the fiction author's field guide
Write the
sparkling book.
Then publish it. No mystique, no gatekeeping — just the exact sequence of decisions that turns a stray idea into a novel someone can buy.
write the bad draft kill the prologue 500 words a day endings first query in batches finish something write the bad draft kill the prologue 500 words a day endings first query in batches finish something
90k
words in an average debut novel
6 mo
to draft it at 500 words a day
1 in 30
queries that get a full request
3
revision passes before anyone reads it
The four movements of a book
01
Find the burst
One restless idea. Learn how to test whether yours can carry ninety thousand words.
02
Draft badly, on purpose
A finished ugly draft beats a perfect first chapter. Build a pace you can actually keep.
03
Revise like an editor
Structure, then scenes, then sentences. Three passes, in that order, every time.
04
Get it into the world
Agents, small presses, or self-publishing — pick the route that fits the book you wrote.
“The first draft is you telling yourself the story. Everything after that is telling it to someone else.”
Chapter one is waiting.
Seven steps to a finished draft, then five to get it published.
Open the guide →