How to Write a Novel in Half a Month: WMG Writer's Guides

By Dean Wesley Smith

Many writers seem to view writing a novel while working a full-time job as an impossible task.

USA Today bestselling writer Dean Wesley Smith once again proves that notion false.

In this latest WMG Writer's Guide, Smith details out his days while he works at his publishing business, teaches online workshops, keeps fit, and writes the latest novel—all in 15 days. And enjoys doing it all!

Author of more than one-hundred-and-fifty novels, Smith shares his strategies for staying focused, keeping upbeat, and enjoying what he loves most—writing.

"Dean Wesley Smith's blog gives both a slightly different view of the publishing world than I'd seen before and detailed hands-on "here's how to get from A to B" instruction."— Erin M. Hartshorn, Vision: A Resource for Writers

• Language: English
• Publisher: WMG Publishing
• Release date: May 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201824679

Dean Wesley Smith

Considered one of the most prolific writers working in modern fiction, USA TODAY bestselling writer, Dean Wesley Smith published far over a hundred novels in forty years, and hundreds of short stories across many genres. He currently produces novels in four major series, including the time travel Thunder Mountain novels set in the old west, the galaxy-spanning Seeders Universe series, the urban fantasy Ghost of a Chance series, and the superhero series staring Poker Boy. During his career he also wrote a couple dozen Star Trek novels, the only two original Men in Black novels, Spider-Man and X-Men novels, plus novels set in gaming and television worlds.

Book preview

How to Write a Novel in Half a Month

How to Write a Novel in Half a Month

A WMG Writer’s Guide

Dean Wesley Smith

WMG Publishing, Inc.

Contents

Introduction

Prologue

1. Day One

2. Day Two

3. Day Three

4. Day Four

5. Day Five

6. Day Six

7. Day Seven

8. Day Eight

9. Day Nine

10. Day Ten

11. Day Eleven

12. Day Twelve

13. Day Thirteen

14. Day Fourteen

15. Last Writing Day…Day Fifteen

Epilogue

Writing into the Dark

Writing into the Dark

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About the Author

Introduction

I have done numbers of these writing books, basically just showing in public (meaning on my blog) what it is like to write a novel in a certain amount of time.

And then I turn the daily blog posts into chapters in the book and put the book out so anyone can read it and follow along. Actually see what it is like for a professional writer to write a book fairly quickly and in final form.

The reason for doing this is because so many writers believe in the myths that writing novels should take a long time, that it must be difficult, and that you must rewrite whatever you have done until it is mush and no one wants to read it.

I write a single draft, with some cycling every so often, so that when I get to the end, I need to have it checked for typos and then off it goes into print.

So one of these fun adventures I wrote a novel in five days while traveling. I was on a guy’s trip to play poker in Las Vegas. So why not write a novel along the way? And I did.

I have done novels in public in seven days and in ten days. Almost all of my novels are in the 40,000 plus word range that I have done in public. One, however, was an 80,000 word novel in twelve days that I was doing for a traditional New York publisher, the last one I ever did as a ghost writer.

This book done in a half month was while I was basically working a full-time job with the teaching and publishing and business stuff. In fact, one of the weeks I worked over sixty hours on other things besides writing.

It was a busy time.

So each chapter from here on out is a blog that is still on my website. Including the prologue. I would suggest you just follow the writing process along and when you find yourself thinking you could never do this or that, stop and check in with yourself. All of this I relay here is possible for a 70-yearold man like me, so it clearly is possible for you.

Enjoy.

Dean

Prologue

Decided to do it. Write a novel in public again, detailing it out in blog posts every night. Totally insane, but great fun, which is why I am doing this.

The last few days were interesting. The more I looked at the next ten to twelve days, and looked at deadlines, and publishing and other writing projects I will be doing, the more I realized how much I had to do. So the sane thing would be to just push off trying to do a novel quickly and in public. I’ve failed a number of times trying this because of scheduling issues the first year I was here in Las Vegas. But those issues are gone now.

Now I am writing fine, just stupidly busy with other projects.

But even being normally busy, I still pretty much write every