1.
How to Write and
Publish a Novel in
Two Years
h
h

2.
You Probably Can’t Just
“Take a Year Out”
to Work on Your Novel.

3.
You Don’t Need To!
All You Need is ...

4.
30 Minutes
(Per Day)

5.
30 Mins/Day +
500 Words in 30 Mins
= 75,000 Word Draft
in 5 Months

6.
Here’s How the Two
Year Plan Works...

7.
Month 1 Research, planning,
outliningMonth 2
Month 3
Drafting
Month 4
Month 5
Month 6
Month 7
Month 8
Redrafting
Month 9
Month 10
Month 11
Month 12
Month 13
Admin
awaiting feedback
Month 14
Month 15
Month 16
EditingMonth 17
Month 18
Month 19 Admin
awaiting feedbackMonth 20
Month 21
Final edits
Month 22
Month 23 Admin/ proofreading
Month 24 Publishing

8.
Year One: Write and Repeat
Months 1 & 2:
Research, Planning
and Outlining
Daily target: 30 mins
Goal: Complete chapter-by-
chapter outline
Months 3 – 7:
Drafting
Daily target: 500 words
Goal: Complete first draft of
75,000 – 80,000 words
Months 8 – 12:
Redrafting *
Daily target: 500 words
Goal: Complete redraft of
75,000 – 80,000 words
* Enough time to rewrite from
scratch, if you want / need to.

9.
Year Two, Part One: Feedback and Editing
Months 13 - 15:
Deal with Admin while
Novel is With Editor(s)
Daily target: 30 mins admin
Goal: Draft cover design; beta
reading for others if applicable
* Your editor / beta readers may be
quicker; allow plenty of time though.
Months 16 - 18:
Edit, Incorporating
Feedback
Daily target: 900 words edited
Goal: Full edit that
incorporates changes from
editor / beta-readers
Months 19 – 20:
More Admin, More
Editorial Feedback *
Daily target: 30 mins admin
Goal: Ready to make final edits
and publish (or submit)
* You may not need this second round
of feedback if you’ve written a novel
before, but allow for it when planning.

10.
Year Two, Part Two: Polishing and Publishing
Months 21 - 22:
Make any Final Edits
Daily target: 1300 words edited
Goal: Final, professional-
quality version of your novel
Month 23:
Admin and
Proofreading
Daily target: 30 mins admin
Goal: Fully proof-read novel;
manuscript with reviewers.
Month 24:
Publishing
(or Submitting)
Daily target: 30 mins admin
Goal: Book is available to buy
on Amazon (or manuscript is
out with agents)

11.
Where do I Find the Time?
How Do I Write Fast Enough?

12.
30 Minutes Per Day, Or ...
✘3 hrs 30 mins once a week
(e.g. 7am – 10.30am, Saturday mornings)
✘1 hr 45 mins twice a week
(e.g. 8pm – 9.45pm on Mondays and Thursdays)
✘42 mins five times a week
(e.g. 12.15pm– 12.57pm on weekdays)
✘15 mins twice per day
(e.g. 6am – 6.15am; 9pm – 9.15pm)

13.
To Write 500 Words in Half an Hour...
✘Be ruthless about eliminating distractions
(turn off wi-fi / unplug internet cable, silence phone)
✘Plan what you’re going to write before you write it
(spend first 5 mins of 30 minute session planning)
✘Get excited about the scene
(if it’s not exciting, do you need to write it at all?)
✘Don’t stop to fact-check: leave a [note to self]
(check and confirm/change when you rewrite)

14.
Good Luck with Your
Two-Year Novel!
Now head here:
www.aliventures.com/novel-in-two-years
And get:
✘Detailed blog post explaining the whole plan.
✘“Two-Year Novel” ebook to download and work through as you write.

15.
Credits
Big thanks to SlidesCarnival for the fantastic (and free!)
slides template. 