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Reverse Journaling for Writing a Book

Published .

Write the day the draft was done. Then work out what it takes, using your real pace.

Reverse Journaling for a book means writing the day your draft is finished as if it already happened, then working back through chapters, weeks and sessions to the next 45 minutes of writing. You size each step from your own real pace, not from hope. A nightly log of words or pages turns the project into a record you can see.

Why books stall

A book is large. Forty thousand words feels like a wall. Most people who stall do not lack ideas. They lack a clear next hour. They also guess how long writing will take, and the guess is often too short.

This is a well known pattern. In 1994, Roger Buehler, Dale Griffin and Michael Ross asked honors thesis students when they expected to finish. The students predicted 33.9 days on average. They actually took 55.5 days. The authors wrote: "Fewer than one third of the respondents (29.7%) finished in the time they reported as their most accurate prediction." Source. They called it the planning fallacy.

A book is a bigger version of a thesis. So a plan built on a hopeful guess can break quickly. A plan built from your real writing pace is safer.

Find your real pace first

Before you plan, spend one week measuring. Each day, set a timer for 45 minutes and write. At the end, count the words (or pages). Write the number in your night log. After five or six sessions, take the middle number. That is your working pace.

Your pace will differ from other writers, and it will differ by task. Drafting new scenes may be faster than fixing old ones. If your sessions are very mixed, keep two numbers: one for drafting and one for editing.

The method in six steps

  1. Write the finish as done. "On 1 March I finished the first draft of my 40,000 word book and saved three copies."
  2. Set the checkable parts. Word count, number of chapters, and a rule for what counts as a finished draft.
  3. Divide by your pace. Total words divided by words per session gives the number of sessions.
  4. Fit sessions into real weeks. Count how many sessions you can do each week without wearing yourself out. Divide to get weeks.
  5. Check the date. If the weeks do not fit before your finish date, change one thing: the date, the length or the number of sessions.
  6. Pick today's session. One 45 minute block, with a start time and the scene or chapter you will work on.

A worked example

Dana wants to write a 40,000 word nonfiction book about growing herbs on a balcony. She first hoped to finish in 13 weeks, by 1 December. Here is how reverse planning corrected her.

Dana had three choices. She could move the finish date to 1 March. She could cut the book to about 20,000 words for the first draft. Or she could add sessions, but she knew five a week would wear her out. She picked the new date. She wrote it down as done: "On 1 March I finished the first draft."

Her path back

Her night log

"Wrote 360 words on the first scene. Phone was on the desk, and I checked it twice. Tomorrow the phone goes in the other room. Done list: opening scene started."

Name the obstacle that stops writers

Common obstacles for book writers include editing as you go, waiting to feel inspired, losing the thread after a break, and fear of the middle. Pick yours and write an if-then plan.

The first words of a session are often the hardest. A short ritual helps. Same chair, same drink, same first sentence: "Today I am writing the part where..." Your morning line can hold that sentence.

When you fall behind

You will fall behind at some point. A holiday, a sick week or a hard stretch at work can eat your plan. Do not try to make it all up in one weekend. That is how people burn out.

Instead, look at your numbers. If you missed eight sessions, you now need eight more sessions somewhere. You have three options: move the finish date back by two weeks, add one extra session a week for eight weeks, or shorten the draft. Write which one you chose and why. Then carry on. The log keeps the plan honest without turning the delay into a drama.

A sample week

Notice the rest days. A draft is a long road. Rest keeps the road open.

Use the done list for morale

A long project can feel like nothing is happening. A done list shows what is real: 18 sessions, 7,200 words, one outline, two chapters. On a low day, read it. You are not starting from zero. You are adding to a record.

Tips for different kinds of books

A short checklist before each session

If the answer to all four is yes, you are ready. If not, spend two minutes fixing the gap. This small check removes most of the friction that makes writers put a session off.

Next steps

The free reverse planner can draft milestone dates back from your finish. Replace its guesses with your measured pace. For the planning method in more detail, see reverse goal setting. If you want a place to log your sessions each night, Start From Done keeps the morning line, the 45 minute sprint and the night log together. For a three month version, read the 90 day plan.

Questions

How do I plan a book backward?

Write the finish date and word target as done. Divide the words by your measured words per session to get the number of sessions, then fit those sessions into your real weeks. If the date does not fit, change the date, the length or the sessions.

What if I do not know how many words I write in a session?

Measure for a week. Write for 45 minutes a day, count the words and take the middle number. Use that number, not a guess.

Should I write every day?

Only if you can keep it up. Four sessions a week that you actually do beat seven that you plan and miss. Pick a number you can repeat.

Is the planning fallacy real?

Buehler, Griffin and Ross reported it in a 1994 study of honors thesis students, who took longer than they predicted. It does not mean every plan will run late, but it is a good reason to use your own past pace.

Can reverse journaling help with writer’s block?

It may help by giving you a small next step, such as one scene in 45 minutes. It cannot promise to remove the block, and some days will still be hard.

Keep reading

Plan your draft