3 Tricks that Work (for me) when Drafting a Novel

Call me superstitious, but one should probably avoid talking too much about the process of writing.

But since I’ve reached 40k words on this “thing”  and feel rather good about the progress,  I thought I might jot down a few strategies that are working for me.  Maybe they’ll work for you.

First of all, “Drafting” a novel (or even a screenplay)  is arguably the easiest part of writing.

It requires none of the decision making of revision and none of the precision of editing.  It’s certainly easier than scaling “the wall;” that’s the last few months work when the text tastes like watered-down oatmeal and yet you must…keep…eating.

Drafting, in short,  is supposed to be fun.

But there are those poor tortured souls who really do look at the blank page for years at a time.  And if that’s you– you poor bastard– what I’m about to say is gold in your hand.

Tip #1 Stop writing in the order the book is supposed to be read.

A good friend and mentor told me this ten years ago, and for some unknown reason I ignored this advice.  So dumb!

Writing out of order–a scene here, a scene there– really is the best way to compose, especially when you realize that one does not so much write a novel as discover a novel.

In fact, there is no point in pretending that you have a novel at all.  What you have just a few scraps of paper that may end up being a novel.  I say may, because in the process of drafting you should feel free, even encouraged to throw the whole thing out.  A huge percentage of what you write won’t be in the book anyway.

Just like those Tibetan monks who brush away their sand paintings, so you should feel the creative freedom that comes from non-attachment to your product.

Moreover, I have a working thesis that as an artist my job is to allow my imagination and the world I live in flow through into my work.  In this way, I am not so much a composer, but more like an antenna picking up signals from far away.  Again, this takes away the pressure to conceive of the final form.

Writing out of order allows you to follow your passion and intuition. Writing out of order reminds you that every book is essentially a mystery.

Tip #2 Set a daily word limit (and exceed it.)

Jordan Peterson has a great piece of advice that goes like this:  “Don’t compare yourself to others; compare yourself to who you were yesterday.”

Holding yourself to a practical standard of success, specifically one that is within your control, is essential.  To do that, you need to keep a measure of how you are doing from day to day.  The trick is to pick a data point relevant to the task.

In the drafting process, the only important measure is word count.  You can’t revise a blank page.  The sooner you discover why your project isn’t working, the sooner you can fix it. But all of that is going to take words on a page.

For this project, I set myself a 250 words/per day schedule and slowly raised the level.  Last week I was able to clock a 1000 words per day.  For the month of May, I’ll probably keep a 500 word per day limit.  But once I get to June, when I am done teaching, I’ll set a more ambitious limit of 1500.

I am able to keep track of this goal because Scrivener does it for me.  However, there is no need to buy Scrivener (even though I kind of like it).

Just write down the number of words at the end of each session. Put it in an excel file and every once in awhile you can admire your hard work, your commitment, your discipline.  That too is a kind of success.

Mind you, I don’t always hit my goal.  I am a lazy, slovenly, buffoon sometimes.  But failure is easy to measure in this situation.  Failure negatively motivates me to make sure I hit my mark tomorrow.

Later on, when I am revising or editing, I’ll have to find a new measure. It might be pages revised or seat time.  I might measure the number of problems solved.  All of these are valid measures, but while you are drafting, it’s all about the words.

Tip #3 Pick three triggers to get you to write.

If you haven’t read The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, do so (after you write.)

Bad habits have triggers which set off a pattern of activity which can seem out of the control of the individual.  But the same system that creates bad habits can also be used to make good habits.

For me, I have a few triggers to get me to write depending on the time and place I am writing.  If I am writing after work, I tend to write at my favorite cafe.  On those days, I have “The Cookie.”

The Cookie sets off “The Writing Routine” and gets me moving in the right direction.  To preserve this trigger, I never, ever eat The Cookie unless I am going to write. Of course, sometimes The Cookie isn’t available. Or sometimes, I am having a serious motivation issue.

That’s when I need to go to Trigger #2: Reading.

In the case of my current project, I have a few source materials which are incredibly dull to read.  If I open the book and start reading, some idea about my story will pop into my head.  The trick is to recognize the idea when it comes and to throw the book across the room and get typing.

Finally, if both of these triggers fail, I simply write nonsense–even a dialogue to myself–about the project and why I am having trouble.  You’d be surprised how much you can get done if you just negotiate with yourself what it is you’re trying to get done.

Remember that it is discipline, not motivation you’re after.  If you haven’t read this blog post from a million years ago, do it (after you write).  First you do the deed, then you get to feel good.

You can’t eat your pudding if you don’t eat your meat.