A How to Guide: My chapter-by-chapter planning, writing, and revising process

Or, how to create a rough draft that mostly makes sense

Yesterday, I was leaving a voice message for a writer friend (we lovingly call them our podcasts given their lengthy nature), explaining my method for writing better chapters, and it got me thinking—this might make a good Substack. It’s a process evolved from years of trying to do it better. Take a look and see if it might work for you, too.

But first, a caution: If you are writing your first book, don’t do this.

I’m a firm believer in those first couple of books just writing, putting your editor hat in an entirely different room and locking the door. But if you’re further along on your writing journey, give this a whirl. See how it works for you.

I like it because I identify issues along the way and make sure that each chapter both stands on it own but leads to the next chapter. Sometimes, that means finishing an entire chapter thinking Oh, I don’t need this chapter after all and pasting it into an entirely different folder where I put such things (don’t delete anything! I just resurrected a two thousand word chapter in revisions, changed a few things, and voilà! a repurposed chapter). Sometimes it means combining chapters or rewriting them. But it’s changed how I approach writing for the better.

Here is how I do it:

1. Each chapter is written in its own file. In Word, hit New Document, and when you save it, I recommend something like [BookTitle Ch X]. If you’re in Scrivener, this can be a new file folder or a new scene card.

   1. I know what you’re thinking! I don’t need to do that. But trust me. Try it. This tip was shared with my me by the amazing editor Benee Knauer, and it completely transformed how I see chapters. It allows me to look at the chapter as its own entity, standing alone. The focus is solely on this one chapter.

2. Write a couple lines about what you want to happen in the chapter and how it will change the story, the characters, or the situation. This is similar to scene cards in Story Genius—writing the external arc, as well as the internal one. So, for example, the first chapter of my book, Make Me Disappear, might have a quick summary like this:

   Noelle walks toward the restaurant to meet Daniel, her boyfriend, and we learn she actually hates him and wants to escape their toxic relationship. In a rare moment of rebellion, she keys his car, knowing he will be angry when he sees it… then goes in to what she’s certain will be there last date, because she has a plan to escape him.

   This gives the main character in the scene, what she’s doing, why, and ends on a little bit off a cliff hanger—what’s her plan? Will she succeed? In a way, it is its own small story. Beginning, middle, end, and it pushes you to turn the page and read the next chapter.

   Having a vague idea what will happen in the chapter gives me some loose boundaries I want to stay within, so I don’t go somewhere really weird, like having Noelle wander down to the Puget Sound and hop right in to go for a swim. Sometimes, inspiration hits, and I change what I want to have happen, but this gives me some direction as I write the next 1-2K words.

3. You have an idea of what you need to write, so go write the chapter!

4. Once I’ve finished writing the chapter, I immediately reread and edit. This might be moving a comma or finding a clunky sentence and fixing it. It might be adding a few more characterization details. Literally, whatever polishing seems fit, do it.

5. Let it rest. Don’t look at this chapter again until, preferably, tomorrow. During this time, do not open that file, not even once.

6. Next up: Print it. If you don’t have a printer or don’t want to use the paper, find a different way to read it—whether it’s a different font or on your Kindle or iPad. But still, don't look at it!

7. Come back to it fresh the next day before you start your next writing session! Reread it, catch all the stuff you missed, make sure it still makes sense, and if something needs revising, revise it now. Bonus: this sets you up to write your next chapter now that you’re fully refreshed on what just happened.

8. Then… Once I complete these steps, I paste the chapter into a master file, where I put all the completed chapters in order (or if you’re in Scrivener, you can skip this step and simply Compile at the end).

Ta-da! That’s it. Super simple, but it’s helped me finish a book feeling like I’ve already done that first round of revising. It helps me stay oriented to where my book needs to go and has vastly improved my writing, too. That part where you reread the next day will make you realize your habits—good and bad. For me, it was tons of repetition. I went from editing it out to writing with a lot less of it.

Let me know if you have any questions below or if there are any other topics you’d like to see covered here! Happy writing!

Jessica Payne is a psychological thriller author who has probably spent a little too much time studying the dark intr icacies of the human mind. An expert coffee drinker, she loves to go on long runs to manage the resulting caffeine jolt. Jessica lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, daughter, and their many (many!) cats and dogs. Her novels include Make Me Disappear, The Lucky One, The Good Doctor, and Never Trust the Husband. You can learn more at jessicapayne.net