Talking Shop: Writing Towards a Goal

Portions of this blog first appeared on Savvy Authors on 10 June, 2014

http://savvyauthors.com/blog/

I've got a few new projects in the hopper lately, and that means it's time to break out the organizer and start up the scheduling.

 

Top of the list right now is the sequel to Goblin Fires. My vision for this book: a full-length novel of 65k words, done by October 21st (I'm hoping to have it done before National Novel Writing Month). 

 

That's a significant goal and a tight deadline. This Monday's Talking Shop article is about how one goes about meeting such a goal.

The first step is to break it down. 

 

1. Find Your Inspiration:  This, honestly, is the hardest part of the process. Everything else can be controlled, scheduled, measured. The inspiration is the tough part. 

 

Personally, I can't start with the theme. I have to find the story first, and discover how it can fit the theme, before I put down anything worth reading. As with everything I set down to write, I have to feel the story is organic. If I start by trying to meet a theme, without a story that naturally aligns, I find I'm fabricating. That's me, though...I have no trouble believing other authors can start with a theme and go from there.

 

2. Decide Your Words-Per-Day: Beginning with the total word goal--65k words--and our we spread it out over 45 days. That's only 1445 words per day.  This is less than it takes to complete National Novel Writing Month, an event in which I regularly take part. So for me, it's not an unfamiliar Words-Per-Day goal. 

If you're not used to exercises like NaNoWriMo, there are lots of hints, tips, and tricks out there for ways to reach such a goal. One of my personal favorites is word wars (or word sprints, for some). This is an exercise where you time yourself -- usually our NaNo groups go in spurts of 10 to 15 minutes -- and see who can write the most words in that time.

 

3. Consider Other Elements of Writing: You have to throw in time for research. You can't short yourself on this. Writing in sprints to your goal is all fine and good but if you don't include time to research, your plot is going to lack foundation and realism (unless it's a subject in which you are a certified expert, and even then I'd suggest a research session for the sake of being thorough). 

 

 

When I wrote Goblin Fires, I did a lot of looking into European folklore and mythology about elves, goblins, and the fae, but that doesn't mean I'm ready to write the sequel without boning up on what I know. First off, I want the story to be different, so it's going to have to include new and fresh information, characters, and conflicts. I have to look into new mythology and folklore, too, to expand the world I started with. So research time has to be figured in to my "per day" goal, too. I may not have to research every single day I write, or for the same amount of time, but I can't forget to put the time in where it's due.

4.  Make Sure You've Got Time to Check Your Work: On top of research, you'll need time to edit. My personal estimation for editing time for a 75k novel—as long as there's time to be had—is a month. I'm a stickler for editing/polishing every submission to its absolute best before I send it to my editor, so my timing may feel a bit excessive to most. One can, of course, adjust this timing to the particular needs of their story, but given I'll be writing in sprints, I expect I'm going to need very thorough edits. 

 

 

As this story is going to be 65k, though, I can probably dial myself down a week. One things I've learned from my editor is that the best polishing can only be done if you're ready to read through the story from beginning to end, again (and maybe again).  With my last novel, which ended at 53k words, this part wasn't as demanding.  With Lotus Petals and its sequel, Satin and Steel (75 and 85k words, respectively), this takes longer. So at 65k, I think 3 weeks for thorough final edits is fair.

 

5. Adjust Your Parameters: Being pressed for time, however, I have to keep things moving. So I'll cut my editing time a little and give myself 10 days (October 21st--October 31st, which leaves me right on the doorstep for NaNoWriMo).

 

This, though, means I'm going to be putting my best foot forward, the first time, with a vengeance. From the get-go -- meaning when I start typing today -- I'm going to have to be putting in a full effort.

 

6. Measure Your Progress:  Lastly, any good goal-setting plan include setting measurable goals you can track. I use a very simple, free app called WriteChain (http://tinyurl.com/pyp32m4). I set my goal for the day (1445), and set a cruise limit. This means how many days I can go without meeting my goal and not break my chain. For this project? I set a cruise limit of zero. There are lots of similar apps you can find, or you can keep pace with an Excel Spreadsheet. This really makes my goals feel very real and achievable, with visible results. 

 

Writing on a deadline is a rigorous and demanding task. It's part of the work of being a writer. Even if you don't have a deadline, though, you can use these tips to keep a daily writing goal, improve your skills, and be ready when those deadlines come along to attack them with a real, dedicated determination.

It's good planning...and it's also good practice, for any author.