This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on July 14th, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.
If you follow me on any of my social platforms, you probably know that I am drafting a new book this summer. It's the second book in my write-for-hire contract, the sequel to the first. (I know you're curious about this project—I really, really hope to be able to share more details soon!) Because I'm working with a relatively tight deadline, and because my kiddo is in summer camp for four straight weeks, I've decided to turn the work of drafting into a mini bootcamp for myself.
I have never attempted NaNoWriMo. (That's National Novel Writing Month, for those who aren't familiar—each November, millions of writers attempt to complete a novel, or at least 50,000 words of one, in a month.) I haven't abstained from NaNoWriMo because I'm opposed to the idea. Not at all! I've just never found myself ready to write 50,000 new words when November rolls around. I'm either deep in revisions on something, or drafting something shorter (like the Critters books). Maybe one day I will give it a shot!
But this summer, I'm attempting something close. This new book needs to be between 35-40,000 words. My daughter is in camp for four weeks. By her last day of camp, I want to have a complete zero-draft. (Then, I will have about three weeks to polish up that draft before my August deadline.)
So, how does one write an entire book in a month?
The same way you eat an elephant: one bite at a time.
My outline for this book has 20 chapters. My kiddo has 20 days of camp. That equals a chapter a day. How long must each chapter be? 35,000 / 20 = 1,750. I've set myself a goal of writing at least 1,500 words a day, knowing that most chapters will be closer to 2,000. (In the first four days, my word count total was 7,988, so I am slightly ahead of schedule overall. Woohoo!)
Now, maybe you're someone who looks at this strategy and shudders. Maybe the idea of breaking a book down into bite-sized chunks doesn't mesh with your writing vibe at all. I have to say, I've written books where this strategy wouldn't have worked at all. Books where I was finding my way as I wrote, or focusing for an hour on a single paragraph because I couldn't move on until it was just right. But for this particular project, having a daily goal and a clear finish line within view has been invaluable.
I have a deadline and a plan. I enjoy a sense of accomplishment each morning, as I cross off "write a chapter" from my to-do list. I can see my document growing, thanks to the handy-dandy progress bar in Scrivener. I feel confident, and sometimes confidence is the best feeling you can experience when you're working on something completely new. (Also, for me, it's my first time writing a true sequel; the Critters books were each about a different character. So the confidence-boost of getting words on the page is balancing out my uncertainty about crafting a sequel that's as compelling as the first book!)
I wouldn't be able to work like this without my incredibly detailed outline. When I sit down each morning, I have the chapter's synopsis ready to guide me forward. And yes, things do change from outline to draft. But I have a road map. If I follow it, I'll get to my destination.
Today is the end of Week One. After today's writing session, I should have approximately one-fourth of a book. That's definitely something!
And with each day that passes, my momentum grows. I'm more in the story. More invested in the characters. Hopefully, by the time I get to "The End" and circle back to page one to start revising, I'll be so in the zone that I'll know exactly what I need to do.
There's a quote writers often share: "I hate writing, but I love having written."
To be honest, I love both. Not all the time, but certainly right now. I'm enjoying the process, and I'm looking forward to the outcome of having a finished draft to revise. It may feel a bit like bootcamp, but it also feels like home.
Are you pushing yourself to work on anything big this summer?
~Kathryn
What I'm:
Reading: I'm currently crossing off the "historical novel set before the 20th century" box on my BookBub Reading Challenge grid! The most recent Newbery Award winner, Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson, is about two children who escape from a plantation and find a new home in a free Black community hidden deep in a swamp. Freewater is home to other formerly enslaved people as well as a group of children who were born there—children who have never known enslavement. This book is lyrically written and lovingly depicts—from many different points of view—a part of history I haven't read about before in children's literature, the free Black (also known as maroon) communities in the south in the 1800s.
Watching: My husband and I finished "Picard" season 3 this week. I grew up watching "Star Trek: The Next Generation" with my dad, and it was a pleasure to spend more time with the crew of the Enterprise-D in this new series. (If you're a Trekkie, it's on Paramount+!)
Loving: I took this photo of my kiddo last week, and I still think it may be one of the best pictures I've ever captured. It looks like she's surrounded by magic.
