Welcome to my author’s page and blog. I am in the process of writing my first novel. This author page is my public accountability about this. Please note that I did not say I am “trying to write” a novel. I am writing a novel that I intend to have read widely. If you are laughing hysterically at this point, go right ahead…
There are things I know I simply cannot do. Walk to the bank and take out more than is in my account. Leap 3′ straight into the air. Learn to speak Arabic in 2 hours. But… I do know how to make the money in that account grow. I do know that if I exercise and work on it, I can make my body do new things it could not do before. And if I devote the time to it, I can learn a new language. It is all a matter of time and effort.
And so is my writing – it’s a matter of time and effort. Right now I am learning the ins and outs of WordPress (the tragedy of full-featured software is that it can be darn difficult to figure out the easy parts). I am writing on two different blogs – this one and another devoted to helping specialty retail stores, especially toy stores, with their marketing and promotions. I am playing a leadership role in a very cool technology startup – homerenergy.com. And I am challenging myself to write on post a day, 5 days a week.
Oh yes, about that novel. I figure it’s like anything. You start with an idea (check). You cogitate on the idea long enough that you really want to apply it and make it known (check). You write the idea down and make that it’s sound (check). Then you put the time into learning how to implement it, and then much more time into implementing it. With this approach I have published dozens of scientific papers, many using statistical and analytical techniques I learned just to solve a particular problem.
So how hard can this be?
When you get up from laughing your a** off, please share your thoughts about that question with me!
A matter of time is right, heehee, lots and lots of hard work, and of course, patience……good luck to you!
Thanks B Jas! Yes, plenty of patience, coffee, more patience, luck, talent, patience.
Oh yeah it can be hard. Too damn hard at times, actually! But sometimes the pleasure of writing something that delights you is well worth it.
Apart from that, I’d say it is so tough because it requires hours of dedicated practice, which is mountain for me to climb, both in terms of the hours and the dedication! But I persevere…
You forgot to put chocolate on that list of things needed for novel writing.
The best motivation for writing a novel is having someone tell you you can’t do it. I had started and left unfinished many a novel by this time about eight years ago, and when I decided to do NaNoWriMo, a friend of mine told me, “Look, you can’t do it. Why bother to get your hopes up when you’re just going to end up disappointed?” So I showed him. I wrote my novel, and I finished it with three days to spare.
Since then, I’ve written six novels. Once you’ve completed one, the next one seems easier.
Just keep at it, and don’t let anyone discourage you. It’s hard work, and it’s painful sometimes, but you can do it!
Wow, thank you for the inspiration! Yes, negativity is something we all need to run from, in every aspect of life. I will not let anyone, including myself, discourage me.
It’s a constant uphill battle. Motivating yourself to write will be easy some days, but other days it will feel absolutely impossible. Some days, you’ll stare at that little blinking cursor on the blank screen and want to scream. But if you get 15 words or 1500 down a day, it’s still progress. And really, it’s a lot better than some people do in their lifetimes.
The best suggestion I have for you is to associate with other writers, be it in person or through letters or online. There’s no one better to commiserate with or encourage you than a fellow writer, and on those really bad days when you don’t even want to get out of bed, let alone try to write, or the days when you feel like writing will be too painful, they’ll be the ones who will push you to do it anyway.
hee, hee, hee, ha, ha, ha, ahhhhhhh….(wiping tears from the corner of my eyes), good one.
All kidding aside, writing a novel if you are incredibly dedicated and are willing to put in the time, effort, and creativity is actually pretty cool and feasible. Now publishing…well, that’s a whole different beast!
Basically, only another writer will ever truly know what you’re going through so like C.Janelle said, associate with other writers–as well as follow some top literary agents on twitter and read their blogs, they know the business and can offer lots of info and tweet about some great resources.
Good luck, happy writing, and welcome to the club!