Excerpt
So here we meet again … unless you've never read any of my books. In that case, what up? I'm Scott King. It's great to have you aboard. I'm really excited about The 5 Day Novel, but we need to put our cards on the table before you jump into it.
This book is not a how-to book on craft. The 5 Day Novel is about workflow, time management, and planning. I touch upon some craft topics here and there, but if you are looking for something deeper about the craft of writing, then checkout my book Story Pitch or keep an eye out for my future releases. I have several craft-related books on the way!
The 5 Day Novel is structured so that you as the reader can follow the assignments listed within it and write your own novel in five days. I suggest that you first read this book in its entirety, and then, when you are ready to do your own 5 Day Novel, use the checklist at the end of each chapter to guide you on your journey.
I will warn you here and in a few other places: Writing a novel in five days is crazy. There are few good reasons to do it. If you are a sane person, you might gain more from reading this book, seeing how I streamlined my process, and where applicable apply those techniques to your own workflow. With so few good reasons, why did I write a novel in five days? Well, the stupid answer is pretty obvious. I wanted to see if I could.
Over the past year, I've been trying to be a bit more social in indie writing circles. Along the way, I've learned that romance is the hottest genre to write. Romance readers devour novels, and authors, to stay relevant and successful, often crank out multiple books a month.
I've heard tales of romance authors who type so much that they have blisters on their fingers or that they have to ice their wrists while typing because of repetitive stress injuries! I attended an author meet-up once, and a woman mentioned how hard it was to remove blood stains from a keyboard.
Earlier this summer, I wrapped a 110k word epic fantasy novel that took me six months to write. I was feeling pretty good about myself. Then I learned that there were these kick butt romance authors who can put out that many words each month. It made me feel lazy and uncommitted to my writing.
I'm not into machismo and that kind of fronting, but I like to know my limits, both physically and as a creator. Hearing that some of these authors can finish a draft for a 50k-word novel in a day or two blew my mind, and naturally my thoughts progressed to asking myself, could I write 50k words in a single day?
I knew writing a novel under such a tight deadline wouldn't be solely about typing fast. It would take extreme planning, quick decision making, and perfecting my workflow.
The more I thought about it, the more I knew I had to try. I had to see if I could write 50k in a single day, but I wanted more than that. I wanted to write a book from concept to polish, and when I estimated the time, I decided I could do it in five days.
The rules for a 5 Day Novel were simple. I had 120 consecutive hours to write a book. There needed to be multiple drafts, and I wasn't allowed to start working on the creative aspects of the book until that clock started ticking. So that meant no plotting, character creation, or any story-related brainstorming until I officially began the challenge.
Even though I wasn't allowed to work on the creative aspects of the challenge until it started, I still had plenty to do that was important for getting into the right mindset. That's what DAY ZERO is about. If you are new to writing, or still trying to find your voice, then make sure you take a peek at it. If you are a seasoned author who has been around the block, I suggest skipping ahead to DAY ONE.
No matter if you are crazy like me and decide to take the five-day challenge, or if you are more sensible and plan to do it at your own pace, good luck. Writing is never easy, and whether you succeed or fail, know that you are never alone.
