title · photo_0
I'M WRITING MY FIRST NOVEL
HERE'S WHAT I'VE LEARNED AFTER 6 MONTHS AND 162,258 WORDS WRITTEN
contextual · photo_1
Six months ago, I'd written zero words of fiction.
As of yesterday, I've written 162,258 words and completed the first draft of my novel.
These are five of the lessons that have stuck with me during that process...
informational · photo_2
(1) Never, ever put up a zero.
I track my word count in a spreadsheet like a psychopath. I do everything in my power to enter a number other than '0' into that cell.
Usually, the goal is 1000-1500 words. 2000 on a good day. But, at the very least, it can't be 0.
During the 6 months it took to write Draft 1, I averaged 721.1 words per day.
informational · photo_3
(2) But, leave some in the tank.
As I got deeper into the drafting cycle, I got comfortable writing more.
So, naturally, I increased my word count target. First to 1500, then 2000.
More, more, more!
Whenever I'd try to push beyond 2000, the writing would start to degrade. It got so bad, I'd end up having to re-write anyway. The process turned into a slog.
So, I dialed the target back to 1000 per day. The quality went back up. Shocker.
Most days, I'd end up with 1200-1500 anyway: slightly above goal (average skews low thanks to a 30-day wordless streak in August).
informational · photo_4
(3) Worldbuild out of necessity
Brandon Sanderson warns to avoid what he calls “Worldbuilder’s Disease.”
It’s so easy to spend days—months, even—on world details that just do not matter to your story.
I spent a few weeks upfront working on worldbuilding & outlining, then it was all drafting. When I ran into a sticking point, I’d spend a tiny amount of time on worldbuilding details.
(I also like using placeholders while drafting to keep momentum)
informational · photo_5
(4) Low-friction idea capture
Look, if you wanna walk around with a notebook, awesome. That’s not me.
Instead, I just have a pinned note in my Apple Notes app titled ‘BOOK IDEAS.’
I drop ideas for names, scenes, one-liners, etc., in that pinned note as they come up.
informational · photo_6
(5) Practice ‘Copy Work’
Copy Work is when you take a piece of writing you admire and copy it by hand.
This is one of my favorite exercises for ‘warming up’ ahead of a writing block.
I’ll pick a passage from a book (usually something from Sun Eater or Red Rising…surprise), and hand-copy a page.
This seems silly. I cannot overstate how helpful it is.
call-to-action · photo_7
Two more things:
(1) If you're a writer, save this for future reference.
(2) If you're a reader: hi! My name's Tommy Clark, and I'm writing my debut science fantasy novel. If you're into series like Red Rising, Sun Eater...I think you'll like mine.
Still a ways away from publishing, but follow along for more behind-the-scenes updates.
