How to Write Your First Novel in 90 Days
How to Write Your First Novel in 90 Days You don’t need more time. You need a plan. Here’s a glimpse of the framework I used to go from a blank page to finished draft. Many people say they want to write a novel. They have the idea already in mind, but they wait for the right moment. Usually that moment never comes. They might be waiting on the kids to get older, or once they are more established at work. Maybe they want to be in the right headspace, so they sit on their ideas for years. I know because I was one of them. It took me a long time to even be able to say that I was a writer. I remember my first book fair as an adult. I was in college at the time. An agent asked me if I was a writer, and I could not confidently answer that question. Let me be a little more specific... I was in film school, and one of my professors kept trying to convince me to either add writing to my degree program or switch from film to screenwriting. I had ideas, but I stuck with short films. Another professor told me that I knew that the last short I had written was meant to be a feature length film. He was right. I knew it, but I kept saying I didn't have time. I used every excuse I could think of. I was working full time and going to night classes in the evening after work. Not to mention, my children were very small. It wasn't until I was almost finished with the film degree that I decided to take on screenwriting as my major for my B.A. at the next school. I didn't finish my first feature screenplay until it was an assignment. I only had a certain amount of time to get it done. Afterall, that class was not going to last a year or two. I had to develop a plan. What changed was a plan, not more time. Now, I write across different genres. If you're looking to start your novel and finish it, you will need a plan. I wrote this book because my daughter wanted to write a novel, but didn't know where to start. As an educator, I had to put on my teaching hat. Here's what I did to write the book, Write Your Novel in 90 Days. I started with an idea. I started at the beginning. I knew she needed steps, so I worked on a plan of what to do day by day. I used some of my own writing process to help with the plan, but I needed to break it down a little more. I created a map, but it wasn't just any map. This map was designed to give "assignments" which would eventually lead to a finished first draft. Next, I asked the questions that a new writer may not know to ask, and created brainstorming activities. I wanted this book to be interactive, so I created space for writers to jot down ideas and work through them. This book is like a workbook. I hope it helps as many people as possible to get their story out. Four rules that keep you going 1. Write during stolen moments in the day if you are unable to create a consistent schedule. 2. Don’t edit while you are writing. That's why we have drafts. 3. Only track your word count if it's a motivator to you. Seeing the number grow is surprisingly motivating to some, but to others, it is not. The story is done when the story has been told. 4. If you miss a day, just resume. Pick up where you left off and just write. There will be days when you might miss a writing block. Find something that you can do related to your story. Maybe it's character traits. Maybe it's the world they live in. That's still progress. What happens on day 91 If you keep going, you’ll have a complete first draft. A lot of people who want to write a novel, never finish. Sometimes, they never start. Do the work to get the story out of your head and onto the paper. Revising will come after you have a first draft. Finishing this book felt like I'd finished a novel. It's obviously not, but I took myself on a journey writing it as though I did. Maybe it was because it was designed to help other people write their novel. I'm not entirely certain. I just know that it felt great! Right after I finished this book, I wrote a middle grade novel for ages 9-12. That felt good too.
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