Write a treatment.

Okay, so now I’ve plotted my book out. What next? I rethink the whole thing. I ask myself the hard questions about whether or not my plot is believable. I make sure that the whole idea is compelling and worry constantly about what my character wants–is it strong enough to carry a reader to the end. I change this and add that, move this scene to here and discover a neat ending that I hadn’t even thought about at the beginning of this process. I made the father a nice guy, instead of a bad guy. When I am satisfied with my plot, I let it rest for a day or two.

Next I wrie a treatment. I take all of those scenes and write at least a paragraph about each one as I see them played out in the novel. They aren’t perfect (I’m sure my opening scene will change after I’m finished with the book.) I do this for chapters one through six, which is what will be equivalent to Act One–it takes us up to the point of no return in the first section. Something happens here that changes evrything for my heroine. It’s something so awful and so horrible, I don’t know if she can survive.

Having written this out, I read it over and think I’m ready to start writing my novel. The morning I’m ready to begin, I’m soaking in my bathtub when it comes to me–I have a major flas in my book.

Now if I had started to write and was now two thirds of the way through and came upon this flaw, I would be in crisis. Because I only have short scenes and a treatment written–I can change the problem easily.

I don’t have to commit literary suicide and throw the whole thing in the trash. I’m so grateful that I’m taking the time to work this process.

Next, I’ll talk about the actual writing of the novel and what happens during this process.