The Stages of Writing a Book

My debut novel, Home Safe Home, released today (26-3-17, Sunday).

 

A lot of people were confused as to what goes on before a novel hits the shelves. Hopefully, this blog post will clear that up.

Writing a book consists of many different phases. Here, I am listing all the phases I went through before bringing out my first book.

1. The Pre-writing phase - This is the very beginning; the conception of an idea. It happens over a period of time; from when the idea first hits you to it slowing taking shape inside your head. Once the idea shows potential to be a story, the next phase begins. 
2. The Plotting phase - This is the phase were I find myself desperately searching for a pen and paper to jot down an idea before I lose it. This is also the phase where one completes the story. A rough outline is made, describing the story from start to finish. Character profiles are made for all the main characters. This is the phase where we tie them all together. 
3. The First Draft phase - A first draft is nothing more than a glorified outline. It's just a big messy draft, including all the scenes and dialogue one has planned for the book. Personally, I think it's the most exhausting phase, as one has to set their sights on completing it, and not on the quality of the piece. 
4. The Drafting phase - This is probably the longest phase in writing. Basically, it is the act of stretching out the initial story like a rubber band; stretching and stretching until its breaking point. With each rewrite, it gets bigger and better. So, naturally, that takes a lot of time. After about 4 or 5 drafts, I am ready for the next phase. 
5. The Beta Reading phase - This is the phase I'm most excited for. Once I'm done with multiple drafts, I send the latest one to a few handpicked beta readers, who read and review the book. Then we do a 20 to 25 question interview, where they tell me what they liked and didn't like about the book. My beta readers are awesome, because they give extremely helpful constructive criticism. 
6. The Rewriting phase - Once the beta reviews arrive, there will most likely be scenes that stick out like a sore thumb. It is in the rewriting phase that we address all those major and minor flaws. After another couple of drafts, it's ready for the next phase. Almost there. 
7. The Critic phase - This is where I send my draft out for critic review. A critic is often a person with a respectable background in literature and language; teachers, scholars, professors and other writers, who read the manuscript and write a critical review. A critic reviews from a professional standpoint, while beta reviews are from the perspective of readers. 
8. The Final Drafting phase - Critics may or may not give suggestions for improvement, but this is the phase where we correct all the mistakes we can find, and make small changes wherever necessary.
9. The Publishing phase - I chose to publish traditionally, as opposed to self-publishing. Once the publishers accept your manuscript, there are a couple more stages of proof-reading, and the book goes in for printing. 
10. The Post-writing phase - This phase includes the official release, marketing, etc. It's all about spreading the word. 

Home Safe Home will be available on Amazon soon.

Click here to buy my book.

Writing is an extremely personal and intimate journey on the road to discovering yourself. We write to tell stories and to have our voices heard. It's what I live for. It's what keeps me going. I write to live, and I live to write.