What a day looks like

Hi, I’m Deborah and welcome to day one.

Over the next six months we’re going to write a whole book together. By the end of it you’ll have a finished draft of 80,000 words sitting on your laptop.

If that sounds like a lot right now, that’s completely fine. You don’t need to know how to do it yet, because every day I’ll tell you what to write and why, so all you have to do is turn up.

This first week is prep. You don’t need an idea yet, and if you already have one, hold onto it loosely for now because this week might change it or make it better.

Today we’re starting with something easy, which is what you love to read. The book you’re going to write is probably hiding somewhere in the books you already love, so that’s where we’re looking first.

Here’s your task. Grab a notebook or open a new document and write down three books you wish you’d written. Underneath them, write at least ten things you love finding in a book. These can be anything, from a trope you always pick up, like enemies to lovers or found family, to a setting you’d live in if you could, a kind of character you fall for every time or one small moment you’d happily reread forever.

Don’t judge the list or try to make it sound clever, since nobody’s going to see it but you. If something feels a bit embarrassing to write down, it probably belongs on there.

It should take about twenty minutes. Go and write it now and I’ll see you at the end.

Well done, that’s day one finished.

Before you close your list, have a quick look back over it. You might notice a few things keep coming up, like the same kind of character or the same feeling you’re chasing in every book you love. Circle anything that appears more than once, because those are the things you care about most and they’re going to matter tomorrow.

Tomorrow we’ll turn your list into story ideas, so you’ll finish the day with at least three you could write.

See you then.