Why Start a New Writing Project Straight After Finishing Your Manuscript?
It may be that after finishing your manuscript the last thing you want to do is start a new writing project. However, I argue that this is the perfect time to start a new book.
Your Craft Is At Its Peak
Finishing a manuscript is a tough task. You’ve had to spend weeks, months, or even years with the story, plotting, writing, correcting, rewriting, and finally doing several rounds of edits. Finally, it’s at a stage where you can do no more to it without the help of a professional editor.
When you press ‘send’, perhaps you feel like celebrating?
That’s what I do, but in moderation. I congratulate myself on a job well done and try hard not to think about all the corrections and possibly even plot changes that the editor will most probably want me to do. I take a night off writing.
But, having done all that hard work on the manuscript, I know that this is the moment when my craft is at its peak. After a night’s rest, I look at any project that might have legs as a new novel and I start writing again.
The Habit Of Writing
If you decide to take a few days, even a week off, you may find it a lot harder to get back to writing.
Writing as a profession is a habit. The longer you leave between writing days, the harder it will be to get back to it.
Writing is also a craft. One which you have to practice all the time in order to get better at it.
All this may seem harsh to you, but I am not talking about spending 10-hour days writing. Even if you write 500 words every day, you will ensure that you hone your craft and keep your writing going.
In my latest nonfiction title, WRITE EVERY DAY, I talk a lot about how little time it really takes to write every day. You can easily get 500 words down in an hour. What’s more, you can do this anywhere or in any way.
For example, voice-to-text technology is getting better all the time. I know several fellow authors who dictate while on their daily walks. The dog and passers-by may give you strange glances, but then again they may not. How many people are on the phone while out and about these days?
Developing ‘Cast-Offs’
In the course of writing a fiction or nonfiction title, we end up abandoning a character, storyline, or subject matter from the manuscript.
The most natural and easiest way of getting back to writing is to start developing this subject or story. You may not get far with it, but just the act of getting back to writing will ensure that you keep developing your craft.
My new novel, AN ISLAND SUMMER, is currently with the editor, and I am writing the next book in LOVE ON THE ISLAND series from a storyline that just didn’t fit into the book. I’m not yet certain there will be enough for a whole novel, but because I have the storyline of the previous Book 4 fresh in my mind, it makes sense to develop this story, even if it only turns out to be a novella.
It’s worth always keeping any ‘cast-offs’ in a separate file so that you can use them in a new project. Even if this project doesn’t take off, it serves as means of keeping your writing craft primed.
Start Something New
I don’t know about you, but my dream in writing is always to start something completely new. Because I write series of books, this isn’t always possible, but at times I do just this.
Starting a brand new story is like entering into a new, passionate love affair. Everything is new and fresh and satisfying. Your characters are still obediently doing and saying what you’ve planned them to say and do. Your plot is working. You haven’t yet entered the tricky middle of the book when the plot starts to unravel and the characters are stubbornly charting their own course.
Well, that’s my writing journey anyway!
Yours will, most probably, be different.
However, I think most of us find something new refreshing? If this is you, do start a new project when you’ve finished your latest manuscript. Even if you don’t get to the end of this project, any writing is good practice.
Increase Your Book Sales
The more books you have published the more your book sales will increase.
This mantra isn’t absolutely always valid, but in 80% of the cases, it is true.
The books you publish have to be of good quality. They have to have professionally made covers that speak to readers who love your genre. Your marketing must be hitting the mark.
But if all of the above is in place, you will definitely sell more books the more titles you publish.
If a reader loves a book, nine out of ten times, they want to read more books by the same author. Many readers are so-called binge readers. Schemes such as Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited program reward such readers as well as authors who have signed up to the scheme. (This is the equivalent in book terms of the success of Netflix.)
Even if your books are a part of a series, such readers want to consume all of your titles one after another. If you find such readers, you can see how the more books you have out there, the more titles you sell.
Keep Writing
The most important thing is that you keep writing.
Use the experience you have gained from writing the manuscript that you’ve just finished. Don’t lose all that knowledge and improvement in your craft. As I said before, all you need is to devote an hour or so to writing to ensure that you keep your craft honed.
Be Aware of Burn-Out
A word of warning.
Writers, like all artists, are individual.
You should never do something that doesn’t feel right. If your manuscript has exhausted you and you feel empty inside, you should definitely take a longer break.
Authors often suffer from burn-out, especially if they are self-published. It’s important to look after your physical as well as your mental health.
My advice should always be taken with the above provision in mind.
Over To You
Do you take a break after finishing a book? Or do you get straight back on the horse again and start a new project? Comment below to get the conversation going!
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