Extypis's AI catches what your eyes no longer see: contradictions, abandoned arcs, characters introduced and forgotten by chapter 18.

AI narrative consistency check
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Step 07

Submit or self-publish

Manuscript finished, the choice arrives: traditional publishing or self-publishing. For agents and editors: publisher-spec DOCX (12pt, double-spaced, title page with contact). For Amazon KDP, IngramSpark: EPUB or book-quality PDF. For Wattpad: chapter-by-chapter export. Extypis ships them all cleanly, no manual layout patching.

Multi-format export (DOCX, EPUB, PDF, Markdown)
02Real friction

Manuscripts don't die for lack of ideas.

They die for lack of method and a single tool. Inspiration returns the moment the author stops fighting four parallel files.

« I have 5 chapters in Word and zero overall visibility. »

Past 30,000 words, Word becomes a tunnel without a map: arcs, subplots, character returns — invisible. You write blind.

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The Extypis answer

Full project view: visual narrative plan + scene storyboard + chapter tree. At any moment you see where you stand, what's left to write, and where the rhythm breaks.

« My 30 side characters are scattered across 4 files. »

Does the detective mentioned in chapter 3 have blue or brown eyes ? Is the neighbor's daughter Lea or Lila ? Details slip and beta readers catch them.

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The Extypis answer

Dedicated sheets per character, location, event, conflict, object. @mention in the text to recall a sheet in one click. One source of truth, never out of sync.

« I've never written a novel — I don't know where to start. »

You have the idea, the urge, maybe even the title. But the blank page of a first novel is paralyzing without a methodological frame.

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The Extypis answer

Pre-loaded narrative plans (Save the Cat, Hero's Journey, Snowflake) with descriptions of every beat. You always know where you stand on the path. Method keeps the fear at bay.

« My outline is on Notion, my scenes on Word, my timeline on Excel. »

Four tools for one novel. By chapter 20, you've forgotten which file holds the chronology. You re-enter the same data three times.

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The Extypis answer

Outline, scenes, sheets, timeline, storyboard, AI, export — all in Extypis. One project, one navigation, one save. No more orphan files.

« I've abandoned 3 manuscripts before chapter 15. »

The muddy middle — the point where enthusiasm fades, where every scene feels like a chore. That's where 80% of novels stop.

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The Extypis answer

Non-linear writing: skip the blocked passage, write the climax you see clearly, come back to the bridge later. The AI continues soft passages, you accept or refuse. The rhythm picks back up.

« To submit to a publisher, I need a precise format, and my DOCX comes out ugly. »

Publishers require 12pt font, double spacing, title page, precise margins. Manual layout: error risk + lost time.

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The Extypis answer

DOCX export publisher-spec in one click. EPUB for beta readers. Book-quality PDF for self-publishing. Title page with contact, ISBN, optional dedication.

03What Extypis actually carries

Three promises, atop a stack of features.

Hold the structure from start to finish, support the writing without replacing it, ship a manuscript ready to go — traditional publishing or self-publishing.

Outline & structure

From idea to complete outline, without changing tools.

Save the Cat, Hero's Journey, Snowflake or free outline. AI pitch to test the premise. Storyboard to drag-and-drop scenes. The plan holds as the manuscript grows.

Structured narrative plan

Three reputable frameworks — Simple structure (3 acts), Save the Cat (15 beats) and The hero's circle — with automatic narrative health and chapter mapping.

Storyboard

Story overview with summaries, labels, quick preview and scene reordering.

Non-linear writing

Write scenes in any order, then reorganize them freely.

Narrative-elements radar

A constant radar that picks up your characters, locations, objects and events anywhere in the text — even when you refer to them by an alias — and analyzes their presence across the whole story.

8 types of narrative element cards

Dedicated cards for characters, locations, conflicts, themes, objects and more.

Writing & characters

First draft held, characters consistent, AI that suggests without replacing.

Character sheets linked to the text. Contextual AI that knows the whole project. Continuation, rewrite, suggestions — always in your voice. Non-linear writing to push through the soft middle.

Writing assistant

Conversational AI assistant in the sidebar, color-coded quotes highlighted in the text and one-click rewriting from any passage.

AI analysis pack (pitch dossier, continuity, roasting, show don't tell)

Four AI analysis tools for your manuscript, grouped under the « Other tools » tab in Fabula: pitch dossier, continuity check, editorial roasting, show don't tell.

Rewriting in your text

Select any passage and let AI suggest a rewording right inside the editor.

Stroke of the pen

Place your cursor and pick the intent: extend, ramp up tension, slip in inner monologue, add description, propose a twist or open a dialogue — the AI writes in **your** voice.

Narrative element generator

Characters, places, events, themes… generated by AI in full consistency with your project.

Rewriting & output

From finished manuscript to publisher — no patch-up job.

AI consistency check. Publisher-spec DOCX, EPUB for beta reads, book-quality PDF, Markdown for the web. Title page, ISBN, dedication if you want.

Multi-format export

Export to PDF, DOCX, EPUB, HTML, Markdown or full archive.

PDF export (LaTeX)

Generate polished PDFs with true typographic quality.

Front matter and back matter

Preface, afterword, dedication, epigraph, table of contents (at the start or the end?): publishing has conventions no author really learns. Extypis guides you through every editorial fixture — title page, cover auto-cropped to book format, ISBN, copyright, opening and closing sections — and lets you reorder or hide any of them at export.

Publication WordPress

Publiez directement sur votre blog WordPress depuis Extypis. Connectez votre site via un mot de passe d'application, puis publiez ou mettez à jour votre contenu en un clic. Les notes de bas de page, la bibliographie et les sections liminaires/annexes sont incluses automatiquement.

After the writing

Give your project a real reading address.

Once the text is ready, you don't have to leave Extypis to find your first readers. Publish in one click on the public catalog and give your book a clean, readable, shareable page.

Extypis catalog

Published directly on Extypis — no fees, no middleman.

Publishing opens a dedicated page for your project: cover, title page, chapters, table of contents. The content is frozen at publication, so your readers always see a stable version while you keep working. You decide when to push a new version.

A reading page for each project

Customizable URL, title page, cover, table of contents and chapter-by-chapter navigation.

A catalog that helps readers find your book

Your project can appear in the public catalog, categories, subcategories and trending page — or stay accessible only through the direct link.

Readers who can actually react

Readers can comment chapter by chapter, mention a specific paragraph, and you get notified for every feedback.

A stable version without breaking your work

The text is frozen at publication time. You keep writing on your side, then decide when to push an update.

Everything Extypis unlocks for you

Hold your story, from outline to final page.

Narrative tools you won't find elsewhere — turn a tangle of ideas into a structure that holds.

AI that suggests, never replaces

The AI permanently sees your whole project — outline, sheets, scenes already written. Every rewrite, every completion, every suggestion, every cover stays consistent with your entire work, and at no extra cost or setup. You approve every word.

Estimates if you only use this feature. Credits are shared across every AI tool.

Daily writing comfort

Everything that makes long-form writing sustainable: shortcuts, templates, anchored notes, versions, goals.

Ship a book, not a file.

From manuscript to finished book: professional exports, academic citations, direct publishing.

Analyse and refine your prose

Style tools that go beyond the spell-checker: readability, poetic meter, repetitions, connectors, passive voice.

Lifetime updates

Every future Extypis innovation included, no extra cost, no paywall.

Backing an indie project

Extypis is an independent, self-funded project — no ads, no venture capital.

Human support

Got a question? You talk directly to the creator, never a chatbot.

04Pricing

Free to begin, even to finish. Serious when you want to go further.

The work of structuring and writing is entirely yours. The subscription gives you a thoughtful co-pilot, an occasional co-author, and an objective reader. The manuscript stays yours, word for word.

05FAQ

Frequent questions, plain answers (still friendly).

How long does it take to write a novel with Extypis ?

Six months to five years, depending on your rhythm. Stephen King keeps a steady 2,000 words a day. George R.R. Martin works on a Saga over years. Anne Lamott pushes through « shitty first drafts » in months. Extypis doesn't shorten creation — it removes the friction that costs you weeks: hunting for a character name across five files, reconstructing an emotional arc from memory, formatting a publisher DOCX. You save time where it leaks, you keep the time the writing demands.

Do I need a detailed outline to write a novel, or can I improvise (pantsing) ?

Both schools work — most published authors are actually « plantsers ». Stephen King writes without an outline (« the story tells itself »). George R.R. Martin describes himself as a gardener planting seeds. Conversely, J.K. Rowling planned on spreadsheets, John Grisham builds every scene before the first word. Extypis doesn't choose: full plan (Save the Cat, Hero's Journey, Snowflake) or free outline. Change your mind mid-draft ? Switch in two clicks. The method must serve your brain, not the other way around.

Which method (Save the Cat, Hero's Journey, Snowflake) does Extypis offer ?

All three — plus the free outline for those who want none. Blake Snyder's Save the Cat for Hollywood-tight beats (Opening Image, Catalyst, Break Into Two, Midpoint, All Is Lost, Finale). Campbell/Vogler's Hero's Journey for fantasy and adventure (Call, Refusal, Mentor, Trials, Return). Randy Ingermanson's Snowflake to build in successive layers (one-line sentence → paragraph → characters → scenes). Plus the Romance plan (Romancing the Beat) for romance and romantasy authors. Adapt to your genre, your brain, your project.

How does Extypis help beginners vs published authors ?

For the beginner who's never finished a manuscript: method holds the course. Pre-loaded plan describing each beat, character sheets that prompt the right reflexes, AI that continues when the soft middle hits. You always know where you are on the seven steps. For the published author juggling Notion, Word, Excel and Scrivener: everything in one project. Contextual AI, narrative consistency checking, publisher-spec export — all time saved where it used to leak. Both profiles win, for different reasons.

How much does Extypis cost for a complete novel project ?

Free, no credit card. 50 AI credits offered for life + a generous daily cap. You can write an entire novel without paying a cent — the structure, sheets, outline, writing, export are free by default. The subscription extends AI usage (generation, checking, rewriting, narrative continuity) when your project becomes more demanding — typically once you write more than 1,500 words a day or run multiple manuscripts in parallel.

Can I import a manuscript already started in Word or Scrivener ?

Yes. Import a DOCX, plain text, or Markdown. Extypis rebuilds the tree (chapters, scenes), preserves formatting (italics, bold, line breaks). For Scrivener projects, exporting to DOCX then importing into Extypis works without loss. Once imported, you immediately benefit from the narrative plan, character sheets, contextual AI, and publisher-spec export. You pick up where you left off, better equipped.

What does « Extypis » mean ?

« Ex typis » is a Latin formula that appeared on the frontispieces of printed books from the 16th to 18th centuries, right before the printer's name — literally « from the presses of… ». The word derives from the Greek τύπος (typos): imprint, model, mark left behind. That's exactly the lineage we claim: a digital workshop that prepares your manuscripts in the great European typographic tradition, until they're worthy of being printed.

Start your novel project with an outline, characters, an editorial AI, and 50 AI credits.

I finished a novel after several false starts, and built up years of poetry — kept right here, on Extypis. I saw firsthand how many writing blocks are really method problems, easy to move past once you give yourself the right tools. Technique doesn't replace imagination — it carries it. If you write seriously, Extypis is for you too.

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