BAIT - Has anyone written a book in 28 days?

[gub2000]

First let me say to Nick, I got a lot out of your course. The section on creating an outline and converting it to a blue print is great. But I am getting tripped up when it comes to churning out a ms in just 28 days.

Has anyone actually completed a book in 28 days using Nicks course? I'm working on a novel right now. So I'm not sure if it's just my trouble getting my thoughts together or there are some holes in Nick's course.

gub2000

[robert1704]

Hi Gub2000

I didn't hear anyone who did it until now.
However, when you have the characters and the ouline  ready and you have a full working (without too many thea-breaks) day for writing available, it must be possible to write a 300 pages novel.
But... as most of us are not yet professional full time writers, we don't have a full working day for writing.

Robert

[prophetcharlesb]

Well Im waiting to get his course in so I can get started. Is there a max or min to the book you can write in 28 days?? Anyway Im going to put it to the test soon and looking forward to it.

[SheWritesRight]

I did Nick's course last year and while I did get the book written in 28 days it was hard and only about 40,000 words and it was no where near publishable. 

I also do Nanowrimo (National Novel writing Month) every November at www.nanowrimo where you have to write a 50,000 word novel in one month (November, of course) and upload it by midnight on the 30th.  That too is possible but extrememly time consuming and the novel needs a complete re-edit and rewrite.

I figure that to write an 80,000 word novel in 28 days you'd have to write over 2,850 words a day which is over 14 pages.

I think it would be almost impossible to get it word perfect the first time but I'm not sure how well the 28 day thing works with non-fiction books.  It usually takes me 2 days to write a 1,000 word article and even then I have to do all the research first.

I guess that it really depends on how much time you have and how dedicated you are.

I'll be interested to read other people's comments who've tried it.

I'll watch this space.

[Mr. Bits]

I don't understand why anyone would want to. What's the hurry?!

[SuzieHarris]

I did it, several times over in fact. I owe my career to Nick and swear by his course.

Suzie

[Jayel]

Nope, not in 28 days, but Nick's course has been invaluable and I certainly can't blame my pace on him or the course.  As Robert mentioned - a lot of it has to do with length.  Each of my novels has exceeded 110,000 words.  I did finish a 113,000+ word draft in 36 days.  I thought that was pretty impressive and I did it following Nick's guidelines.

[gub2000]

Ok Suzie and Jayel, what kept you on track? Clearly both of you are doing something right.

gub2000

[tigger]

I'm interested in the answer here too.

I know that Nick's course helped me create an EXCELLENT title, and definately helped me shape the organizational aspects of my work; but I didn't get to the contents. There are several reasons for this. First, the book I'm planning on writing is not fictional and quite comprehensive, more like a thesis in fact. I expect to write it one day. This is the second reason this book is on hold. Preparing my research sent me into registration for a Bachelor Degree Program (I have a new twist on a subject hundreds of books have already been written about. Now I need/want an authoritative voice).

So, I haven't discounted the course Nick formulated. I found his methods very well presented. When I'm prepared to write what I consider will be the most valuable book I will ever write, I will work hard to use every possible method to achieve my goal of excellence, including Nick's advice/suggestons/outlines from 'Write Any Book in 28 Days'. 

Still, I'm curious about what kept Suzie and Jayel on track.

You see, apart from that book, I've been working on 'some books' in my head for years now; and I'm CERTAIN that once the writer in me BREAKS OUT, there'll be no stopping what is waiting to outpour. The question is what will BREAK ME LOOSE? I DON'T have WRITER'S BLOCK.

How do I know? I can write tidbits (pages and rheems) on any subject I'm well versed in. The only problem is, I'm often disappointed with the outcome. Since I want my work to be excellent, I'm probably my own worst enemy in this regard. :S If I don't like what I've written the writer in me grows cold.

Anyway, I'd love to read your responses Jayel and Suzie. (Great subject Gub!)

tigger:)

[Jayel]

Tigger, for me there is no option when it comes to staying on track.  When a story comes, I can't stop it.  It's like an idea hemorrhage. The tale is like a movie playing within my mind, I simply look and listen and write it down - I don't know any other way to describe it.  It has been like that through four novel manuscripts and does not seem to be any different with the new series I have just begun. My husband says that I speak the character diaglogue aloud, but if I do, I am not really aware of it - except when I tape ideas that come so fast I can't keep up (like in the car or when I awake in the night).

As I write this it reads back to me like the ravings of a mad woman, and perhaps it is - I have been consumed by the tale since the day I began to write four years ago. I expect that one morning I will wake up empty and at that point I will stop, but until then I will tell the story as the characters dictate.

*laughs at herself* I guess it is a good thing I live in a very small town that is filled with writers and artists, and where eccentricity is accepted as normal.

[gub2000]

I guess it is a good thing I live in a very small town that is filled with writers and artists, and where eccentricity is accepted as normal.

Jayel, that line made me think of your picture on your site - LOOK OUT IT'S A LADY WITH A SWORD!! Seriously though I like your web site

I guess my problem is the bleeding stops before I have a full blown 'idea hemorrhage' (is this an idea paper cut?) I'm in a similar boat as tigger. I have a lot of stories in my head fighting to get on the page. It's like a WWF cage match. One story looks like the winner so I start working on it. Than BAM another story smacks it over the head with a metal chair. And while all this is going on a movie script I wrote almost 2 years ago wants to come out of retirement and join the fight.

gub2000

[prophetcharlesb]

Howdy gub2000 Sounds like to me you gots the cold feets. Outside of Nicks course you might try Milli Thorton's book "Fear of Writing". I just got a copy and reading it. Its pretty danged good. Of course I dont have a prob with writing fear. Im use to speaking to small and large crowds and writing corp newsletters, brochures, product catalogs etc... Anyhows like I said Im enjoying the book and it might be worth you considering it. If nothing else just go to her website the cober picture will make you 

http://www.fearofwriting.com

[ChipTee]

Interesting. BBC Scotland is doing a thing on this based on February (28 days) Is this connected to you Nick?

Go to:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/radioscotland/view/show.shtml?writehere

Trust I've got the link right. It's not a competition, just fun. Only 1000 words a day (only?) and points out at 28K that will be longer than Stephenson's Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

Chip

[Lin]

Well I have say folks that I actually did put my novel together in around 28 days.  I used free writing, all I can say is that I had all the book and the plot and everything planned out from start to finish and written in 50.000 words in that time.   All I had to do was expand on the information I already had to make it to 100K words. That took another two months.    I knew what I wanted and went for it.  Then I had to ask a friend to read it for me and comment, she was my best ally and critic.   

Yes you can write a book in that time, but I think the hardest part is putting it together when you are not an expert at writing and you have to sort out all the grammar and errors as well as the permission to publish quotes.  Then there is the expansion on the story to make it sound better and so on.   So yes you can write a book in 28 days, Nick is showing you in his course how to do this, its all the other stuff afterwards which  I think is the most difficult part.   
Lin

[Jayel]

I guess it is a good thing I live in a very small town that is filled with writers and artists, and where eccentricity is accepted as normal.

Jayel, that line made me think of your picture on your site - LOOK OUT IT'S A LADY WITH A SWORD!! Seriously though I like your web site

I guess my problem is the bleeding stops before I have a full blown 'idea hemorrhage' (is this an idea paper cut?) I'm in a similar boat as tigger. I have a lot of stories in my head fighting to get on the page. It's like a WWF cage match. One story looks like the winner so I start working on it. Than BAM another story smacks it over the head with a metal chair. And while all this is going on a movie script I wrote almost 2 years ago wants to come out of retirement and join the fight.

gub2000

When I first began writing it dawned on me that I couldn't very well write a sword fight if I could not use a sword.  I have been studying the sword with a very patient instructor for almost three years now, and while I am not a master, I am quite adept. If I can't do it, my female characters don't do it in the books.  I think the neighbors have grown used to me practicing on the lawn; the crossbow makes them a bit more nervous. Thanks for the website compliment.

Ahhh, the paper cut ideas - I have those frequently, though mine are usually character related.  I call them character auditions.  I jot down a few notes when they pop up and let them stew a bit, if they continue to nag me, I give them a full section in my notebook or add them to the recorder.  Occasionally a character refuses to be put off and when that happens I invariably discover that they either meld into the current story or evolve into a main character worthy of their own tale. I have really learned to listen to 'the voices in my head' - *watch out, here come those men in the white coats*.

A tape recorder works really well for those 'paper cuts' - lets you keep the idea safe and get back to it at your leisure.  I never ignore a persistently nagging character or idea - they are often the very best - but, I don't let them interrupt the flow of the current work, and that was something that took a bit of practice.  I used to let the new characters wander freely and they were quite distracting, now I keep them locked in a closet and only hear the infrequent moan out of them.  I guess you eventually learn to 'partition' your brain.