Writers can get really fired up about process. Some swear that detailed outlines are the only way to get a novel written. Others insist (with equal passion) that an outline would kill their desire to actually write the book.

If this is your first novel, you don’t know which path will work for you. Or if either will. Which can be scary because what if you pick the wrong one? If this point has you stalled out before you even start, then I’d suggest trying the “Luis approach.”

Tell yourself the story you want to write, in the style of Scott Lang’s friend Luis explaining the plot of Ant-Man. This is not only an extremely fun exercise, but it will tell you pretty accurately whether you actually have an idea of the plot.

If you can’t – that is FINE. Perfectly FINE. You don’t actually need a plot to start working on your novel writing month.

People find different entry points to a story. Sometimes, it’s the plot. The “this happened, and then this happened, and then this happened” of it all. Plot brain writers can rattle off a Luis recap of the story they want to write with no problem. And if you want to call that recap an outline, write it down, and add more details as they come to you GREAT. Go with that. Listen to your brain.

Some people connect to character. Maybe it’s a self-insert, maybe you just have a lot of imaginary friends, maybe you’re more interested in an internal journey than an external one. If you have a character’s internal monologue stuck in your brain, THIS IS ALSO FINE. In this case, your main character is your Luis. Let them tell you their story. Even if they start before the part of the story you want to turn into a novel. Even if they go on way too many tangents. You can always edit that out later.

Some people get excited about a place. This is often true of fantasy and science fiction writers, but also cozy mysteries and other stories where the setting is a major part of the appeal. If you have a worldbuilding brain… THIS IS ALSO FINE. Start by describing the place, then figure out who lives there, and eventually you’ll figure out what kind of stories naturally happen there.

Whatever kind of writer brain you have… it’s FINE. Really. Your novel-writing process isn’t so much a thing you choose as something you discover.

But you can only discover it by choosing any starting point, and seeing where it takes you. You can only discover it by accident. By opening your draft and putting some words down.

So go do that. Now.