My first novel is almost out. I’m wrapping up some final tweaks, it’ll go to the editor for one last review to make sure I didn’t introduce any errors, then it’s time for the big push; marketing, advertising, reviews and getting out there to spread the word. The business side of things. I’m looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time. Can’t wait. But until I go all in I’m in this limbo state and my brain is working on new ideas for books two, three, and so on. Now that I’m starting the process of writing a novel over again (this time with some knowledge and lessons learned), I’m going back and reviewing my process, making adjustments and getting planning done so when I go to write, that’s all I have to focus on.
For my first novel I used what’s called the Snowflake method. You start with a logline or simple sentence or two to describe the plot (character+inciting incident+stakes). From there, I wrote a paragraph long treatment of the basic plot and story. Then expanded to a full page with major beats in each act, then expanded further to a few pages detailing plot, story / character arcs and subplots. From there, I created character profiles, gathered research in areas I needed, always going back and tweaking my treatment and logline as I went. It’s an iterative process with breaks in-between to refresh the brain. Once I felt good about all my materials and where the story was going I did a rough scene breakdown, using my four to five page treatment as a guide. As a planner this was super helpful. Then it was a matter of setting up a daily writing goal (mine was 2k words a day) and I was off and running. Sounds simple, in theory it is, but in practice it’s a lot of work. Make sure you’re consistent with all your materials because they will help along the way.
Now that I’m starting to focus on the next book, I thought, what could I fix or do to lessen the burden or rounds of editing later on? What problems did I encounter the first time around? (Spoilers: a rushed third act and flat characters) For the most part I’m sticking with the process I outlined above. I like starting with a logline, it acts as a mission statement for the project. Writing a short, few pages, treatment is great as a guide and to help knock out any major plotting issues. This time around I plan to spend more time on the ending or third act. Knowing where you need to end up I think is important. It was a detriment to my first novel and slowed me down during edits. I’d also spend more time with character profiles, not so much with hair color, eye color and so on, but spending more time with their arcs, motivations and goals. I retrofitted a lot of that in my first book and it was so much work making sure everything was consistent. Having those flushed out will help in the overall picture and with locking down that third act as everything comes together.
So my focus or goals for book two will be; get that third act locked down before writing. How does it end? Where does every character end up? Do they belong there? Does it fit with decisions made? Does it answer the question or mystery set out in the beginning of the book? And character goals / motivations. Are they just doing things to move the plot along or do their decisions make sense to serve the story? Are their goals interconnected with the plot? How can or does the plot make their lives harder? Does them solving issues actually change their lives or could they just go back to sleep and forget it all?
Looking forward to tackling these. Being aware of them and addressing them, even if a little, will make subsequent revisions / drafts easier.
