I usually add a header at the end of my writing with something like “continue here” because unfortunately, when you open up the document again, it brings you back to the beginning. Google Docs automatically recognizes it as a header. If you want your headers to appear on the navigation panel on the left, make sure to bold them. Name it at the top left corner (you can change this anytime) and start by writing your first header (Prologue, Chapter 1, Notes, Ideas, etc). Of course, we all hate that white page, but soon enough there’ll be lots of awesome writing on there! Headersįirst of all, once inside your newly-created folder, right-click anywhere and select Google Docs to create a new document. This is it! Your novel starts here, with a fresh blank space.

There is nothing there, yet, but let’s set up your first novel doc. Name it whatever you’d like, and click on it to open it. Go to, right-click anywhere and select new folder. Within that folder, you can then seperate your documents in any way you’d like : I usually have separate folders for different projects, but you could have ones for drafts, completed works, etc. So the first step to start writing your novel is to immedietaly dedicate a space in your Drive for it. In any case, since I have started accumulating a lot of documents in my Google Drive (that I also use as a cloud backup), I have found folders to be essential. It is not readily accessible from docs directly, although it is useful if you decide to make Google Drive your home base. If I am to be perfectly honest, the one thing I think Google Docs could do better is the folders part. I find this to be extremely important, especially as a writer, since inspiration can strike at any time. It syncs across my devices, which means I always have access to my documents everywhere I go. Personally, I have been using the Google Suite for years, and I love it. Having this account will allow you to have everything in the same place : documents, calendar, notes, e-mail, etc. If you don’t already have a Google, or Gmail, account, it’s pretty easy to set up.

How to use google docs to write a novel