Writing & Self Publishing Your First Book | Martin McConnell

About this video

Dale interviews Martin McConnell, full-time speculative-fiction author with a physics degree and author of Finish the Damn Book. McConnell began his first novel on an oil rig/drill ship in the Gulf of Mexico, in about 5,000 feet of water, after finding a poorly written traditionally published book in his bunk and deciding he could do better. Working from storyboards in 10-20 minute breaks, and following a website’s claim that a first draft should take 100 days or less, he finished it in 47 days, then printed it and saw how much his writing had improved across the draft. The interview centers on perfectionism as the reason writers stay stuck planning or endlessly re-editing page one: get the story out as a rough draft first, write consistently/daily so you do not forget the story and fall into re-reading and editing loops, and treat editing as an iterative process of moving blocks as well as polishing sentences — advice he says applies to nonfiction too. On pantsing vs plotting, he argues it is a spectrum: write down what you know, from one sentence/theme on a sticky note to beginning-middle-end, focus on the next point, and follow characters when they deviate. To improve, read books you love for what works and books you hate for what to avoid. He says he chose passion over a six-figure oilfield job and now aims to build his backlist and pursue a hybrid path.

Key takeaways

• Perfectionism traps writers in planning and re-editing: rough out the whole draft first, then chip away at details and restructure in later passes.
• Write daily/consistently; skipping days makes you forget the story, forces re-reading, and turns writing time into an editing loop that kills creative momentum.
• McConnell wrote his first novel in 47 days on an oil rig by using short 10-20 minute breaks and treating a 100-days-or-less first-draft timeline as his unquestioned target.
• Pantsing vs plotting is a spectrum, not two camps: note the beginning, middle and end or just the next story points, then keep writing to the next point even if characters throw out the outline.
• Improve by reading voraciously and analytically — study books you love to emulate what evokes feeling, and books you hate to spot patterns to stop using in your own work.

Episode details: published December 20, 2017 · 31:48 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Dale L. Roberts’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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