How I wrote a novel in 5 weeks as THE SLOWEST WRITER IN THE WORLD

Are you a slow writer? Same! I get through writing projects like a little turtle in his first pair of boots, but in this video I talk about how I wrote a whole book in five weeks! If you need tips, tricks, and tools to make your writing more efficient, some of the things I used might help you too. Let me know your own fav tips for writing faster. ^_^

📚 B O O K S
STARLIGHT: SHORT STORIES

LITTLE BIRDS: SHORT STORIES

✉️ M A I L
PO Box 125
Manitou Springs, CO
80829

🌎 S O C I A L

🙌D I S C O U N T L I N K S

📸 E Q U I P M E N T

[maryannemoll]

It took me ten years. But it’s finally coming out in April. My first novel, called The Maps of Camarines, under Penguin Random House.

[christianvchacon]

Doing literally NOTHING and being present in the moment with the senses also helps blossom creativity. This can also include going for a walk.

[lionproud]

"Multi-tasking is not a thing, it's just... doing one thing while distracted" SO TRUUE

[isabellascott]

Your not the only one! It took me two years to come up with an idea and I’m recently working on the first chapter. I always felt insecure about my own writing because a lot of famous booktubers And my favorite authors I know can write a book in less then five weeks. I stopped comparing my writing to others and just started writing and thus a book is forming!

[starlitbri]

i started plotting because i was terrible with continuity and constancy 😅 i find talking about my ideas with friends to be really helpful with writer's block!

[hunterghobadi]

lol, I forgot I was writing a book for two years until I recently opened up my file explorer and found a folder called "books/poem".

Don't remember writing it but it seems pretty good. I'm actually impressed.

[DillyBlue]

I tried Novelpad because of your video about it and I've since bought an annual subscription. I haven't managed to write a novel in 5 weeks yet lol, but I am writing much faster than I was. I normally would've given up by now because of all my notes being a mess, but Novelpad makes it easy for me to keep things organised.

[Davanthall]

I've been trying to get myself to write a book - ANY book - since I was about 20 years old.

I'm turning 33 in July. I have not finished a single story to this day.

You are not the slowest writer in the world.

[scatteredperceptions]

1) 1:58 Short outlines & minimal character descriptions
Basic premise, worldbuilding, characters, story/genre beats - these can be sparse and loose to allow these to evolve ad you write and become better acquainted with the characters and their stories
2) 3:40 Writing whatever’s fun
Include all the fun and silly moments :)
3) 4:39 Temporary summary
If you get stuck, sum up what you want to happen and then continue writing as if you wrote it properly. Usually the way to write it will naturally occur as you continue writing forward. Make sure you return to these summaries and expand upon them before moving onto the next draft, ideally by the end of that chapter.
4) 6:16 Prioritising

Not always feasible for everyone but prioritise between your responsibilities/hobbies to spend more time on your story
5) 6:34 Tracking
Set your overall word count, i.e. 60k by the end of November. In Novel Pad's tracker, as you update your progress, the program can adjust word counts accordingly.

(Novel Pad's tracking tool can automatically calculate what's needed to achieve goals/targets based on inputs)
Track your progress through word counts; map your actual outputs against your target outputs.
6) 7:09 Writing first thing
Write when you're most creatively productive. Find the best time for you and write then. This may be in the morning or a different time for you.
7) 7:49 Writing in order
Write a chapter at a time, in order.

This depends more on your preference. If you share with friends they can provide feedback or just general motivation to keep writing. This is easier with a linear story, can also streamline your writing, and help with continuity.
8) 8:32 Revising your story
Go back every 5 chapters for an edit.
Depends on preference. Go back to earlier chapters and set things up that are explored in later chapters, can fix continuity issues early on.

9) Create all the chapter headings in novel pad
Write out the headings with a sentence or two explaining what you want to happen.
10) 9:47 Handling distractions
Manage distractions while you work. Write when there's the fewest distractions. Noise cancelling headphones. Distraction managing phone app (Pause For). Use a less noisy writing platform (Novel Pad)

[haleysalter]

For me, what works best is only writing when I’m in a flow state. I can easily write for twelve hours without even noticing, but as soon as it’s over I’m done. No matter how much I want to write, it’s not gonna come out lol I have to be very careful about avoiding distractions during them

[mlpapc]

I have been writing for some years and the short outline, minimal character sheet, and temporary summary helped me to start many books after "writer's block." The good system you developed. Love your video. Very constructive and positive.

[ZenitaDee]

Oooh already loving the Stardew Valley/Gilmore Girls mix.

[JorimWal]

"For lack of a list, lies work just as well". And while I am shamelessly participating in giveaways: a little turtle in his first pair of boots is an incredibly cute analogy.

[TimbrrWolfe]

The temporary summary point is a really good one, I have those spots where I get hung up on something and lose momentum /all the time/.
Also it's wild how the subconscious just keeps hacking away at a problem while we move onto something else in our active thoughts. Brains are wild.




I get why zombies want to eat them so much (happy Halloween)

[TheSecretsOfSorsa]

I wrote a 190k word fantasy novel in 4 weeks in 2021. Since then, I've written 2 sequels, and I'm halfway through book 4, but I have not been able to duplicate that speed. It can be tough to stay that focused. Characters do come to life and do things you don't expect, because you get into their personalities, which are different from your own. I used a short outline too, for the exact same reason.

[anothercastle]

I’m an aspiring screenwriter, not author, but this was still extremely helpful, thank you for making this video :)

[MemphiStig]

Great insight into your process. These are all solid. One of my favorite authors, Michael Moorcock, got his start in the pulp magazine era, and he was writing all the time, sometimes multiple stories a day, sometimes under different names, sometimes stand-alones, sometimes serials, and in various genres. When he started writing novels, he frequently wrote one in only a few days, with little more than a list of interesting names, ideas for elements, etc, and a basic idea of the type of story he was telling. Whenever he got stuck, he'd turn to the list, pick something, and keep going. I can't imagine being that good, but it is inspirational to think about.

[WriteThisHeart]

3. Your temporary summary tip is something I've figured out for myself and done for a few years now! It really does help and do what you say, and like for you, if I keep writing after it, I eventually think of the way to fix it, and it's great! I love it! For me, since I usually already have the problem line/etc written down, I just **bold** that part, and then I come back to it later! It's great!

[tayo_]

Congrats! Cannot wait to read it!

I recently finished the 2nd draft of my fantasy novella. I have also been weirdly productive recently even though I usually struggle to focus.

[girafficpark]

OOF. I'm about as bad as you, I can assure you.

Writing my novel Giraffic Tales (please look for it later it must be published), is SO hard and SUCH a slow process.
Don't feel alone.
I'm here.
:D