Organizing Long Projects (Write the Book): July 'Challenges' Week 2

A lot of people have dreams about writing a book, but relatively few people actually write their book. In fact, Selfpublishingus.com quotes The Synergy Expert's article 'The Top Reason Why People Naver Finish Writing Their Book' on the now-famous statistic that "97% of people who start to write a book never finish it..." and, more alarmingly, "that only 20% of people who write a book actually publish it, [which] means only 6 people get published."

While Self Publishing US cites six reasons why people don't finish their book, The Synergy Expert boiled it down to one: disorganization. So how do we organize our longform writing so that we're able to beat the statistics? I don't think I have a universal answer, but I've got my answer, and maybe it'll help you find your method.

My method:

1. Pick a project to focus on

2. Think about the project as if you are researching it - make an organized system!

3. Finish any basic worldbuilding and character creation

4. Write the synopsis

4.1. Write the query letter

4.2. Make any other story planning/'book accelerator' documents

5. Make an 'expanded outline'

5.1. Organize/Label the story 'beats'

6. Write! (Linearly or non-linearly)

6.1. Draft quickly

6.2. Check drafting against the synopsis

6.3. Revise the synopsis if needed

6.4. Draft/re-draft until you've filled in your planned scenes

7. Celebrate the first draft!

8. Begin editing (round 1)

First, I have to chose one long-form project to focus on. Once I have that, I get really, really organized. If you've ever done a long research project before, use those researching skills! You may have also heard this called 'project management'.

In my days of using Google Docs and Word to draft, I would create a folder for my book, and then a 'key' for the folder. Each document I create then got labeled with a 'code' from the key, so that the whole folder stays meticulously organized. Not only did I get to see all my word-building and character materials in order, but it also gave me the opportunity to draft scenes in chunks, so that once I was done with a scene or two, I would have to move on to another document (which kept me drafting, instead of endlessly revising what was already written).

Now that I use Dabble, a tool designed for writers, a lot of that organization is done for me. I no longer have to worry about keys and codes for document names - everything is in one place and can easily be moved around, viewed separately, viewed in sections, or viewed as a full draft. There's built-in space for story notes, summaries, comments, planning, and even plot grids. This has allowed me to organize by story beat/plot point instead, which is very helpful - but that's possibly getting a bit ahead of myself.

Once I've picked my project and set-up my 'workspace,' I finalize the big world-building and character decisions; essentially, it's time to get really inspired if you weren't already. And hey - if this step happened earlier, that's fine, too. More will come as you write. So long as you've got a good handle on your protagonist, their world, and the people directly around them supporting the potential plot, you're ready to take a stab at a synopsis.

What's a synopsis, you ask? Well, it's a complete summary of your story, told in about 400 words (or less). Daunting! You might also be thinking shouldn't I wait to write the synopsis until after I write the story? No!

A synopsis is a really helpful document to have very early on in the process - and I wish I had known this sooner! By summarizing your book in a broad-strokes kind of way, you'll create a road-map or vision for yourself of what your book should be. By boiling it down this way, you can distil the most important characters, plot points, and even themes. Arguably, it's the most important document to have throughout the whole process. Come back to it often.

If you think you're going to pursue publication, you can also use your synopsis to write an initial query letter, which will help you to define your genre, target audience, and comparable works - all of which help you to market your idea while still in the process of writing/editing. This is also a great time for other planning documents to take shape - look up 'book accelerator' tools and see what resonates with you. You might like The Snowflake Method, A Three-Act-Structure summary, the Four Questions, etc.

The last step I want to highlight before drafting, is expanding your synopsis (and other materials) into an outline. If you're more of a 'panster' than a 'planner,' feel free to skip right along. But for those of us that like outlines, I recommend the 'outline expansion method;' it's basically stream-of-consciousness. You can use story beats, go from the top of your head, use bullet points, create a numbered list, etc. I prefer a numbered list following acts and story beats, which I then break down to the scene level. What needs to happen? What have I already envisioned? I'll even write down bits of dialogue, if they come to me. This means that some points get very fleshed-out, and some are basic - but importantly, the shape of the story is there.

Then it's finally time to write! Hopefully, all of this pre-work means that the story is ready to come pouring out of you - you might even feel like you've held it in for too long. That's actually a good thing - it will help you to draft faster. Why is faster good? Well, if you're drafting quickly, your idea, as well as your approach to that idea, is going to be more consistent. And you, as the writer, are going to be more consistent, too. So if you can, set reasonable deadlines that help you to push yourself just a bit more than you're comfortable with. You don't need to draft linearly, and you don't need to be great, either (and definitely never perfect). If you get 'lost,' stop yourself from editing (generally, although there are exceptions) and move on to the next clear thing. Go back to your synopsis often. Check your work. It's also alright to revise your synopsis if drafting helps you 'discover' your plot's key points anew. Most importantly, fill in the whole shape of your novel. I stopped drafting linearly because I would get about halfway through, decide it wasn't good enough, and re-start from the beginning. Don't do that! Now, I draft non-linearly, picking a scene I'm inspired to write, and carrying that momentum into writing scenes that are more difficult. Eventually, if you're using your project-management skills - staying organized, managing your time, etc. - you'll come to a point where the novel starts to feel 'finished,' and has all it's limbs. Frankenstein's body parts have been sewn together on the table.

Take a moment to celebrate the Frankenstein-esque first draft! It won't be perfect, but with all the pre-work, it's probably in fair shape. Take some time to let the project sit before you come back to judge it - most authors (including myself) - recommend at least a month. Once you're ready to return to the project, you'll see it with fresh eyes - and then you're ready to edit. I'm not talking much about editing in this article, but editing is the last long process between assembling Frankenstein's body and deciding you're actually ready to raise the lightning rod, bring it to life, and send it out into the world.

The important thing, at least in regards to the topic of this blog, is that if you've stayed organized and managed your project well, you've arrived at a first draft - and to me, that's a 'point of ne return'. You've already beat out 97% of people! The rest will follow. Go organize your project, and write your book!