Daily Word Count: 0
Cumulative Words Written: 20,801
Total Words Discarded: 3,750
Total Chapters Drafted: 8
Time Spent Writing Today: 0 hours
I can’t tell anyone how to write a book. Writing a book is a personal process, honed and refined by time, willingness to work, and circumstance.
Take today. In the lead-up to my lady time, I don’t sleep. AT ALL. For 4 days, I’ve suffered crippling insomnia. My brain feels like it’s been put through a blender. Everything is muddy and fuzzy. My head aches, a constant twinge in the background. I’m at a crossroads with my manuscript, trying to listen to the characters. Do I go this way? Or that way?
In the meantime, I shared my writing process with Jen, my housemate. Artists are always surprised by what goes into writing a book, even though they make things, too. Maybe the wide world doesn’t understand, either.
Today, I share my Process of Writing a Book.
Well, this book anyway. And the list could change tomorrow. Or in a few hours. Creating is a process of evolving. To refuse to evolve is to stagnate.
Listen to the characters.
It takes time for the noise in my head to settle, for specific characters to burble to the top and command attention. That’s why I can’t always tell readers what I’m working on next, or draft several books at once, or see a clear path to the end. I don’t outline. I follow the characters.
Time spent: This is really never-ending.
Write whatever comes to mind.
A first draft is vomit. Literally a word vomit. And vomit isn’t pretty, is it? Pretty doesn’t matter. Plot doesn’t matter. Sequence doesn’t matter. JUST WRITE WITHOUT A FILTER and GET IT OUT. (I’m in this phase now.)
Time spent: Six weeks on residency.
Let the manuscript breathe.
I think it’s important to step away from a first draft, to let it breathe for a while. While I still have my head in the story, taking time away allows me to get out of the trees. I see the story as a bigger picture, and I usually make connections that improve my next draft.
Time spent (combined with muse point below):
Up to one month.
While the manuscript breathes, ask my muse to read it.
MTM is always the first to read a manuscript. He’s already reading chapters I write here and giving me feedback via FaceTime and email. I’m sure Jen thinks we’re crazy as we passionately discuss fake people. Ha.
Time spent (combined with breathe point above):
Up to one month.
Study suggestions and rewrite.
I may deploy the breathe-muse-rewrite steps multiple times, depending upon the complexity of the story. By the time I move to the next step, I’ve usually rewritten the first draft three times, meaning my beta readers get a fourth draft.
Time spent: Usually three to six months.
Send the manuscript to beta readers.
I’m asking several people I trust to beta read this story. It’s complex and ambitious, and it tackles things I’ve never had the nerve to write. Multiple perspectives will help me cut the fat, hone sections that speak to people, and make the story deeper and more visceral.
Time spent: One month.
Rewrite.
Beta readers give SO MUCH good feedback. The book changes a lot during this rewrite, as I consider different perspectives and ideas and decide whether to work them into the story.
Time spent: One month.
Give the manuscript to an editor.
I cannot stress how important it is to have a good editor. Not only do they ensure the mechanics of the book are correct, but they also come up with (sometimes) better plot points, erase plot holes, and challenge everything about the story. A good editor can improve a novel ten thousand times.
Time spent: One to two months.
Rewrite. (How many times is this now?)
This step is usually accepting the changes the editor made or rejecting them, one by one. I’ll also rewrite swaths of text to replace problem areas or incorporate editor ideas that work for the characters.
Time spent: One to two weeks.
Final proof.
The book goes to the publisher for layout, and I work with a couple of others to do a final proof. I usually send out copies to advance readers during this phase, ten or so writers I trust to find stray misspellings or bad pronunciation. I’ve read the book too many times to see mistakes by now.
Time spent: One month-ish.
If any problems crop up in this phase, rewrite AGAIN.
I end up tweaking chapters, tightening sentences, even changing names right up until the book is deemed FINAL.
Time spent: Up to a month.
So if everything falls into place, I can produce a book in nine months to a year. With a bigger team and more to invest, I might be able to shorten that to six-to-nine-months. Surely, I could write books faster if I only focused on writing books with well-defined formulas. (And didn’t travel for speaking engagements, strategize with my publicist, review what’s happening online, interact with readers, etc etc etc etc etc etc.)
Bet you didn’t know the process of writing a book was this complicated!
To follow my residency at Buinho Creative Hub from the beginning, CLICK HERE and read forward.
8 Comments
It is a voyage of discovery, to be sure. I’ve run into a serious snag on mine. I suddenly realized I don’t really have a villain. Yet. Hmm. How did that happen? My characters haven’t told me who/what it is. Yet.
Does every book need a villain? Maybe you’re writing a very different book from the last one. 🙂 And I can’t wait to read it.
What a process- I’ve never undertaken it but would love to try
You’d be great, Beth. Your posts have such character.
Your vote of confidence means so much to me, coming from such an accomplished writer
?
“JUST WRITE WITHOUT A FILTER and GET IT OUT.”
Andra, this is my favorite part of your writing process – getting it out on paper. I think many writers get mired in starting due to their own questions (“where do I begin?), self-doubt and wanting to be perfect from the beginning. I am going to remember this as I move forward with my writing. Thank you!
Filters, the desire for perfection, they stop lots of people from ever finishing a book.
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