What is a light novel?
A light novel is a short (around 300 pages) novel with manga-style images. These short, 50,000-word stories were popularized in Japan and are typically written for young adults. Light novels are broken up by mange-style illustrations that add to the story.
Understanding how light novels are written
Read a light novel. As with any creative endeavour, if you want to get started on writing a light novel, you should read and analyze one first. Light novels have been released in the United States by Yen Press, Del Rey Manga and Tokyopop (the latter of the three has been defunct since 2006), so pick a light novel (or a series of them) and analyze the writing style.
Expect to encounter a lot of dialogue. Light novels rely heavily on dialogue, so look at quotes from the characters, and get a feel for the characters' speaking styles. However, keep in mind what kind of audience you want your book to appeal to. If your audience is Western, don't spend your whole time writing just dialogue and no description. This will easily confuse your average American viewer (though this may be different for readers in other countries). Readers may lose track of who is speaking if there is no description present.
Try to cater to more than one demographic. For example, if you are just writing for avid anime fans, an average American reader (who may not even watch anime) probably won't understand the jokes you lace into the text unless they have prior knowledge of Japanese culture. This is a fatal flaw for many Original English Language "ranobe," as the majority of people will be confused by them, and they won't sell.
Planning your light novel
Plan out your light novel. Of course, every great novel comes from an idea, and light novels are no exception. Try a question you want to write about, and one that you feel you can answer. To use "Haruhi Suzumiya" as an example, what if the world can be changed by one person and that person just doesn't know it? Make sure there is a point to your plot. And don't forget your characters. Every novel, light or not, has characters (each with their own point of view) as well as a setting, plot and theme.
Set a schedule. Give yourself time to write, but don't force yourself to write when you have no ideas; if you have writer's block, give yourself time to gather your thoughts. Write up a schedule of days when you have free time on your hands, and write your heart out onto the pages, as with any novel.
Writing the light novel
Write your first draft. Sure, the first draft is full of mistakes and spelling / grammatical errors, but at least it exists, right? Besides, the first draft is just that — a draft. You can always edit it at your own pace, as much as you want. And after constant re-tooling, you have your first chapter. After that, do the same with the remaining chapters, until you think they're good enough to be read, if not published (yet). If you don't think your draft is something that you yourself would pick from a bookstore shelf, then it needs work.
Maintain continuity. Continuity is the consistency, as well as the flow, of the light novel when it comes to information, events, or just about anything in your light novel. Make sure you jot down major events in your story to keep for reference if you don't have the time to look back through your book every now and then.
Save your writing in a computer. If you write your "ranobe" on your computer using a word processor, then you just need to save the draft. For those writing "ye olde-fashioned way," copy your draft from the paper you used to write it on and save your light novel onto a computer (and proofread using the processor's spell-check).
Once the document is saved, add the images previously drawn by either yourself or a hired artist. These will be mostly without dialogue, as your "ranobe" will most likely relay what the characters have said. Add these images in the center of the action, in order to properly illustrate the scene. Save the file.
Getting published
Send that work to a publisher. If you can, try to publish it yourself if you don't want to go through any sort of legal matters. Just find a self-publishing site such as Lulu, purchase your first copy, and then check for any mistakes. Once you are sure that this is the right layout for your light novel, advertise the book online, and consider finding a retailer to sell physical copies of the work. Retailers only market the light novel for you, so talk up your novel with friends or relatives.
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