Tuesday, February 18, 2014

I have a plan...

I have made a plan in my head about how I am going to produce my first novel. And it's a doable plan, I think. But, we'll see.

Step 1 - Outline and Details
I'm already hip-deep into this one. Character backgrounds, "world" details, and an outline of the entire plot, chapter by chapter; these are all in various stages of completion. The actual plot is about 3/4 done, and I know how it is going to end. I'm at the part where the plot starts to move with urgency, so I have to figure out how to get it to the end in a way that is logical, and has a lot of action and suspense. And I even have a few ideas on that.
Deadline: February 28th.

Step 2 - First Draft
I am aiming for 50,000 words for my first draft. I would imagine that, when I begin editing, I may lose some words, but will most likely gain many more. I'm hoping to have a final word count around 70,000. I'm going to try for the NaNoWriMo standard of getting that 50k in one month.
Deadline: March 31st

Step 3 - Edit and Re-Write
Once I have the first draft complete, I will spend a month doing a full edit and re-write. Since I am chronic self-editor while I write, I would imagine that most of that will be dedicated to fleshing out parts, trimming the fat, and maybe adding subplot(s) that fit.
Deadline: April 30th

Step 3 - Submit to an Agent and pray
This is where I might hit up my more experienced friends for tips and advice (though I welcome any advice during any of these steps). I have a local friend who is a literary agent, so I may see if he is interested in it first. Otherwise, I'll be looking for an agent to shop it around for me.

During this third step, I will also be building a website (probably a Blogger page, though I might go with Worpress) for the book. I'll have inside info, non-story details, maybe some teaser art, and probably some free short fiction, all related to the book, and its (hopeful) sequels.

So, my author friends, does this sound like a solid plan? Or are you shaking your head and whispering "Amateur..."?

1 comment:

Charles Gramlich said...

That's definitely a good plan. I've heard many writers say that first drafts tend to be longer than need be. 50,000 is quite short. however, I do find myself that most of my final drafts get longer as I layer in details I didn't put in in the first draft.