That\u2019s right: eight months. Less than a year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re like I once was \u2013 that is, if you\u2019ve spent years thinking<\/em> about writing a novel but rarely putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard \u2013 this timeframe might sound mad. But, as I discovered when I finally gave writing a proper go, showing up to your manuscript consistently can yield far quicker results than you might think. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, having published four books, I\u2019d say a good quality draft (90,000 words or so) takes me around six months to pull together. So, what took me from dreaming about writing to actually doing it? I didn\u2019t undergo an overnight personality transplant or discover a magical wellspring of motivation. (Unfortunate, as that would still be super<\/em> useful). In fact, I did that most cliched yet crucial of things. I gave myself permission to try. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As if to signal to myself that having a bash at writing a book was 100% allowed, I signed up for a creative writing course. Ultimately, this made all the difference to my craft, discipline and self-belief \u2013 but in the short-term, following a structured programme felt far more comfortable than simply winging it in the hope I\u2019d one day reach \u2018the end\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you think you\u2019d benefit from a similar experience, our eight-month Novel Writing Course<\/a> might be exactly what you need. It\u2019s designed for writers who have great ideas but feel they\u2019re flying blind when it comes to plot-planning, character development, worldbuilding and so on.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not ready to commit to a course? With a little planning, plus positivity and persistence, you can still get your book written (or at least well underway) in less than a year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Feeling fired up? Here\u2019s what to do next\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n George RR Martin could have written about the bitter divide between House Planner and House Pantser. For the uninitiated, the debate comes down to the difference between people who simply must<\/em> have an outline before they begin drafting and those with the brass neck to sit down at a blank screen and just\u2026 see what happens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I joke, of course: there\u2019s no real argument. We writers are a peaceful people, and most accept there\u2019s no right or wrong way to work. Personally, though, I need a proper plan before I get going \u2013 and if your ambition is to write a book within eight months, I don\u2019t think risking \u2018dead time\u2019 (where you produce thousands of words that may serve no clear purpose) makes much sense. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re a Premium Member, you can access our Build Your Book Month<\/a> content for free. This includes a very helpful plot-planning spreadsheet and a bunch of fantastic video lessons on the three-act story structure. (Not a PM? You can buy the content as a standalone course for \u00a399, or join us<\/a> to get this, plus plenty more writing resources).\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alternatively, you might want to consider the Save The Cat approach, the five-act story structure or the snowflake method<\/a>, all of which will allow you to create an overall \u2018shape\u2019 for your story before you start writing. However you choose to plan, doing so will effectively stress-test your novel idea, helping you work out whether it will extend into a narrative that\u2019s tens of thousands of words long.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the Novel Writing Course<\/a>, students spend their first month focused on planning their novels, and I\u2019d suggest devoting a similar chunk of time \u2013 weeks, rather than days \u2013 to interrogating your story arc independently. Imagine the events, twists and turns you\u2019ll include in your plot and work out how they\u2019ll affect the journey your characters go on. Rushing through this stage tends to be a false economy: fail to answer key questions now, and they\u2019ll come back to bite you later.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Who are you writing about? What problems do they have, and how does your protagonist \u2013 or their situation \u2013 need to change in order for your story to be satisfying? Remember, a novel isn\u2019t really<\/em> about what happens: it\u2019s about how what happens affects characters readers care about. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Are you going to write in first person, third person, past or present tense? (You might have to experiment a bit with points of view in order to find out what\u2019s most effective.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n Where will the action of your story take place? Is there research you need to do, or worldbuilding you need to undertake, before you can start drafting in earnest? <\/p>\n\n\n\n These questions need consideration both before you begin writing, but also as your story unfolds. Again, the Novel Writing Course<\/a> offers tutorials and one-to-one support with all this. Meanwhile, if you\u2019re a Premium Member<\/a>, you\u2019ll find there are multiple masterclasses available to help you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to draft a novel in eight months, you\u2019ll need to commit to writing regularly. Establishing a routine you can stick to (at least most<\/em> of the time) is key, so ask yourself: when do you work best? How many hours per day, or per week, do you think you can spend on your manuscript? <\/p>\n\n\n\n You might want to think in terms of word count milestones, rather than time spent at your desk \u2013 though this can be demotivating on days when the sentences won\u2019t flow! That said, you\u2019ll definitely need to set an overall wordcount goal that makes sense for the genre you\u2019re writing in. If your book is commercial fiction, for example, you shouldn\u2019t be aiming to write a 1000-page tome. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You might want to put together a novel writing timeline that takes your final goal, plus any holidays or days off writing you\u2019re going to need, into account. This will ensure you stay on track, but also that you keep your workload realistic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Whichever way you do it, create a plan that will make showing up to your work-in-progress something that feels natural: automatic. Being enrolled on a course did this job for me. I didn\u2019t want to be the classmate who hadn\u2019t done her homework, so I made sure to show up with fresh words every time I was supposed to! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, why not incentivise yourself a little? If you\u2019re planning to write first thing in the morning, pair your early start with an extra-swish coffee. Alternatively, if your book work needs to wait until after the kids are in bed, make settling down with it feel like a treat: grab a cuppa, light a candle and settle in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Having a plot plan shouldn\u2019t stifle your creativity. See it as a roadmap for your adventure in story-telling \u2013 not a tunnel that offers only one way through. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s not unusual for events to play out slightly differently on the page than they did in your head, or for a minor character\u2019s voice to end up louder than you\u2019d anticipated. Exploring opportunities when they arise \u2013 indulging these moments of inspiration \u2013 is where much of the true joy of writing is found. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, allow for deviations on the road to finishing your story \u2013 so long as they don\u2019t take you to a completely random destination! <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re writing to a deadline, you can\u2019t afford to edit every single sentence as you go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Resist the urge to perfect each paragraph you produce in favour of pushing forward with your plot. If you must, highlight chunks of text you\u2019re not convinced about so you don\u2019t forget to examine them later \u2013 but focus on finishing your book before you worry about making every word beautiful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Sticky patches\u2019 in writing often occur because getting the words out feels like pulling teeth. In those moments, I ask myself: am I trying to write something that doesn\u2019t feel true, or in a style that\u2019s not natural to me? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Finding your own voice is a process, and it\u2019s something we cover in detail on the Novel Writing Course<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re feeling blocked, try stepping back. Approach the plot point or scene you\u2019re working on afresh. Write it honestly, with no spin \u2013 in the way you might if your only aim was entertaining a good friend. See what happens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Different people choose to use buddies or beta readers at different stages of their writing journey \u2013 but constructive criticism can be helpful during, as well as after, drafting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As I worked on my first book, I found my friends\u2019 and mentor\u2019s feedback helped me avoid making mistakes that might have tripped me up \u2013 but their encouragement also kept me going when writing felt too hard and I lost confidence in myself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the best things about the Novel Writing Course<\/a> is the incredible level of one-to-one support every student gets from their personal tutor: more individual guidance than is offered on any alternative out there.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The difference between people who write whole novels and those who don\u2019t is almost always that the first group simply refused to give up. There are plenty of talented writers out there who\u2019ll never complete a full manuscript \u2013 not because they lack the ability, but because they aren\u2019t tenacious enough. <\/p>\n\n\n\n With a plan and a writing routine in place, your job is actually pretty simple: keep showing up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you do, in eight months (or within a realistic timeframe that works for you), you\u2019ll have a full draft \u2013 a truly incredible achievement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When you get there, have a rest. Give yourself a little distance from your draft before diving back in to edit it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If they feel ready, students on our Novel Writing Course<\/a> have the option to upgrade to the Ultimate Novel Writing Programme<\/a> after spending eight months on their drafts. This involves extra tutoring on self-editing, the different routes into publishing and how to get a literary agent. For Premium Members, there\u2019s Debi Alper\u2019s fantastic Introduction to Self-Editing Your Novel<\/a> course: the perfect, self-guided route into refining your own work.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whatever kind of support you seek with your writing \u2013 whether it\u2019s through a course, Premium Membership<\/a> or engagement with our Townhouse community<\/a> \u2013 I wish you all the best with getting your novel written.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n You really can do it \u2013 and in eight months, too!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" That\u2019s right: eight months. Less than a year. If you\u2019re like I once was \u2013 that is, if you\u2019ve spent years thinking about writing a novel but rarely putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard \u2013 this timeframe might sound mad. But, as I discovered when I finally gave writing a proper go, showing<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36332,"featured_media":552226,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[27495,29277,29278],"class_list":["post-801802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-novel-writing","tag-plotting","tag-planning","tag-writing-routine"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nEight steps to writing your novel in eight months<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Plan your story upfront<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. Consider your novel’s characters, point of view and setting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Develop a novel writing routine<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4. Don’t be afraid to deviate… <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
5. Push perfectionism aside<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
6. Write with authenticity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
7. Think about sharing your story<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
8. Power through your novel – then pause <\/h3>\n\n\n\n