How My Writing Process Changed Over 500k Words
I wish I could say that impressive word count is attached to five full-length novels, but unfortunately almost a third of that number is words I scrapped during countless revisions and rewrites. Nevertheless, I’ve learned a lot about writing through trial and error and my process has evolved, and continues to evolve, with each new book. So whether you’re a “pantster” or a “plotter,” there’s a little bit of something for everyone in today’s post. Let’s take a tour.
Book 1: The Pantster Era
“Pantster” is the term coined to refer to writers who like to fly “by the seat of their pants,” figuring out plot details as they write instead of plotting it all out ahead of time. I had killed many a project in my teens by trying to be a plotter, so when I had the idea for Gift of the Tiding Bearer, I was terrified that I’d overthink it to death too. I didn’t have the skills or confidence yet to apply my limited knowledge of story structure to an original idea without melting down.
So I didn’t.
I fleshed out the basic premise: boy goes on quest for priceless treasure in order to avenge his family’s death. And then I started writing. I followed the structure of Jeremiah 9:23-24 to guide my main characters’ basic arcs, and patched the rest of the details together as I went.
The Pros:
I actually finished a full-length story for the first time (105k words).
I learned how to start and keep going even when I don’t have all the answers.
I gained a working knowledge of my characters and their stories.
I overcame my fear of writing tense climaxes.
The Cons:
I had to make a lot of edits
Original draft was rife with inconsistencies, plot holes, and setups that never got payoff.
Overall, I’d give this first era a 7/10, for the confidence boost if nothing else. I would never have tackled a full trilogy at that stage in my writing journey, but the fact that I finished one book, made me realize I could probably do it again! I proved something to myself and unlocked a love for writing that I’ve never known before.
Book 2: the Rewrites Era
Fueled by my success with Gift, I tackled Song of the Tiding Bearer with enthusiasm. I had a pretty good idea what I wanted it to be about, and so I cobbled together a rough outline and started writing—the technique that had proven effective my first time around.
Only this time… It didn’t quite work out that way. Writing a sequel is an entirely different beast, and I got a several thousand words into the first draft many times, only to realize there were new problems I’d never be able to fix if I continued with the plot in that direction. To put in context just how many times I had to do this: my scraps document for Song is over 40k words. I eventually gave up on the book and didn’t come back to it until a year later.
This was God’s timing, of course. That year was filled with lessons and experiences that transformed my vision for the story—and directly connected me with Mavis’s experience of heartbreak and questioning.
When I tackled the mess of half-finished scenes and loose-ended chapters I’d left behind, I did it with a new theme in mind, and a growing determination to tell the story God’s way. I was still pretty unclear on some of the plot details, but many of the kinks worked themselves out as I went. And even so, I had to rewrite many scenes when I finally made it to the end.
The Pros:
Giving the story a long rest in the middle turned out to be just what God needed to work on my own heart and prepare me to write the story He wanted to tell.
My instincts for compelling pace and action improved dramatically.
The fluid plot allowed me to take the story in some unexpected directions.
The Cons:
The number of rewrites left the story full of inconsistencies and fragments from previous drafts that were excruciating to weed out in the editing process (and I still missed several in my first round of edits).
Having to restart the plot three full times was extremely discouraging.
Even excluding the year I stepped away from this book, it took the longest out of any in the trilogy.
5/10 writing method, and I only rate it that high because of how God used the story to transform me.
Book 3: the Chapter Outline Era (she’s glowing)
As I’m sure you can imagine, I wasn’t keen to repeat the process of Song when I tackled the climax of the trilogy in Heart of the Tiding Bearer. My instincts and skills were sharper than ever, I had a vivid vision for the final installment in the series, and I was finally ready to return to my roots with a proper plot outline.
In the past, I’ve only outlined the story’s general structure, broken up into three acts. But I wasn’t taking any chances this time. No more 10k word rewrites, no more overstuffed scrap documents—this time, I’d be plotting chapter by chapter so I could work everything out in bullet points before getting into the hard work of bringing the characters and action to life. Not only did this work even better than I’d hoped, it also led to a great discovery!
Writing Hack: If you outline your chapters in bullet points before drafting, you can copy each section into the first page of the new chapter and delete bullet points as you fill out the scenes. This way, you’re never facing an intimidating blank page at the start of your writing.
Using this method, I beat all previous records and completed the book in five months, with far less editing than the first two required. Book 3 was also the first time I felt my skill catch up to my vision and the scenes I wrote becoming everything I wanted them to be. Although the entire trilogy is as dear to me as if they were my own children, Heart of the Tiding Bearer remains my favorite simply because it was the first book where I mastered pace, action, building tension, character development, and climaxes. It inspired me so much that I rewrote book 1 entirely and revised book 2 to ensure the series reached its full potential.
The Cons:
Takes longer to get into the actual writing of the book, which can feel frustrating at times
The Pros:
Identify and resolve plot holes from a big picture view, instead of having to work them out after you’ve already poured hours into crafting the perfect scene
Understand the actual architecture of the plot from an overhead perspective
Avoid blank page syndrome
Easier to place foreshadowing and set up large payoffs
This plotting technique gets a 9/10 from me. I know it won’t work for everyone, but it’s definitely been the most effective for me. That being said, I think you can see from this post how the steps I took to get here were a necessary part of the process. If you’re a new writer, don’t discount the fact that your first story is teaching you foundational principles you’ll use for the rest of your life. And if you’re an experienced author, don’t be afraid to try something new! You never know what could be just the technique you need.
DM me on Instagram if you ever want to talk plot or writing, and until next time, stay kind, curious, and courageous. <3 <3 <3