Just curious about what methods you all employ to tackle the huge task that is writing a novel.
How much of your story do you plan? How do you plan it/what do you focus on? And what would you recommend newbies to do when starting a web novel?
Any insights, tips, or experiences are appreciated.
For each volume of mine, I make an outline that contains some non-negotiable story points I want for the volume. Basically, I really want this character or that to have experienced something specific by the end, or for something to happen to the world. I'm a bit looser with how to get to those points, and I have a beta reader to consult.
Then, I decide on how I want my characters to interact and probably write down some key lines that I really want them to say.
I think your focus depends on the genre you're writing or what you want your work to be like. It's pretty impossible for me to tell you to say, focus on characters or the plot because I have no idea about your goal for the story and for writing the story.
It's also flexible since even seemingly very similar series actually have differences in execution and focus. See: Chivalry of Failed Knight and Asterisk War. Or Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, Black Bullet, Seraph of the End, and Attack on Titan.
In my case, I follow the pseudo-episodic fantasy LN style, so the main focuses are the chuuni battles and weapons/skills as well as how the MC can bond with and make a difference in girl-of-the-volume's life, with an overarching plot slowly developing in the background for each volume. Think of it as a modern fantasy JRPG formula.