Lindsay Harrel, @LindsayHarrel

Earlier this month, I finished drafting another book. It always feels amazing to write The End, and this makes six books for me (of course, two of those will likely never see the light of day!).

One thing that was different in my drafting process this time around was that I wrote the book in about four months. Normally, it takes me much longer, but I was determined to see how fast I could actually do it.

Why, you might ask?

Lately, I have felt scatter-brained when it comes to my work. See, not only do I stay home with my two little boys, but I write novels, freelance edit, and sometimes teach classes online. I also have a new book releasing in February, and I have wanted to try my hand at writing a novella. There’s just a lot I want to do but like, all of you, I only have limited time available.

But I find that when I want to do too many things, I tend to spread myself too thin and don’t always make as much progress as I want on anything. So back in August, due to a lull in a few other work areas, I had the opportunity to brainstorm my next novel. I started wondering how quickly I could realistically write it if I wasn’t distracted by other projects or extra things on my plate.

So, I set out to discover if it was possible to finish the book before Thanksgiving (since the holidays tend to make me super lazy and I love spending most of my time with family and reading other people’s books).

And it was.

Want to know how I did it? Check out my tips below on how to write a book in four months.

(Now, before I dive into the nitty-gritty, here’s a caveat: we are all different. We write at different speeds. We have different writing processes. So everything I suggest might not work for you and your situation. That’s okay. Adapt what you can and throw out the rest! I have always found it inspiring to hear other writers’ processes and what they’re able to achieve. It has helped me to hone and discover my own process.)

1. Clear your schedule.

The first thing you need to do in order to write a book in four months is to clear your schedule. This may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s surprising how many little things can take up our time. First, I cleared my work schedule—I took a break from teaching and editing more than an hour or two a week. This was so that when I DID have work time, I could use it for writing.

Next, I did my best to clear the rest of my schedule. What I did was create a list of all the things I do during a week: take care of my kids, cook meals, clean the house, post on social media, exercise, etc. Then, I prioritized the activities based on their importance to me and the necessity of doing them during the next four months.

Finally, I figured out if anything on my to-do list could be done more efficiently. For example, I need to go grocery shopping, but I started ordering groceries online, which now saves me a few hours every week!

2. Establish a time to write.

I’ve found that if I don’t claim a time to write every day, then I won’t. As I stated earlier, I stay home with my two little kids, so naptime is my go-to writing time. I also occasionally write in the evenings—for example, every other week on Thursday nights, I meet with other authors and write at Panera for a few hours.

You may have to look at your schedule and get creative. Your writing time might not look like mine—a solid two-hour chunk of time. However, maybe you can write for an hour in the morning, an hour on your lunch break from your day job, and an hour in the evenings.

Figure out what will work for you. Then, make sure to commit to writing during that time by placing an appointment on your calendar and treating it just like any other scheduled meeting.

3. Know yourself.

In order to write the most efficiently, you need to create an environment that’s most conducive to it—and obviously, that’s going to vary for everyone. Decide where you write best and under what circumstances. For example, do you write best at home or a coffee shop? Do you like it to be completely quiet when you write or prefer to write with music on?

Sometimes, it’s not possible to write under the most ideal of circumstances. Flexibility is an important trait for writers to develop! However, when you DO have a choice, determine what works best for you and make it happen.

4. Make a plan.

In order to get your book done in four months, you need to set miniature goals. I found it best to break down my writing into weekly goals, then into daily goals. Specifically, I decided to write six scenes a week—one a day, with Sundays off. Some people write a certain number of words per day, but I find that writing in complete scenes works best for me.

I also am a plotter, so I typically know what will happen in a scene before I sit down to write. That’s how I can write a scene per working session, in about two hours. (A scene for me is usually 1200-1800 words.)

When I set out to create a plan, I decided to write about 50-55 scenes in my initial draft. Then, I divided that by six and saw it would take about nine weeks to draft the book. There was one week when my grandparents were in town, so I only had the goal of writing three scenes that week. Then, knowing that life happens (kids get sick, something breaks, plans get canceled), I also tacked an extra week onto my estimate to get myself a little leeway in finishing my book on time.

5. Just do the work.

Every day—whether you feel like it or not—just do the thing. Remember that the best thing about a draft is that it doesn’t have to be perfect! You will inevitably change things when you edit the book. Just getting words on the page is a huge deal.

Now, challenge yourself! See how quickly you can write a book.

Your Turn: Which of these tips do you think you can implement in drafting your next book?