Thursday, March 29, 2012

Write a Novel in Nine Weeks

After the rush of Figment Daily Themes is over and I finish a big research project for my English Composition class, I'm going to write a novel in nine weeks.  I've never actually finished an entire novel before.  I usually get distracted by writing about new ideas, chatting with friends on Facebook, and "lazy writer syndrome".  But lately, I've been really wanting to actually sit down and write just one book and then complete it.  

I found a neat book on Amazon a few days ago: How to Write Your Novel in Nine Weeks - Bill Dodds 

It was a free ebook when I downloaded it.  Now the price has gone up to $3, but I still recommend it.  I've been reading it in my limited spare time, looking for tidbits for my research project (which is going to be on how to publish a book). I also thought it might be a good idea to read it once before I start my nine-week adventure, so have some of his great tips in mind from the very beginning of the writing process. 

I haven't finished reading it yet, but so far Mr. Dodds has offered some very good tips and encouragement.  His plan seems very doable: about 500 words a day, 6 days a week, for nine weeks.  There's an average of 2 pages for each day of the process, and each day he focuses on a specific thing, such as research, characters, picking names for places and people, etc.  A few times he gets a bit wordy - to the point of being confusing - or repetitive in an attempt to prove a point.  There are also a few typos and formatting bugs when I view it on my Kindle, but not so many as to be really annoying.  

Throughout the book, he stresses the importance of doing a little each day because it all adds up, and he continually offers encouragement.  I think this is a great book for anyone who's always wanted to "be a writer" but never had the dedication, encouragement, or road map to do so.  Even if you don't want to write a novel in nine weeks and are just looking from some tips from someone who's "been there, done that", it's definitely worth the $3.

Have any of you ever finished a novel?  How long did it take you?  What was your "action plan" for finishing your novel?

PS: even if you don't have a Kindle device, you can still read the ebook by downloading the free Kindle app on your computer, tablet, or smartphone!

4 comments:

  1. Good luck writing your novel in nine weeks! You can do it!

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  2. Not to sound really skeptical or whatever, but isn't that only 27,000 words? (I'm confuzled.)

    Good luck with your novel!! Doing a book in nine weeks takes some serious dedication! :) I'll be here, cheering you on!

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  3. Yes, it is about 27,000 words. He wrote this plan keeping in mind people who have never finished a whole book before (like me) and who may be a bit daunted by the task (not really me haha). You can go longer if you want, and there's always time to add more during edits!

    Thanks for the support Julia! I'll need it! I'm always here to cheer you on, too. ;)

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