---
title: "How to Write Your First Novel, from Draft to Revision | Journzy"
description: "Write your first novel in Journzy: chapters, scene cards, a story bible and versions, free. To revise, a developmental diagnosis gives you a plan to follow."
url: "https://journzy.com/en/writers/first-novel"
language: "en"
---

# Your first novel, from first draft to revision

In Journzy you write your first novel chapter by chapter, plan each scene as you go, and keep your characters straight in a story bible, all on the Free plan. Once the draft is finished, the diagnosis on the Author plan points to where revision should start. The AI never writes for you.

## Write the draft

- **Chapters, with or without scenes. **Begin with chapters alone. Split them into scenes only when that starts to help.
- **A card for every scene. **Point of view, goal, conflict, and where it stands: idea, draft, revised or final.
- **The story bible. **Characters, places and objects each get their own entry, so you stop hunting through a hundred pages for someone's eye colour.
- **Versions. **Save a snapshot before you make a big change. If you hate where it went, restore the old one.

If a character keeps slipping away from you, our [free character sheet](https://journzy.com/en/templates/character-sheet) might help you pin them down.

## When the draft is finished

A first draft usually holds more than you think. Less than you hoped, too. If you wrote 50,000 words in November, the job now is putting them in order. The diagnosis on the Author plan reads the whole draft and hands you a revision plan ranked by impact, so the big things come first. Each point names the passage and explains why it matters.

## An example: The Last Tide

We wrote a sample novel, _The Last Tide_, to show it in action. Five chapters are written, seven are planned. Here is what the diagnosis finds:

- The insurance-claim plot thread falls silent from chapter 3 to chapter 5.
- The pace sags in chapter 4.
- Diego has no goal in chapter 5.
- A scene card says Inés gets the crew list. In the text, Villar refuses to give it to her. You decide which one to change, the card or the scene.

## Start your first novel free

The editor, scene cards, the bible, versions and export all live on the Free plan. It never expires.

[Start free](https://write.journzy.com/onboarding?step=1\&lang=en)

## Share it and finish it

Send one version to your beta readers and read their comments beside your text. When the book is ready, export it to DOCX, EPUB or print PDF. That works on every plan. Before you send it out, work through our [continuity checklist](https://journzy.com/en/blog/manuscript-continuity-checklist).

## Frequently asked questions

Do I have to pay to write my first novel in Journzy?

No. The Free plan never expires, and there is no limit on projects, books or characters. The editor, structure, the bible, versions, beta readers and export are all included.

Do I have to outline the whole novel before I write?

No. Write first and fill in the scene cards afterwards, if you like. Or outline first. Either way, the cards and the text belong to the same book.

Does the AI help me write?

It never writes for you. On the Author plan, the AI reads your draft, flags problems with structure, pacing and continuity, and shows you the passage it means. Every word stays yours.

## Related

- ### [Plan, outline and track your story's timeline](https://journzy.com/en/features/outline)
  [Novel planning software with point of view, goal, conflict and status for every scene, plot lanes and an outline revision mode. Free never expires.](https://journzy.com/en/features/outline)
- ### [A developmental diagnosis of your draft, with a revision plan](https://journzy.com/en/features/developmental-diagnosis)
  [A developmental editing read of your own draft: Journzy points to passages, explains why and ranks a revision plan. It never rewrites. Part of Author.](https://journzy.com/en/features/developmental-diagnosis)
- ### [Format and export your book: DOCX, EPUB and print PDF](https://journzy.com/en/features/export)
  [Book formatting software that exports DOCX, EPUB and print PDF from your manuscript, with 20 trim sizes, device previews and KDP-ready checks.](https://journzy.com/en/features/export)