The Writing Process Redefined – 5 Steps to Make Your Book a Smashing Success

You are probably familiar with the Writing Process. You’ve likely been using it since elementary school. Maybe you even had one of those clip charts where you moved your clothespin up or down through the process: prewrite, draft, revise, edit, publish. (What can I say? Once a teacher, always a teacher.) Well, this post is nothing like that. Today, we are talking about the writing process, redefined.

Okay, I probably shouldn’t say “nothing like that.” I have a tendency to exaggerate. All of the steps in the traditional writing process are important components of writing. And certainly, they are all incorporated into my writing process. 

But I think of the writing process differently. I think of it as more fluid and flexible. These are the steps in the writing process, redefined:

1. Prepare
2. Plan
3. Produce
4. Polish
5. Publish

You’ll notice that my writing process also has five steps. And some of these steps correlate loosely with the traditional writing process. 

But the writing process redefined has a couple of key features that set it apart. And frankly, make it better. 

First, this system puts a lot of emphasis on preparing and planning. And I mean a lot. You’ve probably heard the famous Abraham Lincoln quote: “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”

Well, writing is a lot like that. Proper preparation and planning are key to getting the job down right. And without losing your sanity.

That’s why my writing process redefined breaks down pre-writing into two separate steps: preparing and planning. 

Also, these steps are not necessarily linear. You might bounce back and forth between steps 1, 2, and 3 repeatedly. Revising a manuscript could fall into the producing category or the polishing category, depending on which draft you are working on.

And publishing requires you to go back to go all the way back to step one and start another project. Don’t worry! It’s not as overwhelming as it seems. Not with a little guidance and support. 

Let’s take a quick look at each of these steps in the writing process redefined. 

Prepare:

Whether you are a plotter or a pantser, you need to prepare for success. That’s what prepping is the first stage of the writing process redefined.

In this stage of the writing process you learn how to put writing on your calendar, maximize your productivity, and set writing goals and benchmarks that deliver results. You also develop a basic understanding of story and the elements that are required for a successful book that readers can’t put down. 

You’re at the prepare stage if:

• You don’t know how to fit writing into your jam-packed schedule.
• You’ve tried and failed to develop a consistent writing habit.
• You feel overwhelmed, overworked, and stressed out.
• You are interested in the idea of writing a book, but you have no idea where to start or what makes a story work.

Both newbie writers and accomplished authors who want to work smarter benefit from taking some time to prepare to write.

Planning:

To quote another dead white guy, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.”  – Benjamin Franklin.

Perhaps in no circumstances is this more true than writing a book. Well, okay, I can think of a few circumstances, like war or drug raids or  . . . , where it’s just as true and can lead to way more devastating results than wasted time and broken dreams. But you know what I mean. Planning is an important, some might say critical stage, of writing a book.

You need to plan for success before you write a word. If this is a novel concept to you (you can decide whether the pun was intended), keep reading.

You’re at the prepare stage if you want to:

• Nail down your story idea to create a strong premise that draws readers in right away. 
• Learn how to position your book properly for publishing success by picking the right genre and reviewing comps.
• Identify your theme and pick a story pattern. Did you know there are 10 basic story types? Which one is yours?
• Get to know your characters. Create multi-dimensional characters and avoid cliches.
• Plot your story. Plan for the end. Map out sections, chapters, or even scenes. 

This is an important step for wanna-be writers and successful authors. Each new story requires a planning stage. Most aspiring authors do not spend enough time on this stage of the writing process redefined. 

Produce:

Ooh good! Finally it’s time to write! The third step in the writing process redefined is to produce your book.

When you get to this stage, you have your writing habit solidified, a strong outline, a 1-page summary, comp titles, and a “can’t stop me” now attitude, and you just want to get words on the page.

Producing means generating new content, and removing what doesn’t work (yes, you do have to “kill your darlings”) to make your story come together.

You are at the produce stage if:

• You already prepped and planned your story. 
• You have a solid plan for executing your story and are ready to write. 
• You are dedicating time each day to writing or revising your novel.

Polish:

Congratulations! You’ve finished your manuscript. It doesn’t matter if it’s taken you two months or two years. Or ten. Some people get to the polish stage quickly. Others spend a long time working and reworking before they are ready to polish their work. It doesn’t matter. 

At this stage of the writing process redefined you think your story is ready for the world. But chances are, it still needs to be cajoled a little bit into a cohesive, engaging story that readers will love.

You are at the polish stage if: 

• You have a “finished” manuscript (even if it’s been sitting in the drawer for a year now.) 
• The thought of revising and editing paralyzes you with fear. (Hmmm…. What is the difference between revising and editing anyway?)
• Your beta readers said your story is stale or doesn’t make sense. (Don’t know what a beta reader is, no worries.)
• You want to position yourself for publishing success.

Writers will often move back and forth between the production and polishing stages as they find plot holes, add subplots, and do the work to bring a story to a logical, satisfying conclusion. That’s okay and to be expected. It’s one of the things that makes the writing process redefined work so well.

Publish:

The final stage in writing a book is to publish it. I mean, you didn’t spend six months of your life writing this story for it to sit forever on your laptop, did you? Publish is the last stage of the writing process redefined. 

There are lots of options for publishing today: traditional publishing (including large and small presses), self-publishing, hybrid deals.

It’s important to research these options and pick the one that’s best for you. This article gives a good overview of different publishing options.

If you want to try the traditional route, then the publishing stage of your book is like an entirely new project,

In the publish stage you will:

• Research agents and identify 30-50 to query
• Create an author platform
• Write synopses (1 paragraph, 1 page, 3 page)
• Write a query letter & personalize for each agent
• Send and manage queries
• Engage in pre launch marketing

If you opt for self-publishing you can skip the agent research and query process, but your author platform and marketing strategy become even more important. In any case, don’t overlook this stage of the writing process redefined.

Work with me:

If all of this sounds overwhelming, don’t worry. You don’t have to go it alone. I love to help writers bring their books to life.

I offer packages for each stage of the writing process redefined. You can check them out here.

Or just use this link to schedule a FREE consultation. I can quickly help you figure out where you are in the writing process redefined. And together we can get you to the next stage. 

Off we go!

Read about how a book coach can help you finish your book in less time and with less aggravation: Why I Hired a Book Coach.