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I've been faced with an interesting question: what are the stages of writing a novel - from planning to completion - and "goals" that writers reach during the entire process? I thought I'd ask the community for help. Here's what I've got so far: 1. Thinking of an idea (very brief summary of the story). 2. A basic outline. Summary of chapters and what happens in each chapter. 3. A detailed outline. Scene-by-scene outline of what happens within each chapter. 4. Writing a compelling first paragraph. We all know that this is important. 5. Adding a surprising twist (to keep the story interesting). 6. Completing the first chapter, then 2nd, then 3rd and so on (not necessarily in order for those of us who are organic rather than chronological writers). 7. Updating the outline a first time, then a second and third time (as you write and the story evolves in your head, it may be good to keep the outline updated and current). 8. Completing the first draft. 9. Killing your darlings - finding and eliminating scenes that you like (or perhaps you don't) but that don't add anything to the story (and should thus be removed, regardless of how much you loved the idea of that scene). 10. Re-reading and editing the first draft. 11. Sending the first draft to beta readers (external people who don't know your story and give feedback on it). 12. Final rewrite. 13. Proofreading (by an external person as it's easy to get blind to one's own text). 14. Sending the complete novel to publisher, or self-publishing. What else could be added to this list? What's your process like, if you have one? Thanks in advance for helping me brainstorm around this :D |