How did you write your book?

[malloryknox47]

I love to write but I lack focus hugely. Without prompts, motives, deadlines and so on I really struggle.
I wonder what process you adapted when writing? Do you plan first - ie have a full breakdown of each chapter? Do you go with the flow? Do you have a set workday or just work when the mood strikes?
I have idea but struggle to organise them in any meaningful way. And unsurprisingly I never end up creating anything significant.

I don't think I'm the norm, but I am very focused. I decide on a daily word count (different for everyone depending on other commitments) and then I rarely miss it. I make myself have deadlines to work to. And now that I have a publisher they give me deadlines! Before I was published though I still made myself write otherwise I knew I would never finish the book.

Every single day, and have experimented with different approaches — at the moment, I set myself tasks to do in each session, like ‘write scenes x and y, and go back two chapters and insert the backstory I’ve only just thought up.’ It works better than a desired word count for me.

The best way for me, is I start off with a germ of an idea. I think on it for a few weeks, and get the beginning, then I write roughly 2k works a day (or around a chapter) spending each day thinking about how it will go, and writing it in the evening.
It does leave me rather absent minded at the time, but the children love the extra McDonalds visits

Every one has a different approach to writing. But if it is novel based on one story, it makes more sense to write it in a sequence. Of course, more chapters can be added (or deleted) at a later stage. A sequence makes the story flow naturally.

I start by thinking out the overall plot and main characters - in very little detail - then I spend a few weeks mentally filling in details, trying out scenes in my head, scribbling down any good ideas. When I think I have enough to go on I will start my first draft and then see where the actual writing takes me, although remaining aware of the key plot landmarks I've thought out.

Once I've started writing I tend to write for a few hours after work each day and spend the time in between writing my next scenes in my head - which sometimes leads to sleepless nights when I can't stop plotting. I try to do something each evening, even if I'm very tired, so I keep myself in the right mood. At weekends I'll try to write for most of day and then have an evening off with wine!

I tend to work on a bit of each as I go along, always planning the next day's tasks in a notebook.
So today says, work on ch 6 - remember to bring out char 'x'.
another day I might just plan to re-read and revise the plot outline or chapter outlines or review general char development or whatever. I'm only a newb and can only manage a bit at a time, but this seems to be working ok so far.

I used a word count app I found on the internet. I set a target of 68,000 by x date and it then told me how many words I would need to write each day. I could give myself days off and it adjusted accordingly. I then had to enter the number of words I had written each day. The fear of typing zero into one of my days was enough to motivate me!

I work full time, so I wrote in my lunch break, and actually finished my book 2 months early.