Writing As A Second Career

Writing and finishing a novel can feel overwhelming. If you're like most writers, you need to fit writing around other responsibilities and goals. Maybe you're working at a separate job or profession, raising a family, or pursuing a degree (or all of the above). But there's good news. No matter what else is happening in your life, you can write a novel in a year. The One-Year Novelist walks you through the steps week-by-week, taking you from idea to finished draft. It also includes ways to strengthen your commitment so you'll be sure to finish in a year. This book is for you if: - You've been meaning to write a novel for a while but aren't sure how to find the time - You started novels before but never quite made it to the finish line - You finished a novel before but felt like it took too long This plan will work whether you can follow the age-old advice of at writing the same time every week or day or whether you need more flexibility because you never have a regular schedule.

Struggling to start your novel? Stuck in the middle? Finished a first draft, but it doesn't really grab you? This short, easy-to-follow book helps you speed through your first draft, minimize major rewrites, and keep readers turning the pages. Using specific questions and prompts to expand and focus your story idea, plus examples from plots as diverse as The Terminator, The Awakening, and Gone with the Wind, best-selling author L. M. Lilly talks you through the five simple steps she's used to write every novel she's published. Keep your pen, keyboard, or phone at your side as you listen, and you'll learn to create: **Strong conflict **Characters the reader cares about **Five basic plot points **Compelling subplots Most important, Super Simple Story Structure talks you through what should happen in the middle of the novel - that spot that many writers approach with dread. What you'll create won't be so structured that you'll feel hemmed in and stifled, but it will be enough that you can write your first draft quickly, without getting stuck staring at a blank screen for an hour, then giving up and checking your social media accounts.