If you saw my recent post on my Facebook page saying that I completed the first draft of my latest book in 21 days, you might have been skeptical. But I kid you not. However, the emphasis is on First Draft. It still has to be edited by me, then go to beta readers, final editors and then when it is “clean” – it is publishing time.
People have asked me how I can write a first draft that fast.
Plot (my GPS) and Commitment are the key elements for me.
Plot is the author’s GPS. If you start by knowing the basic “route” and “destination” for your book, that’s a big step. It is particularly helpful if, like me, you are writing a cozy mystery series. Plotting involves navigating through such main items as location, chief characters, what the mystery is and what action is required to move the story forward to solution.
For example: If I decide the book will be about a missing heiress and a murder (Malice at the Mansion), I need to decide why this happens, how the actions of the characters will play out and what the end result will be. Then it is time to add action, conflict and crises that will move the story line (Plot) along till it gets to the high point of the story arc and then, get it back to “normal” as I end the book.
Plotting is the part I find takes the longest. My brain churns all the material around inside. My home is covered with scraps of paper with notes about plot ideas. I wake up in the middle of the night sometimes and write notes because stuff came to me in a dream.
When I feel I have a good handle on the story line, I start a storyboard. I pin a card for each potential chapter on the bulletin board and then write chapter by chapter thumbnail scenarios – which are just flexible guidelines I may change as I write the book. You could do the same thing on your computer, creating a form or flow chart. Some writers use a software program to do this. I, however, prefer the manual version of a storyboard.
Once I feel ready, then I begin to write. This is where Commitment comes into play. You have to turn on the computer, put your butt in the chair and write daily. I tend to write between 2500 and 4000 words in each writing session. I once had to write the end of a book before I went away on business and did 11,000 words one Saturday – but I knew how to end the book, what was going to happen and just followed along. I had my GPS (Plot) helping me out.
The important part of the process is to write. Don’t keep going back and thinking about editing, etc. Just write, write, write – well, you get the idea. Editing comes later—for me usually about a week or two after I have caught up with my personal life for a few days.
However, my brain is already churning out ideas for Book 6. I’ve told it to chill. I’m pretty busy right now and plan to work on that one in November – okay, if my brain insists, maybe October.
Keep on writing!
