Climbing the novel manuscript mountain

by Jack Roney

Writing an 80,000 word manuscript is like climbing a mountain. The summit can feel out of reach, out of sight—unattainable. But with tenacity, patience, commitment, and momentum comes success. When you finally reach the top the view is amazing!

Here’s some tips that have helped me write seven novels.

You may be familiar with the terms pantsers (making it up as you go along i.e. writing from the seat of your pants) and plotters (creating a meticulous, well-planned storyboard before you even begin writing). Each has their pros and cons but there’s no ‘rule’ that says you have to be in one camp or the other. I consider myself a bit of both. Because I write crime fiction, it’s important for me to have a strong outline in order to construct the mystery, cliffhangers, plot complexity, and red herrings that intertwine and arrive at a logical yet surprising ending while tying off loose ends. However, it’s equally important to leave room for spontaneity and freedom to surprise myself as new ideas take hold.

So how do I do this? Well, I storyboard about thirty chapters and decide what needs to occur in each. My only rule—something MUST happen in each chapter that drives the story forward. Think of it as writing thirty interlinked short stories, each with a beginning, middle, and end (cliffhanger). After writing my outline (in storyboard format) I know in advance what needs to happen in each chapter, but how it happens is still not clear. I’ll figure that out when I’m writing the chapter. That’s the magical part of writing for me. Fresh ideas are born when I’m actually writing, not thinking about writing. My storyboard is merely a scaffold with plot layers and character development occurring during the actual writing process.

My chapter word count average is 2000 words, give or take, but I don’t get too hung up on this. I only use this as a guide to measure progress. I know this formula will give me at least 60,000 words for my first draft. I’m also confident that as I’m writing, new ideas will inspire additional chapters to bridge the gaps in my storyboard and add extra depth and detail. I usually aim for 70,000 words for my first draft. Then when I’m editing, I have elbow room to develop dialogue, scene descriptions, and character back story. This extra meat on the bones will get me to my target of 80,000 words.

As an example, in a recent crime manuscript, I first came up with the idea for the story. I wanted two central characters. Firstly, a ‘by-the-book’ ex-city cop running from his past and adjusting to life in a backwater country town. Secondly, an ex-solider pig hunter vigilante who goes outside the law in the name of justice. The two characters are polar opposites but I imagined a story where they have to join forces to overcome a common foe. Opposing ideologies clash yet they ultimately must work together. I tackled the storyboard by writing each character’s story arc with chapters alternating between the two POVs as their storyline’s intertwined. From here, secondary characters took shape and ideas for subplots became clear. Once I finished the storyboard it took me four months of solid writing to get the first draft completed.

I know that life gets in the way and some days we struggle for writing inspiration. Be kind to yourself, allow yourself a break if it’s getting you down. Set realistic expectations, but most of all don’t give up.

Just keep telling yourself that if you keep putting one foot in front of the other, eventually you will conquer that mountain.