Planning your manuscript

The other day I was on a field day and one of the dad’s of the students came forward and asked a couple of things about writing. He was telling me about how between work and life he was struggling to get his novel finished. I heard about where he was having problems going forward. In a bit, I came to the conclusion that he is a “pantser”. A pantser is a writer that writes as he feels, at the moment. It is like saying I’m going to drive and will go where the road leads me. Is there something wrong with that? Not at all. But in this case, he was struggling.

I suggested trying a different approach. If he did not want to plot all his story, maybe he could create all the chapters he needed and then fill them up. If he wasn’t feeling the current chapter he was writing, fill another one and then come back to finish the previous one. In a way, it is plotting. This particular writer was stuck on something he could figure it out, but sometimes when you are really stuck, your way out doesn’t seem that clear.

In the end, you will choose what best works for you. You can even try doing plotting and having that “free will” of just writing and not look back. Either way, my best advice is to plan. Do you have a specific scene? Do you know the end of your book? Some basic questions will help you draw a mental or physical blueprint on what you want your story to be about.

I like some of the advice Jenna Moreci gives in planning out the whole manuscript. She says that instead of planning the whole thing, plan little, mini achievable goals that you can tackle easier than the whole project. That way you don’t get flustered and thus abandon your novel. In the end, it is not a competition. There’s no clock unless you are traditional publishing and are on a deadline. If not, finish the book for yourself. Celebrate the mini victories on those small tasks you put yourself to do.

What else can you use to help plan your book? Are you a visual person? With the internet these days you can download imagery, sceneries, people, and/or print them and having close by to remind you or inspire you to move forward. Is a song the motor that drives your story? Use it as background noise from time to time. If you are a plotter, which means you do outline your story, then continue with that blueprint and stick to it.

We know that your story may go through some changes. The more you research, plan, and strategize before writing, the easier it would get. That’s why you hear that in movies the pre-production stage usually is the most time it gets invested throughout the whole movie.

I hope this helps you. If you need more information, feel free to write in the comments section, or through my social media pages. Awesome writing guys.