Fabulous Novel Action Plan

Spoiler alert: There is no road map to your novel. Any and all writing advice is just that, advice for you to adjust to fit you. However, you can use choose-your-own-adventure to create a novel action plan.

I am currently developing my process and learning more about how I write. One thing I like to have is a plan. I can hear you laughing. Yes, a plan, for writing a book. I like to know what is expected of me and what comes next. Capricorn, I am.

That being said, a plan is only good until things start moving. As in a military exercise, chess game, or football play, you make the best plan you can, then you pray. As soon as you start writing, that sucker is going to mess with your plan. Remain flexible. Apply chocolate.

For those of you getting ready for NaNoWriMo, this may give you some ideas on where to go next, or how to write an intermediary draft for NaNo that can be developed later.

This plan has some dates and amounts that are my best-educated guess, as far as the interwebs could get me. Most sites shy away from giving you those numbers, since they are so personal. These are intended to be a starting point for you.

The days to write listed for your draft are based on plot points and percentages from Jami Gold’s Beat Sheets, and a total wordcount I picked out of a hat (or Amazon perusal).

I recommend if you want to do deadlines that you only schedule the next couple steps at a time. Or resign yourself to feeling like a failure when you miss all the following deadlines. One of those. For myself, I can only carve an hour out of some days, so I did my math accordingly.

I tried to list every step that you would need to consider, whether publishing traditionally or self-publishing. There are various additional steps depending on the path you take. Use your Google.

Want a different format of this fancy plan? It comes in various flavors:

PDF
Spreadsheet
Trello Board (if you’re handy with Trello you can assign due dates, and add stuff to ToDoist and Google Calendar)

1. Prewriting Action Plan 2 months

Brainstorm
PreWrite Project Workbook (8 days $7)
Outline character arc
Outline story structure
Develop characterization
Backstory monologues/freewriting
Create settings and context
Discover your ideal reader
Identify 5-10 similar bestselling books = potential reader/target audience
Define tone
Define genre
Define age market
Choose 2-5 book categories (find 3-5 similar modern books)
Decide POV and viewpoint characters
World-Building Leviathan method (1+ per day, 52 steps, overlaps)
Snowflake method start (to character charts)
One Page Novel spreadsheet
Choose theme/dramatic premise – know WHY, heart and soul of story
Create visual storyline
Index cards/outline

Write discovery pre-draft (tell the story to yourself, just WHAT happens)
Snowflake method finish
Write book blurb (selling tool, cover)
Write book synopsis (for querying)
Write book proposal
Design sample cover/mockup
Review notes, tidy outline, character charts, etc
Brain nap (2 weeks)

2. Drafting Action Plan 7-9 months

Write last scene
Write 10 most important scenes
Adjust outline – know WHY
Layer 1: Skeleton Draft – The Junk Draft plot based (110,000 words 3 sessions/wk for 7 months = 84 writing sessions = 1,310 words/session)
  Working 1hr/day for 8 months, 110,000 word novel, 1,310 words/hour
  Inciting Incident 20% 47 days
  End of the Beginning 5% 13 days
  Pinch Point #1 13% 30 days
  Review and adjust – know WHY
  Midpoint 13% 30 days
  Pinch Point #2 13% 30 days
  Crisis 13% 30 days
  Climax 24% 58 days
  Resolution 1% 2 days
Adjust outline – know WHY
Review/Write book blurb – ideal version of your book
Layer 2: Flesh, Muscles, Heart – The Structure Draft characters, theme
Layer 3: Freckles Revision – The Rough Draft
Adjust outline, blurb – know WHY
Book nap – 1 month, develop character backstory/worldbuilding into short stories to submit