Writing can be a lonely business - which is why Australian author Jane Harper, whose crime novels such as The Dry have earned her a loyal following, has invited fans to peer over her shoulder as she writes her fifth novel.
Jane intends to post every step of her journey on Instagram in the hope that it will inspire people who've always dreamed of writing a book to get busy writing. Right now she's in the "thinking phase", which is much harder than it sounds. Since August she's come up with 36 ideas for her new novel - she keeps note of them all on her iPhone which she always keeps with her so she's ready when inspiration strikes.
She says she jots down anything that comes to mind. For instance for her novel The Lost Man, she made 450 notes for the first draft and reckons that about 70% of these made it into the book.
Hopefully by March when she starts the next phase of her new novel - planning - she will have scores of great ideas to draw from. And then the hard slog of writing the first draft begins.
"As a time reference, I’d expect this book to hit the shelves late 2022 in Australia and a few months after that in the US and UK," she says. "It’s a marathon task but completely worth it if it’s something you want to do."
To inspire others she's sharing the tried-and-tested method she's developed over the course of writing four books
"A big part of it is finding a writing process that works for you. This is what works for me, so while it might not be right for you, hopefully it might help you refine your own approach," she writes.
Scroll through her writer's notes by clicking on the arrows of her Instagram posting. She'll be adding more tips and suggestions as she progresses with her new book.
If you're looking for a role model, Jane Harper might just be one of the best around. Her first novel, The Dry, was recently turned into a movie starring Eric Bana. Jane recently shared this clip which showed her on the film set and even starring in one of the pivotal scenes.
This was a really fun experience to get to see The Dry being filmed. The finished film’s superb and is out on New Year’s Day, so look out for my brief cameo at the funeral and the wake! #TheDryMovie pic.twitter.com/UJeagLhkyv
— Jane Harper (@janeharperautho) December 29, 2020
