Quick Links: Your Two-Year Plan for Writing, Editing and Publishing Your Novel (However Busy You Are)

Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

When I first read this post by Ali from Aliventures I admit I was a bit shocked. Two years seems like a long time! But then I realized that not only was this a reality check, but when you look at the plan, it makes sense. Especially considering she is talking about spending only 30 minutes a day to work on your project. So if you have ever made any excuses on why you haven’t written more (Guilty!) this article is for you! Ali even offers a free download of the material she uses in the post.

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Your Two-Year Plan for Writing, Editing and Publishing Your Novel (However Busy You Are)

by Ali

April 25, 2016

Have you ever told yourself something like this:

• “Once I have a bit more time, I’ll start work on that novel.”
• “Once life is less manic, I’ll get back to my novel.”
• “If only I could take a year off work, I could finally write my novel.”

A novel is a major undertaking. But it’s also one that can fit around a busy life.

You don’t need all day, every day, to write.

If you can find just 30 minutes each day, you could finish a novel (to the point where you’re sending it out to agents, or self-publishing) in just two years.

If, like me, you know some super-prolific novelists (like Joanna Penn and Johnny B. Truant), one novel in two years might sound a bit slow.

But … one novel in two years is definitely better than no novels at all.

What You Need to Make This Work

Obviously, I have to make some assumptions about your time available and writing speed. (We’ll get to “making time” and “speeding up” in a moment.)

For the plan to work, you’ll need to:

• Have 30 minutes per day available (or the equivalent across a week, e.g. two 1 h 45 m sessions).
• Write an average of 500 words per day during the first draft
• Edit at an average pace of 1,000 words per day

The plan allows for:

• Two full drafts (writing 500 words per day)
• One full edit (editing 1,000 words per day)
• A final tidying-up edit (editing 1,500 words per day)
• Plus time for your novel to be with your editor and/or beta readers.

This should result in a novel of 75,000 – 80,000 words, completely finished (from initial idea to ready-to-go book) within two years.