When I set out to write my first book of fiction, I pestered every writer I knew and read many books on the subject. I learned quite a bit, but what I really wanted was...less. I didn't want to know how to become a literary genius; I just wanted to know what to put in my first draft. A recipe, if you will. This is what I wound up with:
To write a 180 page rough draft, you will need 20 chapters.
Each chapter has 3 scenes.
Each scene contains action, description and dialogue.
Each scene should be about three pages.
This gives you a general outline. Once you decide how much time each day you can devote to writing and how much you can accomplish in that time, you'll be able to do some quick math and get an estimate of when you'll be done that first draft.
As you write, you'll find some scenes and chapters are longer or shorter, and that is fine.
Simple, huh? That's just an overview--we'll be exploring each part in depth in future posts. And if any of you find the secret to literary genius, let me know.
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