How to Write a Book

Long ago I was an avowed pantser. I didn’t have a plan, didn’t want a plan, having a plan killed the story for me. Just dive in and go, that was the only way I could write.

Through the course of a few book-length drafts, I discovered what so many had before me: that way of writing is a ton of work in just the place I dislike it most–the editing process. And my plots didn’t hold the shape they should, being at least three parts kitchen-sink plot* every darn time. Try fixing that in a quick edit...