Hello hello! Instead of rambling about books today, I'm going to dig into some ~craft things~ and share a bit of my writing process! Disclaimer, of course: my methods are what work for me and are obviously not the only way to write a book. To be honest, you might find my process ridiculous and bizarre and you might end up being like, "oh my god how do you get anything done ever??" The answer to that is, I have no idea. All of this is just winging it to some degree.
Anyway, let's get into it! How do I plot things? How do I take an idea or concept for a story and turn it into a 300+ page novel with a unique world and dimensional characters?
Step one: Lie on the floor and cry a bit. Yes, that's a legitimate part of the process.
Okay, now we can start for real. First we meet the characters. Usually, I get an idea for the main characters alongside the first plot bunny, something like: "how about a story about [character] who [situation] but then [inciting incident]." The character and plot are connected to each other right from the beginning, which makes it easier for me to build and develop both of them together. And then the main character(s) and supporting characters start talking in my head and won't shut up until I open a new Scrivener document and get something on the page.
My first drafts are usually to get to know the characters and explore all the directions my initial plot idea could take me. That being said, my first drafts are almost always a hot mess. I try not to have any hard structure to first drafts unless I have a vivid idea of certain scenes I know need to happen or I know where the characters have to end up at the end. I'm trying to get better at knowing the end point when I start, so then I don't get totally lost in my own messy plot, but that's not easy to do. I like to be surprised by where my stories take me, which is why I've never been a fan of detailed outlines. If I already know what's going to happen every step of the way, I get bored and end up abandoning the project.
After the first draft, I need some kind of structure. I have a messy start, so now it's time to pare it down, find the strongest and weakest parts, and decide what can stay and what needs to go. The second draft is also when I start paying more attention to worldbuilding, too. I'm notorious for neglecting the world/setting until way later drafts, because honestly I find worldbuilding really difficult, but I'm trying to break that habit so it doesn't seem like I'm throwing random setting details in at the last minute. The plot, characters, and world need to be blended and woven together, which means getting a solid understanding of all of them relatively early in the process. That is easier said than done.
Around the third/fourth draft, if I get that far, I start to overthink the plot. And that's not necessarily a bad thing: I consider the broad plot arc, then the smaller character arcs, then each interlocking piece that ties them all together. This is the stage, when I'm almost at a polished manuscript, that I will make a structured outline. I grab some color-coded index cards and break the book into two or three acts, and then place each chapter on its own card with number, word count, and POV, and bullet point the most important things that happen in that chapter. This helps me figure out if things take too long to happen, should be pushed back, if chapters can be combined, or if something needs to be taken out completely. I might even make multiple sets of index cards if I end up moving things around or taking things out; having a physical and interchangeable outline of the book is tremendously helpful for organizing it.
After I have the plot, world, and characters sorted out, then I read through for clarity, continuity, and fix any stupid typos I probably made. Depending on how much time I have and how easily the book poured out of my head, this point may not come for several months of working on the same project. Last year, I wrote an entire 90,000-word draft of a book in less than a month (I think it turned out to be like, 22 days). Then the first draft of the next book took me six months to write. It really depends on the book and my life, and of course there's no deadline for drafting (unless you have a publishing contract in which case yes obviously there's deadlines but I'm not there yet lol). I wrote like a maniac during the covid lockdown months, sometimes reaching between 6000 and 8000 words a day, and I still have no damn idea how I did that without my brain leaking out of my ears. But I didn't really have anything else to do, so I buried myself in my books.
Anyway, from start to finish, if I get really into the project and it doesn't give me problems, my drafting process can take anywhere from a month to three-ish months to write, edit, revise, and repeat. I do often like to let things sit at the back of my mind for a bit after the first draft before I start a revision, just to let it settle and see if I get any revelations about it when I'm least expecting it. But I'm also super bad at letting things sit, especially if I'm excited about them. Like this book I'm drafting right now. I'm in love with it. And I'm almost done with the first draft, which means I should let it simmer before I tackle a revision, bUT I don't want to :) So I'm diving into draft 2 asap, which may or may not coincide with my semester starting, but like that's fine. Writing a book and going to grad school at the same time is totally doable, right?? Right.
So to summarize, my plotting method is basically 90% throwing spaghetti at the wall and 10% pinning index cards to my bulletin board and connecting them with red string. Somehow those things translate into a coherent novel eventually.
Speaking of which, a smol update before I leave to go bang out a chapter:
What I'm Writing: Still chugging away at this first draft of TRUTHSEEKER, which I could finish today if I feel like it. I'm in the middle of what I think is the last chapter, and then I'll probably tack on a short epilogue that leads into book 2. But EEEEE I'M ALMOST DONE WITH A DRAFT I'M SO EXCIITEEDD!!
What I'm Reading: I recently finished RUINSONG by Julia Ember, which I really enjoyed a lot!!! I also started A UNIVERSE OF WISHES, an anthology of short stories edited by Dhonielle Clayton, and so far there's some beautiful gems in this book. I am particularly excited to get to V.E. Schwab's story, which dives back into the world of Shades of Magic -- one of my all-time favorite series. And I'm hopefully starting THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS by Chloe Gong soon, because I can't stand to wait any longer. I've heard nothing but excellent things about that book and I know it's going to punch me in the heart but I'm Ready.
Actually, I'm probably not ready, but whatever. Bring it.
And that's about it for this week! This coming Monday is the one week mark for the release of THE ORACLE STONE, my debut YA fantasy. I'm totally calm. Not freaking out at all. Nope, absolutely no freaking out. And by that I mean there's a lot of freaking out happening.
I've kept it under wraps for this long, but now I'll cave in and say it: keep an eye on my social media (twitter, insta, and this blog) on Monday January 25, because that's when I'm going to unveil the *drum roll* book goodies giveaway for paperback orders of THE ORACLE STONE!!! Details to come, but I am super excited to share the things I've put together as order incentives, and I hope you love them too. And don't forget to add THE ORACLE STONE on Goodreads!
Till then, writers!
😎✌🏻 Talli
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