Free challenge · 30 days
Write a book-sized first draft in 30 days
A finite month to get a long manuscript out of your head and onto the page, all the way to "The End". Not publishable yet; finished.
- Days 1–3 Lock the promise
- Days 4–10 Build momentum
- Days 11–20 Protect the middle
- Days 21–27 Close the gaps
- Days 28–30 Finish, then stop
- Finish line A complete first draft, from the first page to the last
At the finish line, you have
Not notes about a plan: things that exist, that you can show.
- A complete first draft, from the first page to the last
- A writing habit you kept for a month
- A list of what to fix, written while you remember it
Books do not get written someday
They get written on dates. Most first drafts stall for the same reasons: no end date, revising yesterday’s pages instead of writing today’s, and a middle that feels like it will never end.
One month, five stages
Three days to decide what the book promises and map it. A week to build the habit. Ten days for the middle, where most drafts die. A week to close the gaps. Three days to finish and stop.
What you have on day 30
A complete first draft, ugly in places, finished. The ending exists, so the revision has something to aim at. And a list of everything to fix, written while you still remember why.
The plan, step by step
Each step is a short read and a checklist. Tick everything, then move on.
- Step 1Days 1–3 Read it now
Lock the promise
One reader, one central question, a rough ending, and a map of the chapters or scenes before any prose.
Done when: the reader described in a paragraph; the question the book answers, in one sentence; a map of every chapter or scene.
- Step 2Days 4–10
Build momentum
Write at the same time every day. Track the words, not your mood, and do not revise yesterday's pages.
Done when: seven days written in a row; words tracked each day; nothing revised.
- Step 3Days 11–20
Protect the middle
Use the map as a compass, not a prison. When you are stuck, write the next part you can actually see.
Done when: past the halfway point of the map; stuck moments skipped, not fought.
- Step 4Days 21–27
Close the gaps
List the missing bridges, the unfinished arguments and the placeholder scenes. Fill only what the ending needs.
Done when: the list of gaps written; every gap the ending needs, filled.
- Step 5Days 28–30
Finish, then stop
Reach the ending. Save a frozen copy of the draft. Take notes for the revision, but do not start rewriting yet.
Done when: the last page written; a frozen copy saved; revision notes written.
It's for you if you are
- People who have started the same book several times
- Experts who want to turn what they know into a book
- Novelists who stall in the middle
It's not for
- Editing and publishing: that comes after the draft
- Short pieces: this is for something book-sized
Written by Ben Morin. I design, build and run software on my own: a platform for independent bike shops, lyric films for songwriters, a private journal that becomes a book, a planner, and a handful of free tools. These steps are the ones I follow.
Questions
Is it really free?
Yes. Leave your email address and every stage opens. That address gets a link to open the challenge on your other devices, and nothing else unless you tick the box.
How many words a day?
Divide the length you want by 25 writing days. For 50,000 words, that is 2,000 a day. Fewer is fine; skipping is not.
Fiction or non-fiction?
Both. The stages are the same; the map is chapters for one and scenes for the other.
Free · 30 days from now
Set the end date, then start.
A complete first draft, from the first page to the last.