How to Write Your Novel in One Year

Becoming an author isn’t easy. You have to come up with the ideas, write the words, find the time, and fight off the impostor syndrome.  When time management and impostor syndrome come together it can be hard to get the words needed to finish your novel. 

Back in 2020, when I first wrote this blog post I was struggling to get my first novel The Midnight Huntress completed.  I needed to find a way to accomplish my writing goals, so I could fulfill my dream of becoming an author. After watching some inspiring Youtube videos inspired by James Clear’s Atomic Habits, I discovered the idea of bubble goals. Bubble goals are little goals you can accomplish each day to keep moving the needle forward on a bigger goal. I needed to figure out a good bubble goal to get a 50,000 word draft written in a year. I sat down and figured out the math and used my bubble goal to get my manuscript written in under a year.

The Bubble Goal Math

The average novel's first draft is 50,000 words. Let’s be honest most novels end up being longer than that, but you have to get some words on the page first. In order to finish a first draft in 12 months, you need to write 4,167 words a month. When you break that down into weeks and days, in order to finish a novel in one year, you would only have to write 150 words a day. By setting a bubble goal of 150 words a day, you will actually finish drafting a novel in 333 days. This leaves you an extra 30 days to do a small revision.

150 words a day is a miniscule amount when looking at the full length novel word count.. It takes me personally 10 minutes a day to write 150 words. I can easily find 15 minutes a day to reach my goal of writing a novel when the word count is broken down like this. Not only is this goal manageable, but it also allows you to create a daily writing habit if that is what you want for your writing routine. If a daily writing routine isn’t ideal for you, you could also break this goal into a weekly goal by writing 1,041 words a week. 

Will This Really Work?

As long as you stick with the daily 150 word writing goal, you will always finish drafting your novel. I find that even though my daily goal is 150 words, I end up falling into a rhythm with my writing. Before I know it, I’ve written way more than 150 words. Most of the time what is stopping us from showing up to our work is the overwhelming feeling of what we have to complete. By setting a small goal, you give yourself an option of showing up for a bite-sized chunk of work, or exceeding your own expectations by doing more. A small goal like 150 words a day is an attainable goal that isn’t scary and keeps the needle moving forward on your project.

Conclusion

Writing a novel doesn’t have to feel like climbing a mountain in one day. It’s about taking one small, consistent step at a time. That’s the power of small goals. They strip away the pressure and make your dream feel doable. Whether it’s 150 words a day or 1,041 words a week, the key is showing up and letting momentum carry you forward. I’ve lived this journey, and if I can go from stuck to finished manuscript with just 10 minutes a day, you can too. Your story matters. And with a small, steady plan, it’s only a few words away from being written.