Writing a book is a project that needs to be planned into your life. So, let’s say you want to complete a book in the next three months, which you can do if the book isn’t too long and is on a topic you are familiar with. Here’s how I would translate that into a plan.
1 – Set your deadline for completing the first draft (if the book is shorter, then you might be able to go for a ready-to-publish date instead).
2 – Create three monthly blocks. Month 1 for research, Month 2 for writing and Month 3 for rewriting and editing. This is a very rough approximation of timings. For instance, you will probably only need a couple of hard research weeks before starting writing. So, there is no sharp division between each phase.
3 — Divide Month 1 into four weeks and decide what you will do in each week. You would probably want to look at writing at least a couple of chapters a week.
4 — Translate your weekly targets into daily targets — word counts are the best metric here since they reflect actual output, whereas time spent writing is an input. You might put in a lot of hours, but not produce the number of words you need to hit your deadline. If you do use word counts, remember that to actually end up with the right number of ‘finished words’ you will probably have to write three times to allow for the ‘wrong’ words you’ll cull during rewriting and editing.
5 — Establish a writing system for meeting these targets. This should include when and where are you going to write, what software will you use and how will you track your progress, for instance, by keeping a record of your daily word count.
6 — Audit whether you are meeting your targets each week. And if you’re not, change what you’re doing. You might have to spend more time writing. Or learn how to touch type. Or begin using a dictation app.
And that’s it. The bare bones of a writing plan. If you need help creating such a plan, then let me know.
Do you need a push to get your book over the finishing line? Then get in touch. I can help with ghostwriting, editing or as your book coach.