From Idea to Book: The Life of a Plot Squirrel

Hi everyone!

If you’ve ever wondered how I decide what books/series I want to work on, you’re in luck! Today, I’m going to give you a peek into my process. Before I get started, I would like to note that every writer is different. This is just how I work.

Let’s jump in!

Stage One: I get an idea. My friends and I call these plot squirrels. They come out of nowhere and chatter at me, shaking their fluffy tails and demanding my attention. I love plot squirrels. They mean my creative brain is healthy and happy. When they go silent, that’s a sign I desperately need some down time.

Stage Two: Eventually, a plot squirrel will become so insistent, I have no choice but to write a little bit of their story. This stage is fun. (My favorite, honestly.) There’s no pressure here. The words flow, the characters show up, and I am free to make a mess. I usually write anywhere from 1 – 5 chapters at this point.

Stage Three: I get stuck. The story is new, the world is often new as well—I don’t have the slightest idea what’s going on. And that’s the way it should be. Because now, I set it aside. I call this the “percolation stage.” This story is living rent-free in my head. I usually try to ignore it—most often because I have other series I actually need to write. But I’ll visit it occasionally, usually at night.

Stage Four: The book idea has been hanging out with me for several years at this point (sometimes it’s as short as one, but Greybrow Brothers took about seven), and I’m finally ready to commit to the project. It’s now time to contact one of my designers and order covers. Not all my ideas make it to this stage. In fact, most sit and percolate forever. But I don’t get rid of ideas because I never know when they’re going to take off. 

Stage Five: Once I have covers, the project is a go, and it gets moved onto my schedule. At this point, I’m usually in the process of releasing the series ahead of it. Once I finish that one, this series will get 95% of my attention until it’s finished. (I made up that number. It looks good though, right?)

Stage Six: The writing stage. This is where I—you probably guessed it—write the story. It usually takes me 1 – 2 months to complete the first draft of a book, depending on how many revisions I need to make as I write. (I’m an edit-as-I-go kind of writer, so my first finished draft is usually pretty close to the final version.)

Stage Seven: The book enters the editing stage, and the next project moves into the writing stage. 

In the past, I’ve tried to force series to move through the percolation process too quickly, and that always ends in frustration. It’s taken me about ten years, but I’m finally learning to accept my limitations and trust the process.

If you want more behind-the-scenes glimpses, from the actual writing stage to editing, just let me know in the comments!

Wishing you the best,

Shari

PS: Here’s a list of all my plot squirrels that have become real books! (In other words, all my published books.)