How to Write for a Living

How to Write for a Living

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How to Write for a Living
How to Write for a Living
The Novelist’s 6-Stage Pathway To Publication

The Novelist’s 6-Stage Pathway To Publication

Every writer’s journey begins with a first step (followed by thousands more).

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David McIlroy
Aug 31, 2023
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How to Write for a Living
How to Write for a Living
The Novelist’s 6-Stage Pathway To Publication
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Photo by Daniel Thomas on Unsplash

No writer truly knows what to expect when they start their first novel.

Until the metaphorical (or in rare cases, literal) pen touches the page and the author’s imaginings begin manifesting before their eyes, their experience of the writing process is simply conjecture.

How will it feel to see my story come to life, they might ask? How long will it take to finish it? Can I even do this at all?

Those were certainly questions I asked myself when I began writing my first novel midway through the opening salvo of the COVID pandemic.

I’d written plenty by that stage — poems, short stories, at least one novella — but I’d never completed an entire novel-length piece before. I genuinely didn’t know what to expect from the process. Even if I did manage to finish my book, would it be any good? Would anyone actually want it?

Fast-forward to July 2023 and most of my initial questions have been answered. It turns out, I can finish a full novel (three of them, in fact) and someone did want my debut piece (my lovely agent). Whether or not a publisher wants it still remains to be seen, but fingers crossed.

But what I do know for sure is that my novel-writing process follows a distinct pattern, and I believe that same pattern applies to the vast majority of authors as they walk the path to publication. I’ve condensed that journey into the following six broad stages.

Stage One: Finding Inspiration

This is the birthplace of every story, when that tiny flicker in the dark recesses of the writer’s imagination first sparks to life.

Inspiration can strike anywhere, and more often than not, it’s at the worst possible time. I’ve had my brightest ideas in the shower, or while driving home, or (most annoyingly) just as I’m about to fall asleep. If you’re a writer, I’m quite sure that’s happened to you as well.

Unfortunately, you may not have time to wait around for inspiration to find you. You’ll more than likely have to go out and find it for yourself.

Ask this question: where do you feel most at ease? During an evening walk through the woods? Or maybe while drinking your morning coffee? At what point in your day does your mind feel most detached from itself?

If you can, intentionally place yourself in that environment and make space for the inspiration that’s merely been simmering to come to the boil. Finding and drawing from inspiration is the first stage in the writer’s journey.

To read the rest of this article (and unlock full access to my entire catalogue) simply upgrade to my paid plan - it costs about as much as one coffee per month.

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