by Joelle Steele

It would seem that writing a book, especially a novel, should be a very simple process. Well, it probably is for some writers. But for me, I write books that are pretty complex, with plenty of trivia to support my characters and the plot. I’m also very particular about the grammar and syntax and the other finer aspects of writing. This means that my process adheres to some of the stricter, more standard writing methods.

I don’t ever write a book until I have thoroughly researched the market to ensure someone else hasn’t already written a similar story or covered the same subject matter. No sense in reinventing the wheel. I want to write something original, something different, every time I write a book. I go online, to the library, and to bookstores to see what’s being published and what’s selling. I do this at least two to three times each year. A writer needs to keep up with the times, especially when it has to do with an investment of a few hundred hours of your writing time.

I then research my subject matter. So, I might read a few books on a subject or I might read several chapters or articles about several smaller topics that will play a prominent role in my novel. I try very hard to avoid online research unless it is for those smaller topics. There are just too many websites with inaccurate information on them. It’s not that a book can’t have an error in it, but most books have had some form of editorial oversight, and that is something that is missing from the Internet.

I create my characters by writing short profiles about who they are, longer profiles for primary characters – my next blog entry is about character development. Then I do a plot chart. This helps me determine how the storyline is going to flow from one chapter to another and what I want to reveal in each chapter. Using the plot chart, I create an outline. My outlines are not very formal in structure, and they vary dramatically in their complexity and detail from book to book and from chapter to chapter within each book. I’m now ready to start writing my first draft, usually right into the outline.

I don’t always start with Chapter 1. Sometimes I’m motivated to write a particular chapter, and so I work on that first. I write quickly without spending too much time on details. I just want to get the flow of the story in place. Once I’ve completed this first draft, I do my first edit, which includes fleshing out the draft with more details. I usually do at least two more edits before I send the manuscript to my content editor. After I get it back from her, I make any changes she suggested that I think are valid ones. My next step is typesetting the book. Then I have it proofed before I make the PDF and send it to the printer. My final step is to make the ebook.