This is for ye olde “Zombie Cop” fans:
As of a few hours ago I’m officially 50% done with the sequel first draft which I call, “Vampire Apocalypse”. If all goes well, it’ll be done by next Sunday and then I’ll let it sit until after Labor Day. The original plan was to write it in 7 days (2 chapters per day), but the writing quality suffered and my attention span sucks out loud.
So, I dialed it back to 1 chapter per day.
Anywhat…
I think (and I’m right) anyone who does copywriting — whether you write copy for clients or yourself — should write a novel.
Doesn’t have to be deranged like mine.
But for one, it’s tremendous fun.
And secondly, it’ll help your sales copy in all kinds of ways. (Creating better storytelling, pace, intrigue, etc…)
It ain’t nearly as hard as you might think, either.
Simply write one chapter per day.
Takes maybe an hour and a half (give or take).
Before you know it, it’s done.
I have no idea how other people do it, but for me the key is to treat the first draft like a rough sketch a comic book artist does when drawing a character.
They literally start with a stick figure.
No bells or whistles.
No detail or shading or anything.
Just scribbles and lines and stick figures.
Then, they go back and tighten up lines, erase stuff, add stuff, maybe put some shading in, vary the line width, add color, yada yada yada… it may end up not looking like what you originally planned to draw, or it could be exactly it.
But that first sketch?
Just lines and gestures and scribbles.
And that’s exactly how to write fiction quickly.
Just brain fart whatever comes out on the page.
Most of it will make no sense to anyone but you.
(As I keep telling people who want to proof read it as I write it — it ain’t ready yet, not by a long shot.)
And that’s fine.
That’s what the second draft is for.
Then the third draft.
And the fourth…
Each draft you fill stuff in, take stuff out, “zoom in” on other parts, get whole new ideas to add, and so on. What I’m gonna do is 10 drafts. The first 5 I’ll read through silently. And the next 5 I’ll read out loud — just like I do with sales letters.
Then it’s off to the editor and cover artist.
Anyway, Vampire Apocalypse should be ready before Christmas.
In the meantime:
If you want to read “Zombie Cop” before then, it’s on Amazon. It’s gotten great reviews from a lot of people I respect who actually read it and didn’t just give me a “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine” review. A lot of reviews talk about how they don’t usually read these kinds of books but really enjoyed it and read it in a couple days.
It’s just $2.99 on Kindle.
We also have an audio and print book version.
You can also read the 1st chapter free.
Here’s the link:
Ben Settle
P.S. If you already read “Zombie Cop” and haven’t yet left a review, I’d be eternally grateful if you did.
Doesn’t have to be a long one, either.
Can be just a quick “here’s what I thought” of it.
Every review helps.
And, helps others decide if they should read it or not.
