Hey-o, Word-wielders,
So, for those who are in touch with their calendars, you are aware that November 2024 has up and flown away, and with it National Novel Writing Month has officially ended. Many writers took up the challenge and poured out 50K words (and some more), and you may be wondered where to go next. Others may have only got to 30K, 15K, maybe even 5K, and want to continue their writing.
Today, that is what I will be talking about. First, for you who have not finished your novel, and after about the next steps.
For you who didn't make the esteemed 50,000, don't beat yourself up because of it. I myself only got to around 16K, but I still wrote a lot more than usual, possibly more in a month than I ever had. (I am quite a slow writer, though since NaNo I have been improving.) And now I made myself a new goal on the National Novel Writing Site: write 40K in 6 months. Now this is a slow goal, but it's the one I made, and it's fun to actually exceed my daily word count instead of watching it pile up over time. If you want to check out my NaNo page, you can find it here.
You can also join a writing group or writing site if you still want community as you write.
For those who did finish their novel, wow, you just wrote a lot of words. Now you may be wondering what to do with all those words.
1. Wait
Give your work a rest. A month, perhaps, longer or shorter if you desire. Just close the file, out the notebook(s) away, and come back to your story with fresh eyes ready to edit your pile of words into a polished book.
2. High-level read-through
This is what I did with Daughters of Irin before editing. I read each chapter and made notes on it. Do the same with your own book if you so desire. Check for character inconsistences, plot holes, and stiff dialogue.
3. Edit
Edit, edit, edit. Fill in those gaping holes, breathe fictional life into your characters, and make your story shine.
4. Find Beta Readers
Friends, beta readers online, or other writers you know. Try to pick people who know books and will be honest about their thoughts. You can make a list of questions for them to answer or let them do a free-style review. My questions I used for Daughters of Irin can be found at the end of this post. (Minus the spoiler question)
5. Edit again
Use your new reviews to edit your work until you feel it's as good as you can make it.
6. Find editors, proofreaders and more
If you want to publish, now's the time to find all these people. You can find some on Reedsy, or other places online. Free stock photos for covers and such can be found on Pexels and Unsplash (I've used Pexels for two of my book covers and both sites for most of my blog images.) Get your book nice and shiny with a great-looking interior and polished words.
7. Get that book out there
You can do this either traditionally or self-publish. If you'd like to do the latter, check out my post 3 Ways to Get Your Writing Out There.
And after all your hard work, you are now a published writer. And that is an exciting moment.
May you live for Christ and give Him praise!
~Claira
Add comment
Comments