The Plot Thickens

The phases of writing a novel are, in my fairly limited experience, pretty straightforward:

• An idea that has a brilliant ‘what-if’ element develops in your brain and becomes your killer concept.
• The structure of the story – the plot – is built around the concept that is, as I mentioned, ‘killer’ using whatever tool you are most comfortable with. Some use a real cork board. I use a virtual one. (Honestly, Scrivener has made the plotting process incredibly easy. I’ve even built a handy template to help the process along.)
• Scenes are defined within the structure, each with a mission. If the plot takes place over a tight timeframe, build a time map to keep it all straight.
• If you’re so inclined, take a couple of weeks to write backstories for your main characters. It has helped me in the past, both to flesh the characters out in my mind, and to help seamlessly add relevant backstory later when I’m writing.
• Write. Stick the earbuds in your skull, cue up your best writing music and write. Let it flow. Editing can and will happen later. If you’ve built the frame (structure) properly and have defined your mission-driven scenes, the writing should be turbo-charged.
• Clean it up. Somewhere in the neighbourhood of 100,000 words have spilled on to your pages (screen) and there will be tons of silly, stupid typos. Take your time. Make a pot of coffee, tea or G&T’s and Take. Your. Time. Rushing this phase will lead to embarrassment. Take it from someone who knows. I released a book which had a main character named ‘Nicky’ and half way through the book I had written (and not corrected) ‘Vicky laughed.’ Take your time.
• If you can afford it, pay for an editor and professional cover art. I didn’t do that for my first two (Book ‘Em and Matt’s War) but I am for ‘G’Day LA’, my next one. I’ll probably go back and have the covers redone for the first two and re-launch them.
• Push them up to Smashwords, Kindle and, if you feel like a dtb* version, go to createspace.com
• Start over at the beginning for your next story.

I have two novels available now. A third, the aforementioned ‘G’Day LA’ is about to go the pro route, with a paid critique/review and professional cover art.

I’m at that part of the process that I enjoy the most. Ready to start on my fourth. I’ve got a killer idea/concept and I’m starting to plot. By the time I get number three back from the critique I’ll be finished the scene building and ready to dive headfirst into a month of full on writing for number four, ‘Family Matters’.

Do you follow a set process for your novel development?

*dtb = dead tree book