At first the whole idea of writing another novel seemed daunting. Even though the characters and story had been tugging at my heart for a while. Then I remembered something I learned in a Jennifer Louden class years ago:
Baby steps.
A lot can be accomplished by consistently doing a big project in teeny tiny chunks.
Unlike some writers, I have a full-time job with my online SoulCollageĀ® business, KaleidoSoul.com. So I found a way to carve out time in the middle of my day to do this fiction writing that brings me such joy.
I started working on my new novel, Feathers in the Sand back in January and I committed to just one hour a day, four times a week. I explored the characters and the setting, researched some background info, and began to outline the numerous “beats” of the story. This continued into February.Ā Some days I did 90 minutes; some days I stuck to the hour. Some weeks I did five days instead of four.
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n March I committed to 2 hours a day, 4 times a week, and I began “fast drafting” as taught by novelist Jessica Brody.Ā You can see on my March calendar that I did more than what I committed myself to, especially the last week when I was in Maine, just me, with lots of time and space to write!
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y the end of March I was up to about 40,000 words. April was a bit slower as you can see from this calendar! BUT… I am now at about 74,000 words and heading into the home stretch.
There was even one week in April when I gave myself a few days off, and I didn’t let my Inner Critic tell me that I was a slacker. That, my friends is KEY to getting a big thing done:
1. making a small commitment that you know you can stick to. and
2. keeping that commitment BUT being gentle with yourself when things come up and you need to adjust it
Of course, there’s a fine line between actually needing to adjust your commitment and using anything as an excuse to not meet your commitment! So be aware of the difference between the need and the excuse.
I have to say, I’m really proud of myself for getting this far with the first draft of Feathers in the Sand. It took me FIVE YEARS to get a first draft done for Dragonflies at Night: More Than a Love Story!!!Ā But I hadn’t made a commitment. I was just writing whenever I felt the urge, very helter-skelter. Now, I’ve learned that sometimes I have to put my butt in my writing seat and lay my hands on the keyboard, whether or not I feel the urge! One. Baby. Step. At. A. Time.
I am happy to report that the first draft of Feathers in the Sand will be complete in 2-3 weeks and then I will have the fun and joy of revising and polishing it, which is also going to be accomplished in small chunks of time. I am hoping to have it in the hands of some beta readers near the end of this year, and to see it in print early next summer!
PS If you’re interested in writing, I highly recommend all of Jessica Brody’s writing courses that you do online at your own pace. Professional videos, lots of examples and handouts. JessicaBrody.com
PPS Tell me in the comments below (or email me annemarie@annemariebennett.com) what big project YOU are working on now that could benefit from breaking it down into tiny baby steps.
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