Writing Novels

Lesson 1: You Can Write A Novel in Thirty Days

Exercises

Writing: Complete the first 6,250 words of your novel. Beginning today, and continuing for thirty days, you will write 1,667 words each day (or 2,273 words each day if you take off two days each week.) Meeting your quota each day is essential to completing your 50,000-word novel in thirty days. Whether or not you count character and setting descriptions and backstory as part of your word quota is up to you. Don't worry if you're not sure where to begin or what your story will be about. Just start writing. Focus on quantity for now. Don't worry if you don't know what form to put your words into. Describe your characters, where the story takes place, the situation, anything at all that will happen or influence what happens in your novel.

Reading: See Writing the Breakout Novel, Chapter 2, for information on testing the potential of your story idea. Read the introduction of Bird by Bird.

  1  2  3  4  5