In 90 Days You can be a Writer and Write Like One
Sarah Domet wrote a book for Writer's Digest, about writing a novel in 90 days. I started reading the book when it was new out in the bookstores. Then, I got sidetracked and it began gathering dust bunnies on my bookshelves like so many other books I bought with such good intentions. But, Sarah's book, 90 Days to your Novel, stuck in my mind. Her methods were not fluff, or talking about writing like it was a nice job someone else could do.
One reason I don't finish writing the book I want to write is a problem with staying focused on one thing and seeing it through to the end. Sure, you can take breaks, visit family, make dinner, all those ordinary things. But, I tend to make great progress, write up notes for characters, plots and descriptions of scenes and then... nothing. They are all just great notes I made during that hour I let myself actually work at it.
The dust bunnies think I'm wonderful. I give them plenty of fodder. They've built whole villages around my attempts to write a book.
90 Days to Your Novel is a Challenge from Sarah Domet to Every Writer to Commit to Doing the Work of a Writer
In Sarah's book she explains how to outline a plot, how to make progress beyond the notes and ideas and scattered elements (enough for a series of books) I have tucked away. She writes about writing your book scene by scene rather than starting with characters and actions. This is one of the things which made so much sense to me when I first started the book. It gave me so much hope for my own writing because I could see the structure forming rather than dissolving around my bits of paper as it usually does when I try to pick up and work on my ideas again.
I highly recommend 90 Days to Your Novel. The only odd thing I found this second time around with the book is the disappearance of Sarah Domet herself. I found an old Twitter account and an old website, abandoned since 2011. There were several interviews about the book when it was new out and then... silence. So, where ever Sarah is, I hope she is (also) still writing. Her book is one of very few who don't tell writers to be more creative but to actually work at writing, because it is work not a fantasy we are living as the writer from some story someone else has written.
Thanks for your book, Sarah. I'm putting my outline on paper and will start Day One of our adventure together (without finding you) on Monday. Hope you're well.