How to Write Your Novel in Five Easy* Steps
Step 1: Read (A LOT)
Tolkien, Hemingway, Dickens, Twain, Rowling. No matter how different their works may be, all authors share one thing: a love--a passion--for reading. All successful authors integrate themes from other books into their writing. All successful authors develop their prose on the good and bad that they've read. The importance of reading upon an author cannot be exaggerated. Read a lot, and indiscriminately.
Step 2. Begin to Plot
There are a lot of differing opinions on whether or not you should begin a book, then plot as you go, or whether you should fully develop the plot, then begin to write. After trying both, I am of the opinion that you should plot before. But there have been great writers who used both techniques.
Step 3. Write the First Line
Every book has a first line. Every climber, faced with the impossible slope of the mountain above him, has to take those first wary steps. And every writer, daunted by the enormity of the project he is about to undertake, has to scribble down that first line on a blank sheet of paper.
Step 4. Let the Writing Flow
Now that you've written your first line, you have to let the writing flow from mind to hand. Any reader can tell forced writing. The prose is sloppy, the dialogue even more so, and, well, it flops. To get into the proper state of mind, I like to listen to some music. (The tone of the music should match the tone of your novel.)
Step 5. Never Stop Writing
This may be the most important step. Speaking from personal experience, I know that if you stop writing-even for a couple days-it can lead to writer's block, or even just forgetting about the book and never finishing. Never stop until you're finished.
Good Luck!