Most EFER lore book chapters take 4 weeks. Chapter 5 (Clockwork Transcend) took 1 day. Here is the workflow that made it possible.
The normal chapter workflow
- Week 1 — outline (500 words, thesis + faction decision + NPC arc)
- Week 2 — draft (2,000 words, first pass, no editing)
- Week 3 — polish (cut 500 words, add 300 words)
- Week 4 — ship (commit, announce on Discord)
The 1-day chapter workflow
- Morning (3 hours): outline + thesis + NPC arc + faction decision — all in one sitting.
- Midday (4 hours): draft — 2,000 words in one sitting. No breaks. No editing.
- Afternoon (2 hours): polish — cut filler, add detail, read aloud.
- Evening (1 hour): ship — commit, announce on Discord.
Why some chapters take 1 day and others take 4 weeks
The 1-day chapters have a clear thesis from the start. The thesis is what unlocks the writing. When the thesis is clear, the chapter writes itself. When the thesis is unclear, you spend weeks figuring out what the chapter is about.
Examples
- Chapter 5 (Clockwork Transcend) — thesis was clear from day 1. “The Clockwork are not machines. They chose the machine.” 1 day.
- Chapter 6 (Eastern Honor) — thesis was unclear for 2 weeks. Spent 2 weeks trying to figure out what the Eastern believed. Then pivoted to “honor is what you remember, not what you perform.” 4 weeks total.
What this means for your writing
If you can name the thesis in one sentence, you can write the chapter in 1 day. If you cannot, you will spend weeks. Spend the time on the thesis, not the prose.
Read 3 free chapters — see the thesis-first writing in action.
