The Schedule

I have decided to structure the next book with defined benchmarks that will drive its writing. While this is not for everyone, I have found that in my alter-life and professional career every project has a beginning, middle and end. These schedules revolve around meeting the due dates of other professionals working as a team on the project. If you falter the whole team suffers and your client usually is unforgiving. I try very hard not to miss due dates and to keep the client happy.

For now the working title of the book is WWIII 4 Death, don’t read anything into the title, I just want a strong title to mold the research. (and it’s easy to type)

Here is what I’m looking at for the Project Schedule:

Final Manuscript Completion: November 1, 2011 (10 months)

Schedule of Benchmark Due Dates: 

•     Research and Final Outline: March 15, 2011 
•     First 20,000 words: May 15, 2011
•     Second 20,000 words: July 15, 2011
•     Final Draft: September 15, 2011

            (231 days – 300 words per day / piece of cake!)

•      First Rewrite: October 7, 2011
•      Final Draft (prior to editing): November 1, 2011

Caveat: I can speed up or slow down individual benchmarks, but the goal is still November 1, 2011, if I beat it I will reward myself something special.

Book Structure:

            The first two Sharon O’Mara Chronicles (Land Swap 4 Death and Containers 4 Death) are 60 to 70 thousand words. I will try to keep it to this number. I have liked the 15 to 16 chapter internal structure, with each chapter broken into 3 or 4 sub-chapters (2a, 2b, etc.) that all follow the same thread, each about 4,500 words.

            I realize that for some this may be too constrictive so early into the project, but you have to start somewhere. I do like to have some structure with definable goals.

Some very random thoughts on the subject of the book:

World War II, Silicon Valley, old age, reparations, art, gold, San Francisco, Europe, Italy, London, 2011, cooking classes, war criminals, remorse, new car/old Jaguar, Argentina, death, olives, and tiramisu.

Parallel to this work I will be finalizing the edits on Containers 4 Death, getting it published and printed and hopefully start the editing of my novel Elk River to try and get it out later in the year.

More later . . .