Stages of Novel Writing

At a book sale last year, I was asked by a customer what exactly was involved in writing a novel. She explained that she had been an English teacher and had always taught about the importance of drafting and editing, but that she had never done it herself because whenever she did, the essay got lower marks than the ones where she handed in her first draft. Consequently, she was curious to know how novelists approached writing a book. After explaining that all authors have slightly different methods, I explained the process I generally follow and she was surprised at how much was involved.

Research

Once I have the initial idea for the plot, I tend to read a lot around the subject, as many of my novels are historical. It's one of my favourite parts of the whole process because it generally means I get to hole myself up in the library for a few days to make sure I have all the background details correct. For example, for Silver Darling, I spent a day in Colchester library's reference room, reading everything they had on Essex and the 1953 flood and the response to it. I followed this up with several days at home, reading and taking notes from other books and documentaries. I also read a lot about the fishing industry in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This was particularly focused on life on board Skillingers and included details of the countless men who lost their lives on such boats. None of this ended up in the book, bar one or two brief references, but it gave me more of an idea about my character's background and how her father died at the start of the book.

If I'm writing a period piece, I will also research the fashions of the time, so I can consider any practical constraints that clothing might place on my characters and their actions, and how this might influence the action e.g. a hobble skirt meant a woman couldn't run and might trip over, which could lead to a life-changing encounter.

Occasionally, I will also take myself off on location to do research - this could involve a trip to Duxford to check facts, or a family holiday to Wales so I can check my descriptions of locations I've only seen in online photos. In an ideal world, I would do all of this before I started the book, but realistically, given that I have a child to look after, it has to be fitted in around him and this can sometimes mean quite large re-writes if I've got a place wrong.

Planning

Now that I understand the world I'm writing about, I can start thinking about the plot in more detail. Generally speaking, I write a detailed summary of the story as a whole, so that I know all the major plot points and what the end point is. If I know at the beginning where I want the characters to be by the end of the book, it makes it much easier to make sure they are always heading in that direction. If there are a lot of characters, I might also create a family tree so I know how everyone is related.

Once the basic plotline is established, I then create the structured plan. My preferred method for doing this is the one described in 'Save The Cat Writes A Novel'. Each story has 15 "beats" that move the plot along. I create a table that has the "beats" in the first column and in the second, I write the main plot points that will happen in each beat. This is helpful becaused it allows me to identify where the story is light on detail, so I know that I'm likely to need additional things to happen in that section.

If I'm writing split timeline books, I create the 15 beats for each separate storyline and adjust the word count accordingly. This is because each part is, in effect, its own story and therefore needs its own arc, as do the characters. If I'm writing a series (and know it in advance!) then this is also the point at which I think about the plot and character arcs that are going to be spread across multiple books.

Details

Another thing I think about at this stage is the look of the characters. This is something I've had to work really hard on because it isn't something which comes naturally to me. It's not often I have a clear idea of what my characters look like, mainly because their physical appearance isn't something I'm especially interested in. I'm more concerned with their personalities. Also, my main interest in description lies in the landscape. The settings of my books are far more important to me than the people in them, largely, I think, because I believe we are very much shaped by the areas we live in – this has certainly been my experience anyway.

For my next project, because I already know it's going to be a series, I also have the beginnings of an AI generated map of the grounds of the main character's house and estate. Once I know where everything goes, however, I will be getting my superb cover artist to create me a proper version for the books. In what is an unusual step for me, I have created a mood board-style selection of 1920s outfits and some images of stately home exteriors. In addition, I have plot arcs for the relationship between the main characters which goes across the whole series.

Drafting

The next step is to get the story written. I always have to remind myself that the first draft is only for me, so it doesn't have to be perfect. I've had to train myself to make editing notes to myself rather than immediately going back to fix things that need changing or adding in. This stage usually takes 6-8 weeks if I am really focused.

Editing

Once the first draft is in place, it's then time to start polishing the plot. Generally speaking, I adopt the following approach:

Round 1 - adding in anything I've forgotten. These additions come from the notes I've made as I was writing Draft 1.

Round 2 - checking for obvious errors e.g. missing plot points, character name changes etc

Round 3 - if I'm writing split timelines, this is when I put every scene onto a colour-coded index card and lay them all out on the floor of my study, before physically moving each scene into its final place within the book as a whole. This allows me to spot any less obvious gaps in the plot, or where extra scenes need adding to make everything make sense. This includes a read-through to be sure nothing is revealed too early or too late.

Round 4 - sentence level checking to make sure it flows properly

Round 5 - word repetition/overuse checks

Round 6 - another read-through and then it goes off to my editor

Round 7 - post-edit corrections

Round 8 - another read-through then it goes off to the Beta Readers

Round 9 - post-Beta Read edit

Round 10 - proof read and format the book

Round 11 - formatting corrections then off to the printers for a proof copy

Round 12 - check proof and then proceed to print and publish

And of course none of this includes meeting with my cover designer, or creating the social media adverts ready for launch day and post-launch period, the launch itself, or the sales events which follow, where you try to convince people to buy your books!