Part ii. Six Months to a Completed First Draft

                                    

                                          
Yes, you can complete the first draft of your novel in just six months. You'll need discipline, a positive attitude, and a structured approach to stay on track.

                          
Author of "The Everything Guide to Writing Your First Novel," Hallie Ephron, has an indispensable guide to completing your first draft in just six months. Here are some basic tips of hers to get the job done.
                          
• Commit! Make a commitment to yourself to see it through, put it in writing, and stick it to your bathroom mirror or computer or fridge door.
                          
• Write regularly. You'll be more efficient if you set aside a regular time, even if it's just one hour, to write every day. Write just 500 words a day or one and a half pages a day, and you could have a manuscript completed in as few as 150 days. (This is based on the standard 50,000 word-count novel.)
                          
• Focus on the goal. Create a visual image that represents, for you, completing the novel. A gold pen? A bouquet of roses? A burst of confetti? The words The End written in glitter? Keep that image in mind every day.
                          
• Try not to get stuck. There will be times when you feel as if you just can't figure out what comes next or how to write it. Refer to the advice on getting unstuck in Section I: Writing, Part vii. 'How To Avoid Writer's Block.'
                          
• Cut yourself some slack. A first draft is just that, a first draft. If you try to make it perfect, you'll never get it done. So give yourself permission to just write, get the story on the page. The polishing can come later.
                          
• Keep track. Whether you write in spurts or slow but steady, measure your progress; remember that successful completion comes in small increments. So before you start, get out a calendar and mark off the milestones listed below. As you reach your goal, check it off; adjust the schedule if you need to as you go along.
                          
• Don't forget to celebrate! As you reach each interim milestone, celebrate! Reward yourself with a treat, toast your success, throw yourself a party—because writing a novel is challenging and you're doing it.
                          
The Six-Month Plan: Weekly Milestones
                          
Week 1: Set the course
                          
• Create a premise.
                          
• Stake out a beginning, middle, and end.
                          
• Find your main character and character arc.
                          
Week 2-3: Research and sketch, sketch, sketch
                          
• Research the characters, their context, the setting.
                          
• Write character sketches for the main characters.
                          
• Sketch out the main settings.
                          
• Identify the themes you are going to explore.
                          
Week 4: Outline the scenes in three acts—take a first stab
                          
• Refine your premise.
                          
• Refine your ideas about your main character's journey: What does she want, what stands in the way?
                          
• Stake out as many plot points (or tentpoles) as you can—scenes that will take place in the novel.
                          
• Organize the plot points into scenes.
                          
• Create an outline that sorts scenes into three acts with major turning points (reversals) between each act.
                          
Week 5: Write the opening scene
                          
• Make some basic decisions: tense (present/past), viewpoint (first-person, third-person, or multiple third-person), tone (formal/informal).
                          
• Write the first scene.
                          
• Don't obsess over it. Move on!
                          
Weeks 6-9: Write the rest of the scenes in "Act I"
                          
• Start each scene as late as possible; end as early as possible.
                          
• Make sure every scene has an arc and a turning point.
                          
• Each scene should have conflict.
                          
• Slow down when you introduce a character or setting for the first time.
                          
Week 10: Between the acts: Catch your breath
                          
• Read and revise what you've written.
                          
• Revise your outline of Act I so it reflects what you wrote.
                          
• Add as much detail as you can to your outline of Act II.
                          
Week 11-17: Write the scenes in "Act II"
                          
• Continue writing scenes.
                          
• Develop the characters.
                          
• Move your story, introduce complications and raise the stakes.
                          
Week 18: Between the acts: Catch your breath
                          
• Reread and revise what you've written.
                          
• Revise your outline of Acts I and II to reflect what you've written.
                          
• Add as much detail as you can to your outline of the scenes in Act III.
                          
Weeks 19-24: Write the scenes in "Act III"
                          
• Continue writing scenes, raising the stakes, and bringing your main plot to its main climax.
                          
• Tie up your subplots.
                          
• Show how the conflict has been resolved and your main character has experienced a journey and a transformation.
                          
• Type The End for the first time.
                          
Weeks 25-26: Read, revise, and celebrate! You've completed the first draft!
                          
Please keep in mind that this is a guide. Just as the tips in the previous part mentioned, do what works for you.
                          
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