Maxwell Smart
asked
Tricia O'Malley:
When you get an idea in your head for a new book. How long does it take from idea, to finished rough draft? What is your process to collect and organize?
Tricia O'Malley
Hi Maxwell
That's a tricky question to answer because one of my top strengths is ideation. So, it isn't coming up with an idea so much as selecting which idea to follow through with. What I typically do is let the ideas come (always when I wake up at 3 am or in the shower or on a walk) and then I write them down and email them to myself. I put those in a folder in my email and revisit it periodically. However, if one idea keeps sticking, I know to elevate that higher on the list. From there, I take an idea and flesh it out lightly in an outline. Just dropping a few key plot points that I could see happening and how I would want the story to resolve. After that, I start to build out my characters and see how they bounce off each other. Once I start writing, I keep adding to my outline or changing things as I go. I look at the outline as a loose framework, and then I expand from there. The actual writing process takes the least amount of time once I get to that point - so typically a rough draft can be done in anywhere from a couple of weeks to two months depending on the story.
All the best
Tricia
That's a tricky question to answer because one of my top strengths is ideation. So, it isn't coming up with an idea so much as selecting which idea to follow through with. What I typically do is let the ideas come (always when I wake up at 3 am or in the shower or on a walk) and then I write them down and email them to myself. I put those in a folder in my email and revisit it periodically. However, if one idea keeps sticking, I know to elevate that higher on the list. From there, I take an idea and flesh it out lightly in an outline. Just dropping a few key plot points that I could see happening and how I would want the story to resolve. After that, I start to build out my characters and see how they bounce off each other. Once I start writing, I keep adding to my outline or changing things as I go. I look at the outline as a loose framework, and then I expand from there. The actual writing process takes the least amount of time once I get to that point - so typically a rough draft can be done in anywhere from a couple of weeks to two months depending on the story.
All the best
Tricia
More Answered Questions
Shelly Lowe
asked
Tricia O'Malley:
How do you do it? I am currently reading your Grace’s Cove series. You do them so well. I have tried to write but I never can bring things together. Each book in this series you have intertwined them, so as to keep us reading. I love the way you do them. Thanks for the great reads. I am on the 10th one.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more