Got an Idea? Turn it into a Novel in 30 Days
or Less!
BY MARK BARNES
People can't believe I did it, but I
did. I wrote my first novel, The League, in about 30 days. I
never spent more than two hours on any given day, unless I wrote then
went back to edit. I also found and signed with a publisher in one month
(see my article,
Publish it Now! Now Matter What it Is, for details on this).
Friends, family, and colleagues are fascinated when I tell them this.
It's not possible, they say. Then, I enlighten them.
The secret to writing a novel is quite
simple. You don't have to be John Grisham or Danielle Steel, either. In
fact, you really need just basic writing competence. Although I have
years of experience in writing (I was a journalist for three years), I
don't consider myself on the level of the aforementioned novelists, in
terms of style and eloquence. What I am is a storyteller. I look for
ideas that are unique. I look for a niche. Take Grisham, for example.
His niche is courtroom drama. He uses his experience as a lawyer, takes
a new angle on a case, and turns it into some type of conspiracy that no
one has considered.
Now, I don't know how long it takes
people like Grisham and Steel to pen their stories, but they too must be
fairly quick, because they're turning out novels at a crazy pace. Don't
forget, the publishing process is usually six months to a year. So, they
obviously write a novel or two, while a prior work is being published
and marketed. So, how do I churn out my own work so fast, you might ask?
As I said, it's actually quite simple. I start at the end and work my
way backwards.
I get an idea in my head of how the
story will end, and I outline a way to get there. This usually takes a
few days, maybe 10 hours total. Then, I sit down at my computer and
start typing. I let the words flow, rarely stopping, until about two
hours have passed. Knowing where I have to wind up helps me develop my
characters and conflicts along the way. I usually write the story in
about 25 days and spend five days or so editing and revising. There you
have it - a novel in 30 days.
You can do it too. All you need is the
idea. Figure out your ending, sit down, and start typing.
Mark Barnes is the author of the new
novel,
The League, the first work of fiction, a suspense thriller, based
on fantasy football.
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