Here at Go Teen Writers, we’re pretty good at encouraging you all to write at your own pace. Some of us are quick twitch writers, while others plot our novels out painstakingly before a word is written. Some of us believe that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, while others prefer to discovery write our way into a plot.
None of these approaches is wrong. In fact, there is no wrong way to write a novel.
But what happens when it’s imperative that you write quickly? And what if you’re not a naturally fast writer? What if you actually prefer the long way around, but circumstance dictates that the novel you’re writing be finished and ready for industry professionals in a very short amount of time?
It’s a situation I currently find myself in, and I thought I’d give you a peek into my preparation. Because the truth is simple:
I NEED A PLAN.
And for someone like me who is a habitual discovery writer, the plan usually includes writing a bunch of stuff I’m going to delete. It’s how I’ve traditionally sorted the plot and the characters out in my head.
But I don’t have that kind of time.
Instead of spending my writing hours discovery writing, I’m going to need to make good, workable decisions ahead of time so that I can map out my scenes before I write them.
The upside is this: I have already started this book. I have discovered a lot about my characters and my world. The beginning of the story is written and in good shape. What must be decided now is how to get from my solid beginning to a steal-your-breath kind of ending.
To do that, I’m putting together a few cheat sheets:
- A clearly worded story problem: What is the BIG PROBLEM my protagonist is trying to solve?
- A list of my principal characters and their goals: What do my characters want? What do my characters need? What are they willing to do to get there? And how do the answers to each of these questions serve to resolve or prevent a solution to my story problem.
- A landmark list: I’ve done enough work on this project to know that there are certain moments, situations, and settings that I’d like to include. I make a very simple list of these items so they’re not rattling around in my head, distracting me.
- My Fabulous Four: I’m no good at plot charts, but there are a four big moments that will take me from beginning to end, and if I can keep these four things in front of me, I’ll know I’m heading in the right direction:
- Inciting Incident: The moment that a setting, characters, and world is transformed into a story. It’s that thing that happens that thrusts the protagonist (and the reader!) into an adventure.
- The Mid-Point Twist: It’s the moment, about the middle of the story, when the carpet is pulled out from beneath the hero’s feet. They have their BIG WANT in sight and something happens that changes their want. This is where I like my story to refocus, perhaps shifting from my hero’s want onto their greatest need.
- Climax: The final battle. What happens when my hero meets her greatest opposition? Who must be present for that moment and where should it take place? What will that battle determine?
- Denouement: The Happily Ever After. Or not. The denouement is what happens after the story problem has been resolved. What do I hope that will look like for my characters and my story world.
- Scene breakdown: This is what’s going to kill me. It’s the thing I dread. Making decisions for my characters. I’m way better at letting them decide where to go and what to do. But since they’re much too slow, I’m going to have to do this myself. And I’ll do it by using try/fail cycles. I don’t have enough time to get into that today, but you can read all about how I use try/fail cycles here. This will be my first time EVER using them to put together a list of scenes that move my story from beginning to end. Say a prayer for me, friends. Next week’s going to be a crazy one.
Once I have these five cheat sheets created, the plan is to use the scene breakdown to guide me through my story to that heart-stopping ending I’m aiming for. I’ll use the other cheat sheets to keep me on track and to remind me of THE MOST IMPORTANT things as I write.
I’ll say this, friends. I’m very glad there’s no ONE WAY to write a book. Sometimes time and circumstance dictate that you pivot away from what you know to something brand new. This might work for me, and it might not, but it’s good to know I’m not doing anything wrong.
Tell me, are you good at fast drafting a book, or do you prefer to move more slowly? Have any tips for a girl who’s trying to learn a new trick? I’m all ears.
Shannon Dittemore is an author and speaker. Her books include the Angel Eyes trilogy, a supernatural foray into the realm of angels and demons, as well as the fantastical adventure novel Winter, White and Wicked. Its sequel, Rebel, Brave and Brutal is due out January 10, 2023.
Shannon’s stories feature strong female leads grappling with fear and faith as they venture into the wilds of the unknown. She’s often wondered if she’s writing her own quest for bravery again and again.
It’s a choice she values highly. Bravery. And she’s never more inspired than when young people ball up their fist and punch fear in the face.
To that end, Shannon takes great joy in working with young writers, both in person and online at Go Teen Writers, an instructional blog recognized by Writer’s Digest four years running as a “101 Best Websites for Writers” selection.
For more about Shannon and her books, please visit her website, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
This was exactly what I needed to hear today. I am reworking the entire story I finished writing last year and its gonna take a lot of work and a lot of time.
And, no worries! You’ll do great with a deadline. Just remember………LOTS of snacks and coffee (or tea; whatever you drink)
Thank you! And I’m with you, friend! We’ll get this done!
Right now, I need to have an idea of the main landmarks. I haven’t quite gotten to fill scene lists but definitely the main points. Then I usually can write, I think I’m mostly a plotter.
I recently learned about Susan May Warrens writing planner, she has these fun charts diagrams to fill in for these things. It doesn’t feel so plotted which is cool
I wish I was mostly a plotter! Have you seen my post on Plotting by Landmark? I wonder if that will help you? https://goteenwriters.com/2019/08/23/plotting-by-landmark/
I know exactly what you mean! Mine travels out of their main town a lot and I need to work on some landmarks.
This is something that has been on my mind for some time. I’m a very very slow writer, which isn’t really a problem now. However, I know that there will come a day when the publishing industry demands a deadline of me, and I’ll have to be able to up my pace. This was helpful. I’ll have to keep this page in mind when that day arrives.
Good luck with your fast writing! You got this. 🙂
As a rule, I think we should know the kind of writer we want to be and pursue that. There’s nothing wrong with being a slow writer and you can make an entire career out of that. In this instance, I have an opportunity to help my publication schedule out by pushing to get something done quickly. I think it’s a worthy opportunity, so I’m willing to make an effort. But don’t worry if fast is outside your wheelhouse right now. That’s okay.
I am a slow writer. I have a list of main events that must happen, but other than that I just write from point A to point B, letting my characters fill in the blanks.
Having a deadline looming over you must be really stressful. However, you are an amazing writer, and I know you can handle it. I look forward to reading your book when it comes out! Praying for you.
Thank you, Camille. Generally, my writing process is much the same as yours. Here’s to new things!
I am a slow writer to. I prefer to have everything sorted out before I write my story, it works best for me.
I love the K. M. Weiland series (and books) about outlining and structuring your story, and about character arcs. Because that’s how my brain works too. Maybe you can find some tricks there too?
Oh and although I am a huge plotter and had my story plotted scene by scene, I found out while writing the first draft that characters can still surprise you ;). One character turned out to be an important one, and another one became a background figure.
So, an outline is always written with pencil, and that’s ok too.
I wish you all the best with your story!
KM Weiland is a fantastic teacher! I steal stuff from her all the time.
I’ve set a goal to finish my first draft by end of January. Then I need to brainstorm to fill in plot holes and finish the second draft before August 1 as I am getting my novel professionally edited! Six months may seem like a long time to some people, but it’ll be the fastest I’ve ever done something like this, so I am definitely needing to write fast!
Wow, that’s awesome!
Wishing you well in your writing adventures! You’ve got this!
Anytime we have a deadline in sight, it feels like the clock is ticking away in the background of everything we do. I wish you all the words and all the joy as you write. I know you can do it!