The Tidy Guide to Writing, Editing, and Publishing Your Novel

Part 3. Write your novel confidently with "Little Ups"

"You can't write a novel all at once, any more than you can swallow a whale in one gulp. You do have to break it up into smaller chunks. But those smaller chunks aren't good old familiar short stories. Novels aren't built out of short stories. They are built out of scenes." ~ Orson Scott Card

Writing a novel is a personal process and should feel natural to you. That's why I don't prescribe writing a certain number of words per day or following a rigid outline. Instead, focus on achieving Little Ups, mini milestones so that you know you're making progress. Before each writing session—or if you like to schedule, before you begin writing—set Little Up goals. As mentioned earlier, pick goals that are realistic but also challenge you. After all, the Big Up is to finish the novel!

My Little Up goals are unique to the book I'm currently working on. I often set a goal to complete a particular scene in each writing session. Under a tight deadline, I've often set a goal to complete a chapter in each writing session.

I recommend setting at least one Little Up goal for each writing session. That way, once you accomplish the Little Up, you can treat yourself to a little celebration, which could be a break, a visit to social media, or taking a walk.

Little Ups work because they are tangible steps forward in writing a novel. When you're writing three hundred or more pages, it's easy to feel overwhelmed or lost. You've already done all the planning; now it's time to watch yourself make solid progress on your novel. It doesn't matter how small the Little Up is, as long as it propels you and your story.

If you're a plotter, you can set your Little Up goals before each writing session. If you're a planner, you can build a list of your Little Up goals up front and map them to dates so that you'll see when you'll finish your novel by achieving all your Little Ups. However you choose to define your Little Up goals, don't wait too long to start writing, or else you'll lose some excitement you built during the planning steps, and you'll likely forget some brainstorming you did.

Jump in and write, using Little Ups to boost motivation and celebrate your accomplishments along the way. The rest of this section gives tips on writing the beginning, the ending, and the challenging depths in between.