There comes a point where you’ve got the idea developing down to a science. I know what works for me.
I’ve hit writing phase III where I know how to write my novels, but I reach points now where I hit the writing phase, and I’m hitting walls.
My writing procedures have stopped working. I mean, I’m still writing the books! But…
You find you’re skipping massive chunks of story.
There’s a flaw in my planning process somewhere.
That’s usually the answer. If you’ve got an idea you KNOW is a novel (and many stories you come up with, you just don’t have enough in there to write a novel), and you’re not getting your word count in, you rushed step number three, the idea developing phase.
When this happens, hit the breaks. Did you plan it thoroughly, or did you just write down 60 points to fill up the paper?
You can’t be afraid to stop and revisit your 60 point sheet if most of your ideas seem to not be working. If you’ve spent more than 30 days working in a novel, you’ve got time invested in it.
What’s really difficult is when you’re in the edit phase in one novel and writing another. While the mental exercise almost guarantees you’ll never get Alzheimer’s, it’s not the BEST way to get a novel done. But while most of us have to work day jobs until we can retire, this is how we end up HAVING to work unless your work on your first novels pay off, and you make enough money to retire and just write for a living.
Stop. Examine your work process. Pull out your 60 point sheet. Reexamine it.
Where are the plot holes?
Fix those and your word counts will skyrocket.
