The Writing Process

When I began researching the process of writing and publishing a novel, what I found consistently is there isn’t a perfect step-by-step process. Many of the online forums suggested a variety of approaches and steps. I realized I was going to need to develop my process and take parts of other experiences and create my plan.

At the very beginning, I tried to keep things simple, wrote down a set of mini-goals, and a rough timeline to start. The dates and goals helped me stay on track, which offered motivation in the same instance. I had read somewhere keeping pace by using a daily word count helped many authors finish projects on time and in an efficient manner. When I had finally started the actual writing process, I tried to emulate the same practice. But I quickly realized it’s incredibly hard to maintain a word count as the days came and went. But instead of forcing myself to keep up a pace that seemed rushed, I decided to write each day for as long as I could. Sometimes my writing sessions consisted of 2-3 hours of work. Other days, I maybe wrote for 45 minutes. I found over some time I was more productive when I didn't pressure myself to reach a certain word count. It was all about balance.