Earlier this month I turned in the manuscript for Chantress Alchemy, the sequel to Chantress. Whew! I had only year to write it, which scared me. (It took me five years to write Chantress.) But it turns out I finished ahead of deadline. Even better, I sent in a manuscript I was really happy with.
What most amazes me is that I wrote almost the entire first draft of Chantress Alchemy in two 7-week stretches. For me, that’s a blistering pace! The rest of my time was spent waiting for reader comments and revising. I like revision, so that suited me really well.
But how on earth did I manage to write the book so fast? It’s a bit of a mystery to me, so I’m trying to look back and see what I did differently. What works for one book won’t necessarily work for another, of course. Still, here are nine things that helped me write fast(er) this time around:
(1.) It helped that I had time. Sweetpea started school last year, and much as I miss her, it’s been good for both of us. She loves school (she tells me “it’s the best school ever”), and I love having more time for writing. I pushed myself to write as hard and fast as I could while she was in school, so I could be there for her the rest of the time and during vacations.
(2.) It helped that I was willing to give a lot up. During my writing-intensive weeks, I didn’t take many days or nights off. I didn’t do much socializing. I dusted only when absolutely necessary. I watched very little television. I cooked only simple meals, and I didn’t bake. I only blogged occasionally, and Facebook and Twitter didn’t see much of me. Some of those things were easy to give up. Some of them were hard. But I couldn’t get the book written any other way. (And I learned that homemade muffins and cookies and pies taste extra good when you haven’t had them for a while!)
(3.) It helped that some things were established already. It took me years to find the right voice for Chantress. In Chantress Alchemy, I re-connected with that voice right away. It was a great joy, too, to bring some of the characters I loved best back to life. I noticed that scenes with established characters were usually easier to write than ones with new characters, and required less revision.
(4.) It helped that I had an outline. I had to produce a brief synopsis of books two and three when I sold the trilogy—a useful exercise, but there was a lot that I didn’t touch on, or wasn’t sure about. So before I wrote the book, I spent some weeks working out what could happen in it. I read old books on story structure and bought a new one (Save the Cat). I brainstormed possibilities, shot them down, and scribbled, scribbled, scribbled. In the end, I had a good idea of the story path I wanted to take, and that helped me take the plunge into actual writing. Caveat: See #5.
(5.) It helped that I was willing to abandon my outline. I wrote the first quarter of the book in a blur. Some of the book strongly resembled my outline, but there was a whole new strand to it that I hadn’t seen coming at all—and yet it just poured onto the page, a scene here, a moment there, another scene a day later. I had no idea what I was going to do with it, but I decided I would let those bits be for now, and edit them out later. And then I went away for a weekend and had the crashing realization that I didn’t want to write the book I’d planned. Instead I committed myself to that unexpected strand, and it became the core of the book. And because of that, riding this book was sometimes like riding a wave. It had an energy all its own.
(6.) It helped to read chapters out loud as I wrote them. I have never, ever done this before. I am one of those people who would rather die than share my first drafts. But for some strange reason I needed to read this one in Dickensian installments, hot off the press… and my wonderful husband sat and listened to each one, and made wise suggestions and encouraging comments.
(7.) It helped that I kept telling myself it was a first draft. I told myself every day – sometimes many times a day — that it didn’t have to be perfect; it just had to be done. That’s radical stuff for a perfectionist like me. But it was absolutely necessary.
(8.) It helped that I gave myself a weekly word quota. I really hate missing targets, so word quotas were a good way of keeping my perfectionist streak in check.
(9.) It helped that I had support from writer friends. I wrote the first part of this book during JoNoWriMo+1.5, and the last part during a writing challenge run by some of the fabulous members of one of my favorite listservs. I know I pushed myself harder because of our check-ins. I also had a lot more fun along the way.
Do you have any favorite techniques that help you write faster? Any other tips and tricks for dealing with deadlines? If so, I’d love to hear them.
Thanks for sharing this, Amy! Lots to ponder.
And I love your new WordPress layout!
Thanks, Sonia! LJ’s been my blogging home for so long that it was hard to make the move, but I’ve been really happy with WP. And I’ll still be commenting on LJ whenever it lets me!
Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Congratulations on finishing, and at a breakneck pace. All your observations on how you managed make sense. I love the idea of having an outline, then breaking away from it, something I’m doing now — writing away, then once in a while checking and tweaking my loose plan.
How nice you’ve finished ahead and just in time for the seasons of baking. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
Thanks, Jeannine! I know some people write like that all the time (and even faster) but for me it was a record. And yes, having an outline, and being willing to break away from it were both important.
Happy baking to you, too, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Handy stuff here! I’m trotting along with editing my second book too, Thanks.
So nice of you to stop by! It’s great to hear you’ve gotten so far with your second book.
Very insightful and encouraging, thanks! And congratulations!!
Thanks, Stacy! Lovely to see you here. I’m so glad the post was encouraging, and I’m wishing you luck with your own next book!
It was really interesting to read about your actual writing schedule. As someone whose first thought in the morning is what do I want to get done today, I enjoyed reading about the ways in which you accomplish what you set out to do. Writing a trilogy must agree with you or you wouldn’t have been able to move at such an impressive pace. Enjoy your holiday baking!
So nice of you to comment, Mom! One of the tricky things about writing is that I can only plan so far. A book has a life of its own – which is what makes writing them wonderful but also incredibly draining. It’s been a bit of a relief to turn to baking, since recipes generally do what you expect them to do. (Well, except when I’m daydreaming about books and forget an ingredient.)
Thanks for sharing your tips.
Thanks for taking the time to read them, Barb! I hope they’re helpful.
Amy, this all just made me so happy to read! I love the combination of being strict about some things like not spending time on the internet, but allowing the story to fly in its own way. Very inspiring, and of course, I just can’t wait to read both of them! Now…let the baking commence! xoxo
I’m so glad this spoke to you, Lorraine! You own posts are always so helpful in reminding me to listen carefully to what comes out in the writing, to not judge too quickly, and to respect what the book itself wants to be. And to be open to everything else that life has to offer! xoxo
Pingback: Conversations with an Outline « Views from a Window Seat
This will be useful advice, as I’m now suddenly on deadline for Dec 31, 2013, to turn in a book for which I haven’t written a single word! My best strategy is to do AT LEAST my daily quota, whatever it is, even if I blow past it the day before. (As in: even if I write ten pages in a fit of creativity on Thursday, and my daily quota is one page, I still have to write at least one page on Friday. No 9 days off!
Much empathy! I found myself in a very similar situation last year, and I think your strategy is an excellent one. I’ll be rooting for you!
Amy, I want to wish you a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I hope the day was grand and that the coming year brings you all sorts of love, laughter, and happiness. I’m so glad we’ve formed a friendship across the miles and look forward to meeting in person.
Tracy, much belated thanks for your lovely birthday wishes! I was traveling over Christmas, then got hit with flu, but it’s a treat to read this now. Here’s to a grand new year for both of us!