Rachael Lippincott
Hi Cynthia!
It really depends! I usually sit with the idea for a book for quite a while before I ever put pen to paper. I'll dream up scenes and characters and the different paths their stories can go down, waiting until it clicks and begins to feel right in my head. That can take days, weeks...months, even!
After that I'll free write for a bit to get a feel for the voice and the characters and the world, trying to solidify the story that I'm trying to tell, and the jumping off point to tell it. Once that's done, I'll throw it into basic three-act structure, make an outline, and write the book. That last bit is usually the easiest part for me.
To give you an example, I started REALLY dwelling on the idea for THE LUCKY LIST in August of 2018 when I went on a lake trip with my family. It didn't fully click until January-February 2019, and I was able to get a partial/outline together and sell it by March of 2019. The writing/editing/revising process took from April of 2020-December 2020, and consisted of 3 drafts to get it polished enough for print. So the whole process, from initial idea to shiny finished product, was about 14 months from start to finish!
It really depends! I usually sit with the idea for a book for quite a while before I ever put pen to paper. I'll dream up scenes and characters and the different paths their stories can go down, waiting until it clicks and begins to feel right in my head. That can take days, weeks...months, even!
After that I'll free write for a bit to get a feel for the voice and the characters and the world, trying to solidify the story that I'm trying to tell, and the jumping off point to tell it. Once that's done, I'll throw it into basic three-act structure, make an outline, and write the book. That last bit is usually the easiest part for me.
To give you an example, I started REALLY dwelling on the idea for THE LUCKY LIST in August of 2018 when I went on a lake trip with my family. It didn't fully click until January-February 2019, and I was able to get a partial/outline together and sell it by March of 2019. The writing/editing/revising process took from April of 2020-December 2020, and consisted of 3 drafts to get it polished enough for print. So the whole process, from initial idea to shiny finished product, was about 14 months from start to finish!
More Answered Questions
Emma J
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Rachael Lippincott:
What was your favorite book you have written and are you currently writing a book?
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Mar 06, 2021 01:08PM · flag