Add your own tasks to this list!

C1 - Write a one paragraph description of your novel.

C2 - Come up with a working title for your novel. It doesn’t have to be the final one, but you need a way to refer to this wonderful (or terrible) thing you’re writing!

C3 – Design the cover for your novel.

C4 - What is the general beginning and end of your story? What will be the narrative voice?

C5 - What are the major themes of your novel? Write a few sentences about each and talk about how they might interweave with characters and plot.

C6 - Make a concept map showing the major themes of your novel and how they interact with each other, characters, etc.

C7 - What is the time period your novel is set in? Write about what is important in the time and place in which your story is set. What is the political climate? What are the general societal events? What current events shape this time and place?

C8 - Collect a series of pictures that can inspire your writing. They might be historical or geographical reference, or they might be photos that evoke a certain emotion or mood. These can be gathered in a notebook, a web page, or wherever works for you.

C9 - Make a rough outline of the plot of your novel. You know, exposition, rising action, conflict, complication, falling action, denouement. Draw it if you like. (Draft #1 – suggested to be completed in early Oct.)

C10 - Refine the rough outline of the plot of your novel you made earlier. (Draft #2 – suggested to be completed mid-month in Oct.)

C11 - Refine the outline of the plot of your novel you made earlier. (Draft #3 – suggested to be completed in late Oct.)

C12 - Draw a timeline for various events and characters in your novel.

C13 - Write the back-of-the-book synopsis copy for your book. (You can even write your own little “about the author” if you like.)

C14 - Storyboard out one or more parts of your novel.

C15 - Tie your plot to estimated word counts and your writing calendar. (This is for anal people like karen.)

C16 - List the top 30 items that could represent the points that are the backbones of what you need to get out in your story - this could be in the form of themes, chapater titles, or just snippets of stages that will come out in your story.

C17 - Do some background research on an important event, time period, organization, or other part of your novel. Write a short backstory that draws on your research that doesn't involve the characters in your novel.