Discussion about this post

User's avatar
Winston Malone's avatar

Hey, Timothy. I enjoyed reading this deep dive into your writing journey this year. Jia Peach seems interesting as I love shared universes and connected storytelling. As for the seven drafts idea, I'm lucky to finish the first draft of a novel, let alone the seventh draft. But I'm sure that will come with time as I'm still in the learning process for how best to finish a novel that works for me. I'm honored to be listed among the others as a resource for indies on Substack. Here's to SXP living up to the About page! Happy New Year!

Expand full comment
Olivia Barry's avatar

I write many ––MANY––drafts. Coming from screenwriting, I'm used to writing one draft after another. It's not so difficult when it comes to writing screenplays. However, writing a novel is a totally different ballgame. Novels are long. Writing a novel is a marathon. ~ And the marketing. 🙈 But you can do it, step-by-step. 👏 I've been giving lots of development notes over the years. Important is to find somebody who gives non-judgemental constructive criticism. Personally, I don't have to like the story, but I have to 1. make sure the story makes sense, and 2. I need to give suggestions on how to improve the manuscript. Therefore, I'll go through four rounds of reading and giving notes. First round: I read the manuscript and look for structural problems and pacing. Second round: character arcs. Third round: Dialogue and inconsistencies. Fourth round: overall language. ~ HAPPY NEW YEAR!🎉🤗

Expand full comment
4 more comments...

No posts