This post is all about how to write a book in a year.
So you’d love to accomplish your dream of writing a book within the next year… but you don’t know HOW to write a book in a year?!
Did you know that approximately 97% of people who start writing a book NEVER finish?! Writing an entire book is no small project, and it’s no wonder many people don’t make it to the finish line.
Whether you’ve had your book idea for years or you don’t even know what story you want to write yet, the good news is that writing a book in a year is ABSOLUTELY an achievable goal!
In this post, I’m going to share how you can accomplish the goal of writing a book in a year, and how to structure your process.
My credentials for talking about this?
I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and I’m now a novel editor and writing coach who helps first-time authors write their dream story. Learn more about me on Instagram.
Let’s jump into this!!
HOW TO WRITE A BOOK IN A YEAR:
Before we get started, I just want to make this clear:
Lots of the advice out there on how to write a book in a year will give you such specific steps on the exact process you need to take.
My take?
EVERY author has a different process and that’s how it’s meant to be. Don’t feel like you need to follow someone else’s exact step-by-step process. My goal in this post is to help you find a process and set of goals that fit YOUR needs and help you stay dedicated to the writing process from first draft to published manuscript.
Come up with a story idea (if you don’t already have one)
Step one of writing a book in a year is to come up with a story idea, if you don’t already have one!
The most important thing when it comes to writing an entire book is to come up with a story idea that you truly LOVE and feel passionate enough about to stick with it through the entire writing process.
Writing a book takes a lot of time and effort, so if you don’t truly love your story, characters, and the world you’re creating, you simply won’t stick with it.
If you don’t have a story idea but want to come up with one you really love, join my free story idea challenge! I’ll guide you through a few challenges that will help you find your winner story idea.
Decide on your timeline and word count goals
I know this post is about how to write a book in a year, but we need to take it a bit deeper than that.
What does that mean on a practical, day-to-day level? Here’s a breakdown…
Consider writing vs. outlining vs. revising time:
When you say you want to write a book in a year, do you mean you want to have the first draft done by the end of the year, or do you want to have everything done, including revising, editing, and maybe even getting some test readers to give you feedback?
If you want to finish your first draft in one year:
I recommend carving out the first 4-6 weeks as brainstorming and outlining time. This will give you a chance to get a grasp on your story before you actually start writing. Whether you love creating a detailed outline or you just want to do some simple brainstorming to get your creative juices flowing, having some time before you start on that first chapter can be really helpful.
In this case, let’s say you spend 6 weeks brainstorming/outlining and have 46 weeks left to actually draft.
Now, you want to make an estimate of how long you think your novel will be.
For context, most novels range from 80,000 to 120,000 words. A fantasy novel might be on the longer side, while a contemporary romance might be on the shorter side (but not necessarily!).
Let’s say you’re writing a 100,000 word novel. This means you’ll want to write 2,174 words per week to achieve 100,000 words in 46 weeks.
I always recommend aiming a little higher, just in case there are weeks you can’t write as many words as you hoped (life happens!) so in this instance I would recommend aiming for 2,500 words per week.
If you want a polished manuscript by the end of the year:
This is a different scenario, and one that will require a whole new level of effort.
To make this happen, you need to have a pretty detailed idea of what it will take you to get to your final draft.
For context, here’s the process I typically recommend as a writing coach (and I’ve added a timing estimate to each step to give you an idea of what this might look like in one year).
- Outlining and brainstorming: 3 weeks
- Writing your first draft: 26 weeks
- Reading it through and making revisions: 4 weeks
- Passing your manuscript to beta readers: 4 weeks
- Reviewing and implementing your beta readers’ feedback: 4 weeks
- Reading it through and making smaller edits: 3 weeks
- Hiring a copy/line editor (or passing your manuscript to someone who has an eye for detail): 5 weeks
- Reviewing and implementing edits/suggestions: 3 weeks
I won’t lie, this is a LOT to do in one year. It is possible, but you’ll have to be super dedicated and have a good chunk of time to invest in making this dream of writing a novel a reality!
This timeline also doesn’t include the publishing process. The timeline of that process will vary depending on whether you plan to publish traditionally or self-publish… but that’s a whole other topic for another time!
Outline and brainstorm
Before you start actually writing your novel, it’s important to outline and brainstorm!
Whether you’re the type of writer who wants to make a detailed plot outline, or whether you just want to do a little brainstorming before you dive into your actual writing time, this is an important step of the process.
I recommend doing some brainstorming on:
- Your characters, especially your main character and antagonist
- The world you’re building and the specific settings where your story takes place
- Major plot points and conflicts
- Subplots
To make this way easier, I made 3 workbooks that will walk you through everything you need to brainstorm/outline to set a great foundation for your novel. These workbooks are compatible with any genre (just skip the pages that don’t apply to your genre) and you can use them for general brainstorming or super detailed outlines!
Buy the novel planning workbook bundle here.
Get an accountability partner, if that’s helpful to you
Accountability partners are super helpful for some people and not so much for others.
If you know someone who can hold you accountable to your novel writing goals, and you feel like this would be beneficial to you, it’s never a bad idea! You can check in with each other once a week or even once a month to give an update on progress.
Start drafting
This is both the easiest and the hardest part… Ultimately, your novel won’t get written if you don’t do the hard work of writing it. So, stick with it even if it’s hard, and if you fall behind, don’t get discouraged! Just keep going.
Create a process for when you get stuck
It’s important to have brainstorming techniques in your back pocket for when you get stuck. Especially when you’re aiming to get such a huge project done in just a year, having techniques to fall back on can make such a HUGE difference!
You may need to take a break, try mind mapping, do some writing sprints, or just test different brainstorming methods until you find one you really love. But just be warned that this is all part of the process.
Here are some ideas on what to do when you get stuck writing!
Consider your next steps
Once you finish writing your book, first of all CELEBRATE! It’s a huge accomplishment to even get to that point.
But unfortunately, it doesn’t stop there. Once you’ve finished writing, you’ll need to figure out your next steps, like deciding on the route you want to take for publishing. Look into traditional publishing vs self publishing and figure out the next steps you need to take to make your desired publishing route a reality.
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