everything but the kitchen sink (and maybe that too)

A couple weeks ago, I had a new novel idea.

Ideas are a dime a dozen and I swear I’m writing a new one down on a weekly basis, but this one hooked me in a way I haven’t been hooked in years.

Since pre-lockdown days, I’ve been working on the same handful of projects that I came up with well before even then. We’re talking around a decade ago. And yes, I realize that might sound absolutely bonkers, but I love those ideas. They’re solid, and of course have shifted and changed over the years too.

But my whole multi-project process is a topic for another day.

Back to the new project, code name Herald in honor of its title because yes, it already has a title (which also rarely happens for me). It popped in my head toward the end of April and I indulged it, starting a new document on my tablet and brain dumping everything. I told myself I had until the beginning of May to play with the new shiny before I needed to make a decision — jump to project Herald entirely, or return to one of my other WIPs (works in progress).

You might have already guessed what I ended up deciding based on this newsletter.

Every time I embark on a new novel project, I think this time… this time I’ll have my process figured out and every time I’ve been wrong. Or at least I thought I was. It wasn’t until I started going through what I needed to know or do before starting this new project that I realized I actually do have a process. It’s just a very flexible one.

There are, however, some non-negotiables before I start a new novel and none of them involve actually writing the book.

Any time I have a new novel idea I start by unloading my brain into a notebook. I used to buy a new one for each project with a cover that reminded me of the story. I liked the handwriting aspect of it.

Now I use my reMarkable tablet because 1) I have it and don’t need to buy something new, 2) I can store all my project “notebooks” on it, and 3) I can handwrite then pull up my notes on my computer to add to my project files.

The goal of this step is get anything and everything about the idea that I already know written down, which often includes adding as more things pop in my head. Might take a couple hours up to a couple weeks before I consider it ready. For Project Herald, it was definitely on the shorter side.

It’s not going to be good. It’s not even going to make sense, most likely. But a quick pitch has become a critical step early in my writing process so I can really get to the heart of the story. It helps identify what my protagonist wants, what stands in their way, and what the stakes are, and I’ll often put it through several drafts before I have something that feels solid enough to work with.

For example, the first draft pitch of Project Herald:

I think about the story as if I was describing it to a new reader on a social media post. What would I want to include to convey the story in a succinct way to hook the reader and convince them to read this story? It’s a bit of a marketing-first approach because the book isn’t even written yet, but I’ve found the exercise focuses my thoughts around the core story and where my gaps are.

It’s also why I participate in WIP-friendly pitch events on social media! Practice! I’ll be participating in WriterPit on instagram on May 14 if you want to see more about Project Herald and one of my other novels, Project Roadkill.

You’d think that this would be enough to get started writing, right? Except…

I need a moodboard. And a playlist. At least one of each (though I’ll end up with many by the end of the draft). Yes, that’s a need not just a want. There’s something about going through visuals and audio that really starts to solidify a story for me. It’s a bit like writing the pitch where I’m circling what makes this book special, what elements stand out to me.

Often, creating these sorts of side elements can take a little while but I come out of them with a much richer understanding of the story and the world it’s set in.

And, of course, a pretty moodboard like this one for Project Herald!

Almost ready to get to drafting! Or at least I always think I am until I start thinking about my story deeper and realize that I know very little about the world 😅 Enter Obsidian, my favorite program for creating and organizing all my project notes. I use it for all my projects now and, since I write a lot of second world fantasy, I often have a lot of details about my worlds to keep track of. History and lore, locations, geography, gods and monsters, magic, character backstories, the works.

My wiki is a living document that I add to throughout the drafting process and then I use it as a way to keep information straight during edits. It’s also the space I stash any notes from research for stuff related to the story.

Before I start writing, I'm often writing a novella’s worth of worldbuilding notes. My last project had around 30,000 words in my wiki by the time I was done. Do I need all of that? Debatable. Not everything about my writing process makes sense, though (even to me!).

Last non-negotiable! The outline. I am, indeed, a plotter, but I was once very much a pantser so I’m more in the middle of the two depending on the project. Sometimes I need very detailed outlines that break down every scene and what happens in each one (essentially a 30-40K word "zero draft") and sometimes it’s just a handful of story beats.

So far, Project Herald has been the latter. I know the beginning, the catalyst and break into Act 2, a few scattered points in the middle, my “dark night of the soul” moment, and the ending. And that’s enough for now! Will I need more later? Probably, but I have enough to get started.

The starting bit is key. I will spend forever tinkering with these five things trying to make sure the story is “ready” to write instead of actually writing it. No project is ever truly ready when you start, though. There will always be something you learn along the way that changes it, creates a blocker, or any other number of outcomes.

The goal is to get started.

And that’s where Project Herald is today! I set myself a goal of 100 words/day for the month of May to ease myself into it while I continue shaping the outline into something that can handle a heavier word lift. My world wiki has the foundational info I need with plenty of room to grow. All that’s left is the actual book.

Well… I have to write the book! You can’t edit a blank page and all that. I won’t begin to speculate on how long the first draft will take. I’ve written books as fast as 6 months and as slow as 3 years (working on it on and off). Each one is its own challenge so you’ll be finding out along with me how much time Project Herald takes.

Until the next time, you can find me over on instagram, and if you like posts like this, let me know!

💜 A.J.