Book in a Month

1. Commit Fully and Stay Positive

It’s always too early to quit.

Embrace the experience. Writing a book in a month is a challenging but achievable goal designed to give you the direct experience of creating a complete story. This journey is about facing blocks, developing goals, and sticking to them, not necessarily producing a perfect first draft. Approach the process with a positive attitude, focusing on solutions rather than problems, and believing in your ability to finish.

Positivity fuels progress. A positive mindset is crucial for overcoming the inevitable difficulties. It helps you believe in yourself, see the best in situations, focus on solutions, and remain persistent. Negativity can shut down creativity and push away your muse, so acknowledge negative feelings, experience them briefly, and then consciously let them go to maintain momentum.

Celebrate milestones. Finishing Week 1 is a significant accomplishment, proving you can dedicate yourself to writing daily. Don't underestimate this progress. Building the habit of writing every day is vital, and each completed week makes the next one easier, reinforcing your commitment and showing yourself that your dreams are important enough to make time for.

2. Embrace the Five Core Secrets

You cannot write and rewrite at the same time if you want to finish a book in 30 days.

Work "As If". The first secret is to keep writing forward without stopping to revise. Jot down notes for changes (character names, plot points, subplots, settings) on a Story Tracker worksheet and continue writing as if those changes are already made. This prevents getting bogged down in editing and allows new ideas to flow freely, saving detailed revisions for later.

Simplify the draft. Secret two advises leaving out subplots in the initial draft. Focusing solely on the main characters and plotline allows you to race to the end faster. Subplots often change significantly during rewrites anyway, so developing them fully in the first draft can be a waste of precious time. You can note ideas for subplots and weave them in during revision.

Be realistic and self-aware. Secrets three and four emphasize practicality and psychology. Be realistic about your capacity given life circumstances (jobs, family, health); if a full draft is too much, aim for a detailed outline. Examine your self-esteem; guilt and shame hinder progress, while believing "I matter, and so do my goals" is essential for committing time and energy to writing.

Trust the process. The final secret is trusting yourself to handle whatever challenges arise. Most writing blocks stem from a lack of self-trust. Visualize yourself successfully navigating fears like rejection or not meeting goals. Understand that setbacks are normal, and if you don't reach your goal, you can honestly assess why and adjust for next time, rather than giving up.

3. Ruthlessly Prioritize and Manage Time

When you say you don’t have the time, what you are really saying is, “Something else is more important right now than writing.”

Time is a choice. Lack of time is often an excuse; successful authors, like Nora Roberts, balance life's demands by making writing a priority. For 30 days, writing must be high on your list. Track your time to identify where precious moments are spent and schedule writing sessions, recognizing that finding or making time is essential.

Apply the 80/20 rule. The Pareto Principle suggests 20% of effort yields 80% of results. Identify and eliminate the 80% of unproductive tasks or distractions that consume your time without contributing to your writing goals. Simplify your life for the month by dropping busywork, negative influences, or unrealistic expectations like having a perfectly clean house.

Take and protect your time. Don't ask others for time; just take it by scheduling appointments with yourself that are non-negotiable. Consider "buying" time by paying for services (cleaning, takeout) or bartering favors. Learn to say a firm and direct "no" to requests that conflict with your writing appointments, overcoming the fear of conflict or disappointing others.

4. Confront and Overcome Resistance

What you have to do and the way you have to do it are incredibly simple. Whether you are willing to do it is another matter.

Resistance is normal. Any significant goal, like writing a book in a month, will trigger resistance, which is your subconscious trying to protect you from risks or stepping outside your comfort zone. Signs include feeling too busy, procrastinating, seeking external validation, losing interest, disorganization, feeling paralyzed, impatience, or attracting negativity.

Identify the root fear. Resistance is often rooted in fear, such as fear of success, failure, judgment, or not being good enough. Journaling or asking probing questions can help uncover these underlying fears. Re-framing these fears and understanding that they are normal parts of the creative process is the first step to moving past them.

Implement overcoming strategies. A structured approach helps combat resistance. Create an outline, break tasks into small steps, know your next step, hold yourself accountable (e.g., online groups), gather support, be specific about goals, visualize success, set a deadline (30 days), celebrate small wins, and make writing a daily habit. If stuck, use the delay technique: commit to writing for just 10-15 minutes before giving up.

5. Define Your Passion and Set Realistic Goals

The difference between a goal and a dream is the written word.

Write what matters. Choosing the right project is crucial for motivation. Identify your passions, values, and beliefs as a writer. What gives you energy? What themes or ideas consistently appear in your work or the stories you love? Your passion should directly influence your story idea, making it uniquely yours and sustaining your interest over the 30 days.

Articulate your vision. Use exercises like "The Rocking Chair Rule" to envision the book you were meant to write and its core message. Condense your identity as a writer into a one-sentence pitch (e.g., "Spunky heroines and slapstick comedy are what writer Jack Doe is all about"). This clarifies your unique voice and helps you slant projects, even work-for-hire, to fit your style.

Set achievable goals. Write down concrete goals for the 30 days. Start small to build confidence; if aiming for 100 pages, break it down to 25 pages a week or 3-4 pages a day. Adjust goals if life circumstances change or if you fall significantly behind, but always strive to reach "The End," even if the page count is lower than initially hoped.

6. Use the 3-Act Structure as Your Guide

Just get a draft on paper.

Structure provides direction. While some writers dislike outlining, having a basic structure is essential for writing a book in 30 days. The traditional three-act structure (Act I: Setup, Act II: Development, Act III: Climax/Resolution) serves as a roadmap, preventing tangents and ensuring you progress towards the ending within the tight deadline.

Acts as guideposts. Divide your 30 days and your page/word count goal by the three acts (Week 1: Act I, Weeks 2-3: Act II, Week 4: Act III). This helps manage your progress and ensures you don't spend too long setting up the story or rushing the ending. For example, if writing 80,000 words, aim for 20,000 in Act I, 40,000 in Act II, and 20,000 in Act III.

Turning points propel. Within the acts, key turning points (at the end of Act I and Act II) act as smaller guideposts. These events shift the story's direction, raise questions, and propel the narrative forward. Understanding where these points should roughly occur helps maintain momentum and build tension towards the climax.

7. Develop Core Story Elements Quickly

Everything about this particular story and characters will be contained within these pages.

Start with the core. Begin by writing a one-sentence summary of your story, acting as its spine. This concise statement helps you stay focused and evaluate whether potential scenes or ideas fit the core narrative. It's your essential map, even for non-outliners.

Map key scenes. Outline your story's ten key scenes (or events), such as the opening, turning points, and climax. Think of these as the most important moments. While your final draft will have more scenes, focusing on these ten core events helps structure the narrative and ensures each major scene serves a purpose (advancing plot, revealing character, etc.).

Sketch characters and plot. Use quick worksheets like the Story Idea Map, At-A-Glance Outline, Character Story Sketch, and Character Snapshot to rapidly brainstorm and capture essential details about your plot, characters, and settings. These tools help organize ideas without getting bogged down, providing quick references as you write fast.

8. Intensify Conflict and Build Turning Points

A [person] is like a tea bag. You never know strong she is until she gets into hot water.

Escalate the problem. Act II is where the initial problem intensifies. Introduce barriers (character tries something, it fails), complications (new elements worsen the problem), and situations (new dramatic predicaments). Continuously make things harder for your characters to raise the stakes and keep readers engaged.

Create a temporary triumph. Around the halfway mark (end of Act II, Part 1), build a temporary triumph where the main character believes they've achieved their goal. This moment of success is short-lived, setting up the reversal that follows and creating anticipation for how the character will react when things fall apart.

Develop the reversal and dark moment. The reversal (start of Act II, Part 2) shatters the temporary triumph, worsening the problem and leading to the dark moment where the character seems to fail or feels overwhelmed. This is a crucial low point that tests the character and pushes them towards the Act II turning point.

Craft the Act II turning point. This turning point, usually near the end of Act II, propels the story towards the finale. Often, the main character is forced to make a difficult decision as a direct result of the reversal and dark moment, actively choosing the path that leads to the final confrontation.

9. Deepen Your Story with Theme and Character Arc

Why you wrote this story and what you like about your story both tell you something about the theme.

Uncover your theme. While theme often emerges subconsciously, by Week 3, you should start to identify the underlying message, symbols, or ideas in your story. Use tools like the Theme Spider to explore what you want readers to gain and why you were compelled to write this story. Theme adds depth and makes your work uniquely yours.

Weave theme subtly. Theme should be woven into the fabric of your story through character choices, plot events, settings, and symbols, rather than being overtly stated or preachy. Ensure your creative choices support your theme and that it's clear enough for readers to grasp by the end.

Chart character transformation. Track your main character's internal journey throughout the acts. How do the conflicts, setbacks, and triumphs change them? Map their character arc from beginning to end, ensuring their growth (or resistance to change) feels earned and believable.

Show character evolution. In Act III, demonstrate the hero's transformation through their actions and reactions, especially during the final obstacle and climax. Consider how other characters react to the hero's changes, adding realism and exploring the consequences of personal growth.

10. Craft a Powerful Climax and Resolution

The great beginning keeps them reading this book, but a great ending keeps them thinking about it long after they’ve put the book down.

Build to the final obstacle. Before the climax, the hero must face one last significant obstacle. This final test pushes the character to their limits and serves as the immediate setup for the confrontation with the villain. Ensure this obstacle is challenging and reveals something crucial about the hero's readiness for the finale.

Deliver a compelling climax. The climax is the peak of the story, where the main character directly confronts the villain and the central conflict is resolved. This scene should be dynamic, fast-paced, and pay off the tension built throughout the story. Ensure the outcome (hero succeeds, fails, or changes goals) is earned and believable based on what came before.

Resolve loose ends. The resolution follows the climax and ties up all remaining loose ends. Resolve subplots, show the aftermath of the main conflict, and allow the main character (and readers) to reflect on the journey. Ensure the ending provides closure and fulfills the promises made to the reader, especially regarding genre conventions.

Fulfill genre expectations. Regardless of your specific story, the ending must satisfy the core requirements of your genre (e.g., romance ends with the couple together, mystery solves the crime). A strong ending leaves a lasting impression and makes the reader feel the journey was worthwhile.

11. Plan for Revision, Not Perfection

first drafts are first drafts, no matter who writes them!

Focus on completion. The primary goal of BIAM is to finish a complete draft in 30 days. Do not strive for perfection in this initial stage. Embrace the messiness of a first draft, knowing that its purpose is simply to get the story down from beginning to end.

Note for later. As you write, use your worksheets and notes sheets to jot down ideas for revisions, plot holes, character inconsistencies, research needs, or areas that need more depth (like subplots or theme). This allows you to maintain forward momentum without forgetting crucial changes needed during the rewrite.

The real work begins after. Finishing the draft is a massive accomplishment, but it's just the first step. The rewrite stage is where you'll refine the story, fix holes, deepen characters, strengthen theme, polish prose, and make it ready for potential publication. Celebrate completing the draft, then prepare for the next phase of the writing process.

Last updated: May 19, 2025