Okay, so I Know How I Write, Now What?

Geez, patience grasshopper :-).

Last week I wrote about the type of writer you are - Plotter or Pantser. This matters because you'll want to fashion your writing schedule to fit your style. I talked a bit about that in this video and this blog post. Check 'em out if you missed them before.

Plotters need to put ample time to "plot it out" at the onset of their production schedule. For example, if they want to release their book on Christmas of this year. That's six months from now. In order to meet that deadline, they're going to have work pretty quickly. That means plotting has to happen for so many minutes or hours over so many days so they can get to the actual writing fairly quickly.

Side note: I produced both of my novels (50+K Words) in six months.

It can be done.

Pantsers on the other hand, will need to spend more time on editing as they tend to be all over the place during their draft writing. They can probably get the rough draft written in a few days of dedicated writing but for sure, they're going to need to schedule in more time to organize, format, and edit.

With schedule in hand, it's time for the real work to begin.

That's right, it's time to write. Write like the wind! Write till you can't write no' mo'! Okay, that's a bit much. What I mean to tell you is it's time to get the rough draft done. Whether you're following a detailed plan or just letting the words fly off the top of your head, write until the story is told. Spoiler alert - the rough draft is going to indeed, be rough. As in ugly, full of plot holes, and all kinds of grammatical missteps.

If I may borrow from Dr. Brene Brown, there are gifts in the imperfections. Do NOT take time at this stage to critique what you've written or do any kind of editing. JUST WRITE. Get the story out of your head and onto the page.

I mean it - I see you trying to edit. No! Just keep writing...

I'll be back to check on you next week and we'll talk about what happens after the draft is done.

Sending love & inspiration,

Dana