1 | Brainstorming | Coming up with the initial idea, the world, and the characters. This is also where the initial, high level outline is created. |
2 | Character Development | After having an idea about the characters and where the story is going I can focus on getting the details of the character, their motivation and growth arc as it relates to the story. |
3 | Outlining | After I have an idea of the plot and some details about the character, where they are starting and where they are going, then I can work on creating a detailed outline of the story as a whole. This is the main plot arc and character arcs intertwined. |
4 | First Draft | Finally! After all the planning, we can get to the writing! This is where the story starts to come together and is the most fun part of the writing process. |
5 | Simmer | It may sound silly, but after spending all this time working on the story, it's time to let it rest, so I can come back to it in a few months with a fresh perspective to edit and polish the story. |
6 | High Level Edits | The tediousness begins. This is usually 2 or 3 full edits of the story where the main focus is on making sure the start and end really match up with a well defined path. Often times during the first draft the course often changes, and the ending can end up way off from where it was originally intended. These drafts are to fix any of those issues and make sure everything makes sense before anybody else gets their eyes on the story. |
7 | Beta Readers | After getting the story to a state where it's not painful to read, I can give it to a few beta readers to get their feedback. This lets me know how readers interpret the story and lets me know if I assumed the story included something that it didn't (because it's in my head and I thought I described it but didn't...). This also gives me another much needed break from the story before editing again. |
8 | Edits | This is where I take the feedback from the beta readers and incorporate what I think is necessary into the story, and then do more edits to fix whatever little things I find. This is also where I start to really focus on dialog and interactions among the characters to make sure they are realistic. |
9 | Editor Review | After doing as much as I think I can do to my story and getting reader feedback it's time for professional help. So I send it off to my editor to work on and provide feedback. |
10 | Final Draft Edits | This is where I incorporate the edits and suggestions that the editor sent. I usually only do minor tweaks on my own, it's pretty much only tweaks based on feedback from the editor. |
11 | Submit to Publisher | This is the scary part! This is when I send the story to whatever publisher or agent I'm trying to get to pick up and accept or buy the story. This is also the copy I send to my Patreon supporters. |
12 | Edits from Publisher | If a publisher accepts the story, they will no doubt have their own editor review the story and offer feedback or suggestions. This process can take a long time, with many more drafts. |
13 | In Production | After all of the edits are done we finally move on to production! This is where the cover is produced, and final formatting is done to the book. |
14 | Published! | FINALLY! It's done, and available to buy at an awesome book retailer near you (where available). |