Why Outlining Doesn’t Stop at Your First Draft

by Lewis / July 9, 2019 / Outlining

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of outlining my novels.

An outline is one of the best tools in your writing arsenal, both when creating your story and for your productivity as a writer. Outlining your novel helps you work through all of the difficult parts of your story upfront, saving you time and stress when you sit down to write later on.

However, outlining shouldn’t end when you begin writing your first draft. An outline is a living document, something that continues to grow and evolve as you delve deeper into your story. In fact, there are five ways you can benefit from creating an outline, even once you’ve started writing your novel.

6 Lessons I Learned Self-Publishing My First Non-Fiction Book

by Lewis / July 2, 2019 / Post-Mortems, Publishing

It’s been a week since I self-published my first book.

After four months of work, I finally sent The Ten Day Outline into the world, giving me some much-needed time to rest and reflect. I’m so tremendously proud of the book I’ve created, but there are also things I wish I had done differently—or knew I needed to do in the first place.

Self-publishing is a complex topic, and the list of “things to-do” can seem never ending. This post is by no means an exhaustive analysis of everything you should do when self-publishing your novel—or non-fiction book in my case—but it is a look at the six things I wish I knew before self-publishing mine.

10 Steps for Outlining Your Next Novel

by Lewis / June 25, 2019 / Outlining

An outline is a huge asset when writing a novel.

Not only will it help you organize your thoughts before you jump into writing, but it will equip you with the perfect map for navigating your first draft. Creating an outline should be an essential part of every writer’s prewriting routine, for those two benefits alone.

However, a truly well-built outline can do so much more.

The Ten Day Outline is Here!

by Lewis / June 14, 2019 / News, Outlining

Before beginning any journey, you need a plan…

Writing a novel is no different. However, creating an outline that truly supports your novel isn’t the easiest task. Its needs to organize your scenes and characters, help you structure your story, and let you experiment with new ideas before you get thousands of words into your manuscript.

That’s where The Ten Day Outline comes in! Through a simple ten day challenge, this book guides you in creating an outline built to support every step of your writing journey and, along the way, it’ll help you form the foundation you need to write a novel you’re proud of.

How to Prove Your Idea Is Worth Writing

by Lewis / June 11, 2019 / Inspiration

A good idea is the foundation of every great story.

A massive white whale, an all-powerful ring, or a magical, transforming school bus… All of these beloved stories began thanks to someone’s brilliant idea. Yet, these initial sparks of inspiration didn’t carry their respective stories on their own. Their authors needed to expand on them in order to shape them into a fully fledged novel—and the same will be true for you.

However, before any of that can happen, you first need a novel-worthy idea. How do you know if your genius detective or dragon warlords will be enough to fill an actual story? Can you know if your ideas are any good before spending months writing your novel?