If you haven’t already started on the new manuscript you’re going to write next year, now is a great time to do your prep work so you can spend the year focusing on writing, editing, promoting, and publishing. A prepped write could start confidently writing as of January first!
Premise Preparation
One of the greatest gifts you can give to yourself (and your readers) is a solid premise. Taking the time (less than a week, in most cases) to think through the major components of your concept means you’re less likely to write problems like plot holes and character inconsistencies into your first draft. That means you won’t have to try to fix them in the subsequent drafts.
Book Outlining
After you’ve solidified your overall idea, creating an outline can help you further define what that concept is going to look like once it’s down on paper. Like using a recipe to create a yummy dessert, using a shopping list to assure you get everything you need at a store, or getting a treatment plan from your doctor to ensure a medical procedure goes as smoothly as possible, using outlines can help save a lot of time and headache.
Mental Preparations for Publishing
Many new authors assume that indie publishing is much more restrictive and difficult than it actually is. You can learn a lot from live online classes and websites like this one when it comes to the ins and outs of starting your independent literary career. Here are a few key ideas that can reduce frustration in the coming year of your authorship.
- There is not such thing as perfect. It’s impossible to please every person who comes across your work. Don’t overwhelm yourself by wasting time trying to achieve this.
- Commercial publishers don’t charge you to publish your work. This is what vanity publishers do. You may wish to (and I encourage you to!) spend money developing and designing your book (manuscript evaluation, cover design, proofreading, etc.), but you’ll save money by going directly to a literary professional or editorial services firm instead of someone claiming to be a “publisher.”
- You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. There are books are the market with content that is about 90% identical. Don’t drive yourself up a wall trying to “think of something fresh.” The “freshness” comes from how you write, no matter what the content includes. It’s not what you write, it’s how you write it, that makes the difference. For example, the most popular, and lucrative, genre in the world is romance. But that’s literally just “person meets person and falls in love” at its core. Mysteries are “something happens and we don’t know how, but the main character will figure it out.” Adventures: “a main character goes on a dangerous quest to find something.” If people can tell these kinds of stories over and over again by simply writing in their own style and altering the details and still have their readers love it, whatever you’re cooking up will be just fine!
Resources for Preparing for Your 2022 Authorship
Sign up for the next “How to Publish a Book” session.
Check out the free lesson on premise prep.
Get a copy of Book Outlining Basics.
Get the entire Writerwerx University e-book suite, including The Newbie’s Guide to Book Development, Book Outlining Basics, The 12-Month Manuscript, and Self-Revision Fundamentals. Download the bundle.
Happy prepping!
