How do you go from idea to finished product? That looks entirely different from person to person and project to project. Sometimes it takes only a few minutes (maybe for a small item for a DnD game) or sometimes it takes literal years (novels, anthologies, etc.). Sometimes simple things are complex and complicated projects go smoothly. It varies so widely it’s hard to even come up with a plan or timeline.
With that said, most projects follow a similar pattern in how they work at least so let’s walk through the steps.
Draft Zero - I call this the Zero Draft or Draft Zero because it is the mess that basically no one but me will see. This is where I fling ideas and words onto the page to see what will stick and make sense.
Draft One- The first true draft is one where the project is taking on a somewhat recognizable shape. This is a draft I’m okay to share for feedback and one where I am cleaning up and shaping the idea into something that more closely resembles its final form. If the Zero Draft is a pile of clay plopped onto a board then the First Draft is a rough sculpture where you can tell this clay might be a tea cup in the future.
Draft Two- More refining and sculpting here. I take away the extras, add in support and structure. Usually this is where I add in extra research notes or put in some more description or rules to help give the text the strength to stand on its own.
Feedback- Draft Two is generally what goes out for review (though sometimes it’s Draft One) and what gets worked on between me and my editor/beta readers/publisher/friend/etc. This is where someone else looks at it and asks if it makes sense outside of my head. It’s vital to have someone else look at your work.
Draft Three-Eight- This is the step that varies the most based on what feedback you get. Sometimes the feedback is with few changes and it’s easy to adjust and then move on. Sometimes the feedback means you are back to a Zero Draft, it’s wildly different every time.
Copyedits- At this point, the content and structure are pretty solid and it’s down to the little adjustments to be made. I am horrible with commas and this is where my poor editors have to deal with the flood of commas I’ve thrown at a project.
Layout- This step is one I usually don’t have much to do with. I’ve only recently started playing with laying out my own work. Layout is important because the way information is presented makes a difference in how it’s understood.
Cover- I make some of my own covers (mainly for DnD projects) and enjoy this step a lot. Making a fun, fitting covers requires knowing what works in your genre and a lot of hunting for images.
Upload and Promo - This is when the project is released, share and promo all over the place. Upload processes are different from site to site. Amazon can take days to review before your project is live while DMsGuild is almost instant.
Celebrate!- Yay! It’s time to celebrate that a thing has been done and a project is completed. Taking the time to recognize that my work is done has been very important lately. Rather than rushing on to the next project, I actually try to recognize that I did a lot of work to finish this and that is worth celebrating.