subject: Manuscript Creation in Small Steps - A way to Complete Your Primary Draft [print this page] Manuscript Creation in Small Steps - A way to Complete Your Primary Draft
Lots of people begin writing a novel, but only a few ever complete a first draft. So why is this?
It's due to the fact authoring a novel from start to finish is a colossal undertaking, and it is very easy to become overwhelmed. When you think of the variety of factors that must come together to produce a successful novel, it is very easy to find yourself paralyzed.
Just how are you supposed to continue?
By simply charting a plan of action, and then continuing to move forward deliberately, one stage at a time.
If you break down a large undertaking into modest, manageable pieces, it can look much less difficult. An excellent technique for doing this is to draw up a checklist of each stage included in the project, and to check each one off as you go along. After you have a list of steps set, you know precisely how to begin, and how to keep moving forward. This defeats the fear.
It can also be useful to make a timetable and to come up with a weekly goal. But don't be too ambitious. Quite a few writers sabotage themselves by establishing unrealistic goals. It is a frequent error, and it serves to erect a further psychological hurdle to completing their long term objective.
My own strategy is to set a rather modest goal for each week. As soon as I reach it, I grant myself permission to pursue various other activities.
My usual routine is to spend one week researching and outlining the chapter, and then the subsequent week actually writing it. This process allows me to develop a solid flow, and keeps the process from growing to be monotonous.
For me this strategy works out well. It made it possible for me to complete my very first book in less than two years. I recognized that if I completed a single 8-10 page section every two weeks, I would've written nearly 250 pages by the end of the calendar year. The completed novel wound up being nearer to 300 pages.
Psychologically, this relieved me of an enormous weight. I realized that as long as I achieved my minimum weekly goals, I would inevitably have a finished draft. Also, this enabled me to participate in additional activities without an internal voice reminding me that I really should be writing. This turned out to be quite liberating, and really enhanced my creative imagination.
Just be certain to keep your weekly goal modest. Believing that you must achieve an excessive word count can easily suck the fun out of writing, and make it seem like work. If you keep on making progress at a predetermined yet doable tempo, your manuscript will get finished. After which you may start the process of revising, which is where the novel really will take shape.
