Author’s Note: This article was originally published on June 23rd, 2022 as part of a blog series about a novel I was ghostwriting for a client. If you haven’t read the introduction yet, you can find it here.

Week 1 of writing this novel is in the books, so to speak. Read on to see how each day of the journey has gone so far.

Day 1

Spent the bulk of the day developing scene locations. My process for doing this involves:

1. Reading through the outline again.
It’s important to be highly familiar with the outline before starting the book. If I write almost the entire book, only to realize a small detail at the end that affects everything leading up to it, I’ll have a lot of extra work on my hands. This is especially important when it comes to foreshadowing.

2. Jotting notes in the Manuscript file as images of the scenes come to me.
Sometimes this means a snatch of dialogue or a bit of inner monologue. The purpose here is just to get things down, not to make them sound pretty. I want to immerse myself in the story as best I can and find what excites me. If I’m not excited to read the description of a scene, I probably won’t be excited to write it.

3. Highlighting all the scene locations mentioned in the outline.
This way, I can see if any of the locations are nondescript, and then find ways to develop them. If a scene lacks any mention of location at all, it’s very important I notice this now so that I don’t run into a roadblock later when I’m trying to imagine the scene.
I am also on the lookout for vague descriptors. If the outline simply says a scene takes place on the way to a location, what does that mean? In a vehicle? If so, what’s the scenery? How does the scenery influence the protagonist’s thoughts and mood and reveal the world of the story?

4. Checking to see how much the locations vary from one another.
If, for instance, more than one scene takes place in the same location, I want to figure out a way to make the setting unique for each one. The obvious way to do this is to change the time of day. A country barn might look quaint during the day and ghoulish at night, thus lending itself to two very different emotions. Another way to change things up is to have the two scenes take place in different parts of the same location — two separate rooms in the same house, for instance.

5. Counting chapters.
If there are thirty chapters, for instance, then I know I need to average 2,000 words per chapter to reach my goal of 60,000 words. I don’t want to become so fixated on word count that it interferes with the writing process, but it’s good to have a general idea of how long chapters should be. (Note: The previous book in this series was over the required word count by about four thousand words, which is probably a good margin since it’s easier to subtract later than to add.)

The Hard Work of Inspiration

One of the challenges of writing fiction is learning how to deal with feeling uninspired. One of the best hacks for this is breaking the job down into workable chunks.

That’s what I like so much about developing outlines. You can zoom into the story to write a few lines if they’re burning your brain, and then you can zoom out again and work on the bigger picture.

You don’t have to be inspired to pick locations for scenes, or to compare locations and think of ways you can contrast them, or to count chapters, or to research a character’s occupation, or to familiarize yourself with an outline. This is layman’s work. In writer’s terms, this is getting your hands dirty.

Sound boring? Not for me. The boredom comes from being stuck in a scene that needs to happen but feels dead because I didn’t take the time to develop it properly.

Daily Word Count: 398

Project Word Count: 398

Day 2

1. Creating a list of all outline characters.
Other characters will emerge in the telling, but these are the ones most necessary to the story, so I want to get them ready for their performance now rather than wait for when their names are called. First I list them by function. I may also jot down any names that pop into my head.

2. Creating a Table of Contents.
This helps me stay organized. The less time I waste scrolling through the book for a specific chapter, the better. It also gives me a bird’s-eye-view of chapter lengths, since I include the word count in each chapter title.

3. Checking outline consistency.
This is where I try to notice any and all gaps in the story: places where actions don’t seem to fit characters’ motives, or where a character’s choice in one place contradicts a later choice. These need to be addressed well in advance of the actual writing.

4. Checking the timeline.
It’s important to know how much time passes over the course of the story and what time of year it is. I can tell you from experience, if you don’t nail this down early on (especially if you’re writing a story in which the timing of events is crucial), you may be in for a massive headache later on.

The Art of the Pivot

At this stage, I may encounter a number of problems I don’t know how to solve. Rather than beating my head against the wall, I pivot to other things I can solve, leaving the tricky problems on the backburner for now. They may need some time.

The more I immerse myself in the story, the more likely it is that a solution to a seemingly unsolvable problem will present itself on its own. The conversation that takes place in Chapter 6 may influence how I introduce a character in Chapter 2. I keep moving along, doing the hard work I know how to do and trusting that the answers for my unsolvable problems will come in time.

This technique has been called “productive procrastination,” and it’s one of the most helpful methods I employ.

Daily Word Count: 394

Total Word Count: 792

Day 3

I had plans for the afternoon, so today was a sprint rather than a marathon. I spent the day writing summaries for each chapter.

Chapter Summaries

Outlines, just like novels, sometimes need multiple drafts. (Some people might argue that all novels need multiple drafts, but I don’t think this is absolutely true — Dean Wesley Smith, for one, would disagree — even if it’s probably true most of the time.) As I write a fresh description for each chapter, I hone in on the most important elements and see what’s lacking.

This is where the scene should really pop in my mind’s eye. If it doesn’t, I try to think of another approach that will engage my emotions better.

In the words of Robert Frost: “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.”

If I get stuck in a chapter description, I highlight the spot and leave it alone for now. Productive procrastination at its best.

Daily Word Count: 1506

Total Word Count: 2298

Day 4

Good progress today. The story is coming along, and every scene has a setting.

Now to name and develop characters.

Naming the Cast

I typically start by jotting down any names that pop into my head. Then, when I run out of those, sometimes I will search lists on Google and see if anything catches my eye.

I’m looking for names that lend the characters a particular feel. If I’m naming an innocent young girl, for instance, I might use a flower: Daisy, Violet, Lily, Rose, Jasmine.

If I’m naming a middle-aged boxer who grew up on the streets, I’ll probably use something short and rough-sounding: Clint, Bruno, Vin, etc.

Name meanings are important, but their sound and the way they complement one another are just as important.

At this point, all I’m looking to include is the character’s name, function in the story, and maybe a few memorable characteristics, such as an unusual tone of voice, a particular way of dressing, a limp, a nervous tic, etc. I don’t need to obsess over height, weight, eye and hair color, and other little details that are unlikely to have a significant effect on the story.

In painting terms: Don’t worry about painting the gleam on the apple until you know where the apple goes on the canvas. It’s easy enough to use CTRL-F to change a name, even after the entire book has been written (I’ve done this more than once), but it’s very difficult to get far calling a character “cute redhead from the bar.”

Daily Word Count: 2083

Total Word Count: 4381

Day 5

Today I started writing the rough draft. Here are a few notes on my process:

1. Preparing myself for the work ahead
I won’t say that inspiration is necessary to write the rough draft of a novel, since that would mean it’s impossible for someone to write if they feel uninspired, but if you don’t feel even a little bit excited about the task ahead — boy, you’re in for a slog.
One of the most effective ways for me to prepare myself is by engaging my creativity the night before. This can mean reading a book, watching a show, listening to music — anything that really gets me in the zone and relaxes me, preferably while also slipping story ideas into my subconscious mind. (I’ve been reading The Master and Margarita, so it’ll be interesting to see what influence that tale has on the one I’m writing.)

2. Immersing myself in the story
Instead of constantly checking my word count (or the clock), I try to sink as deeply into the story as I can. I picture the scene unfolding before me. I smell what the characters are smelling, watch them move about the room. I’m going to be spending a lot of time in this story, so I might as well make it feel like home.

3. Maintaining high expectations
I have learned from experience that if I know I’m close to reaching my word count for the day, I slow down. I become so focused on how many words I need to write (“Just one more paragraph, then you can go heat up that leftover pizza”) that I stop immersing myself in the story. The result? The quality of the writing suffers AND I take longer. I can’t let any distractions break my concentration, not even the word count.

4. Updating the project word count
I know, I know. I just said you shouldn’t obsess over the word count. It is useful, however, to get a tally at the end of the day and update the project word count. That way I can track my progress at a glance.

5. Continuing beyond the end of each chapter
This is probably one of the most important discoveries I’ve made in my writing. If I start the day with a brand new, unwritten chapter, I often struggle to know where to start. It’s better to tackle that problem while I still have the momentum of finishing the previous chapter.
I want to at least take a crack at it, even if I only manage a single sentence. What is the opening line, and how does it ground the reader in the scene? What is the protagonist doing, seeing, thinking, and feeling here? How do I set up the tension of the scene?
If there are problems with the new chapter, at least I’ll have all night to think about them instead of being surprised by them in the morning.

6. Writing for all I’m worth
Even if I only write for a few hours in a day (a rarity, but it does happen on occasion), I make those hours count. I want to squeeze every drop I can out of that time. Then my break from writing can be an actual break, instead of just a transition to another distraction.
If I’m supposed to be writing, I don’t want to spend half my time on social media. I wouldn’t go to the gym just to chit-chat, would I?

7. Taking meaningful breaks
If I’ve been sitting at a desk for a while, my body probably needs some exercise — but that doesn’t mean my mind does. My mind has been working hard, so it needs time to relax and wander. To give my mind the space to do this, I like to listen to music or a good book, take a walk, wash the dishes, water the flowers, engage with life however I can.
The last thing I want to do is transition from staring at a computer to staring at a TV. Real life is going on around me, and my mind and body need me to engage with it.

8. Maintaining the equipment
I need to discipline myself, yes, but I don’t have to punish myself. Today this meant walking away after 2407 words instead of pushing on to my usual goal of 3,000. Considering this was Day 1 of rough draft writing (and a Saturday, no less), I decided to pivot instead to different writing-related work, including developing this blog post.

Daily Word Count: 2407

Total Word Count: 6788

Day 6

The Dreaded Afternoon Slump

The writing is going along great, you’re making terrific progress, and then suddenly things slow down and you feel like you’re sucking toothpaste through a straw.

You might just have fallen victim to a terrible monster called AFTERNOON SLUMP.

As you can guess from his name, he typically attacks in the afternoon. His favorite time to ambush unsuspecting writers is when they’ve just eaten a carb-heavy meal, especially after a poor night’s sleep.

A few tactics you can use to fight off the monster include:

1. Getting the bulk of your creative work done BEFORE eating lunch

2. Eating a balanced meal (there was a time when I would eat three ham sandwiches in the middle of the day, but I quickly learned the taste wasn’t worth being turned into a sleepy blob)

3. Taking occasional breaks to move around, stretch, and otherwise get the blood flowing

4. Taking a power nap when you really need it

If these tactics don’t work, you can always caffeinate the crap out of your brain. But I recommend this only as a last resort.

Daily Word Count: 2406

Total Word Count: 9164

* * *

So that was week one. I spent a good amount of time laying the groundwork for the rest of the novel, but I did manage to write almost a fifth of the book, as well. We’re in good shape here.

The process described in this article, and elsewhere in this series, is one I have developed over the writing of numerous novels and novellas. It’s still a work-in-progress, however, so if you have any suggestions for how I might improve this process (or any tips for other writers reading along), please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!