Treatment Plan

So for those of you who don’t know I’m going will be undergoing jaw surgery within the next year or two. I found out last week but I’m working out my treatment plan for now to see what it all entails. I’m both terrified and excited. Terrified because it’s my jaw we’re talking about. Excited because the headaches and jaw pain I’ve had for years could be eliminated.

But I’m not here to talk about my jaw. This pertains to writing… as does most of what I post does.

When writing we all follow our own personal treatment plan. What works best for us, the path we choose, and when to take a break from all the chaos.

I’ll outline. It’s a slim outline but nonetheless a guide to help me when I get stuck.

I’ll write my first draft. For me this is simple. I can knock out words in days. Fast novel written – 7 days (60K), longest written – 20 days (118K).

Here is where it gets tricky. This is where my treatment plan comes into play. Revisionland. I second guess myself constantly. There is no winning for me. I must take a deep breath and continue to push myself. I give myself goals.

2 weeks to read through novel. This gives me a chance to elaborate on anything I might have missed or completely reword and reconstruct sentences.

2 weeks to check grammar and run-ons. I know what I’m bad at so running through my novel once more before sending it off to beta readers is a must.

4 weeks with two beta readers. Only two. These are the two who know there stuff. They can correct my grammar. Show me the telling vs showing I missed. Things of that nature.

2 weeks to correct and revise from beta readers.

4 weeks for chick lit lovers. They are those who don’t write chick lit but adore reading it. For them I allow 4 weeks to devour my book and give me any last minute things to consider.

2 weeks to make changes if necessary.

So there you have it. My treatment plan when writing a novel. Now of course most of these don’t last that long. Even though it’s my personal goal I still strive for excellence before the due date.

What’s your treatment plan?