Sarah Domet - 90 Days to Your Novel. A Day-By-Day Plan for Outlining & Writing Your Book

THE
90-DAY
NOVEL

A Day-by-Day Plan for
Outlining & Writing Your Book

SARAH DOMET

The 90-Day Novel. Copyright 2010 by Sarah Domet. Manufactured in the United States of America. All rights reserved. No other part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review. Published by Writers Digest Books, an imprint of F+W Media, Inc., 4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45236. (800) 289-0963. First edition.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Domet, Sarah.
The 90-day novel : a day-by-day plan for outlining & writing your book / by
Sarah Domet.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-58297-997-7 (alk. paper)
1. Fiction--Authorship. 2. Creative writing. I. Title.
PN3365.D57 2010
808.3 dc22

2010022095

Edited by Scott Francis
Designed by Claudean Wheeler
Production coordinated by Debbie Thomas

Dedication

For my parents, Luke and Sally, who taught melife is a story; be proud of the pages you write.

Table of Contents

AN INTRODUCTION, A CHALLENGE, AND A WARNING

So you think you can write a novel, huh?

The difference between a novelist and a would-be novelist is that one person actually writes while the other person simply talks about writing. Which one are you?

One person romanticizes the idea of being a writer perhaps swilling some cognac in a moody red-lit coffee shop (dark-framed glasses and argyle sweater vest optional in this vision), pen hoisted in air, waiting for that old muse, Inspiration, to hit. The other realizes that writing is rather, shall we say, unsexy; there is nothing particularly spectacular about sitting in front of a computer, alone, pulling out your hair, wildly scribbling notes, regretfully saying no to that dinner invitation from your friends to try that fabulous new restaurant in town because you just have to finish this scene. In the fever of your writing, you feel your characters need you more than your friends do now and, well, another evening spent alone with the page. Hows that for romantic?

So you think youre a writer. Thats why youre here, no doubt. If youve picked up this book, chances are you have a vision for a novel or perhaps a fantastic plot conceit or a compelling character. But are you willing to do the work? Are you willing to trade the idea of being a writer for the habits that any successful writer must adopt?

Or maybe youre just waiting for inspiration to hit. Let me guess: When it does, youll waste no time in that frenzied fugue state, typing out your novel, from start to finish. The problem is, inspiration hits you only in fits and spurts now perhaps when youre driving or walking the dog or sitting in your cubical at work or inhaling a pesto chicken wrap during your lunch break. This inspiration never sticks around long enough to compel you to write the entire novel maybe only a paragraph or a scene here and there. Maybe its really less a novel and more a jumble of ideas. But someday, right?

If youve come to this book looking for inspiration, Im going to give you your first dose of cold, hard truth: Writing doesnt require large doses of inspiration. Writers who wait for inspiration to hit, particularly writers with other full-time commitments a job, a family, a needy feline companion named Ponce de Leon will likely find themselves waiting forever. Theyll find themselves sitting in coffee shops, pens poised in air, ordering another drink, looking around, talking to the locals (who saw the notebook and pen, and thus believe some writing was surely done that day), picking some lint off that argyle sweater, and then packing up to go home and watch another episode of Seinfeld on TV. Thats reality.

Frankly, Im tired of writers talking only about inspiration. Im sick of books that help you find the creative inner you, the idea that will spark that spark and finally compel you to write your novel. Novel writing isnt always about finding the right ideas. Its about finding the time and the energy. Im a pragmatist when it comes to writing, so if youre looking for some of that touchy-feely New Agey writer speak, you wont find it in these pages. Instead youll find a practical approach, one that requires you to stop talking and start writing.

Self-taught fiction writer Octavia Butler once noted, Forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether youre inspired or not. Habit will help you finish and polish your stories. Inspiration wont. Habit is persistence inpractice. (Emphasis mine.) Yes, inspiration might contain the spark and life of your idea, but habit gets the writing done. Inspiration resides in your heart; habit resides in your fingers. Inspiration propels; habit completes. Art equals habit plus inspiration. Its a simple equation.

If you do a quick Internet search for workout videos, chances are youll find DVDs with such titles as 8-MinuteAbs Like Stonehenge, 30 Days to a Teeny Tummy and aTiny Hiney, or The 10-Minute Shrinking-Self Solution. All these titles hope to persuade you that with a bit of daily persistence, you can become that muscletoned individual on the front of the DVD cover. The amazing thing about these videos is that they work! Who knew? When one routinely exercises, instead of offering up excuses (like I do), who would have guessed that he or she looks and feels better about themselves? Sure, you may not have biceps like the Incredible Hulk, but theyre better than youve ever seen on those thin arms of yours. Yet the daily dedication is the hard part. Its just too easy to skip a workout here or there to choose leisure over work. (Or, lets face it, to choose work over work.)

Heres something to think about: Your mind is a muscle, too and writing, much like exercising, requires that persistence-in-practice if you hope to make the progress necessary to finish a novel. Youre going to have to write. Every day. Isnt that what a writer is, after all? Someone who writes?

The 90-Day Novel is a challenge to anyone who always said he or she wanted to write a book, but never found the time to sit down and do the work. Admittedly, its difficult to write without a deadline. This book, then, is the deadline, the impetus, and the framework you will need to get your novel written. This book is a practical guide that will lead you from the initial stages of brainstorming your novel, through the developmental stages of outlining, and into the final stages of writing your first draft. And, most importantly, it will keep you on schedule, giving you specific assignments and points of focus each day to help you compartmentalize your novel. Thats the trick of any large project, after all biting off one small chunk at a time.