I haven’t written a blog post in a while because of two reasons. A) I was finishing writing my first novel and B) I wanted to gather my thoughts for this post.
You heard me right. I finished writing my first ever novel. I’ve attempted novels in the past, but I always stopped halfway through or even as little as a chapter into the idea. In all the times I’ve written, I’ve never actually forced myself to finish most of the projects I started. “You gotta write when you’re feeling it,” I always told myself.
Now I know how much a load of crap that statement is. If I would have waited for the ever elusive creative juices to flow, I’d still be sitting here without a first draft. That was one of the major lessons I learned in writing my MS (manuscript). You have to write all the time. No… All the time. I now know the importance of Neil Gaiman’s quote:
“The secret to writing is just to write. Write every day. Never stop writing. Write on every surface you see; write on people on the street. When the cops come to arrest you, write on the cops. Write on the police car. Write on the judge. I’m in jail forever now, and the prison cell walls are completely covered with my writing, and I keep writing on the writing I wrote. That’s my method.”
He might be using a bit of hyperbole there, but what he has to say is true. Write. Write all the time. When you’re happy, write. When you’re sad, write. When you’re bored, write. This goes for anything in the world, I think. If you dream of doing that one thing, STOP DREAMING. Do it.
Anyway, when I finished this MS, which was on Thursday July 16th, I felt like it should be a big day to remember, but I hardly recall it. The moment I put the final word in the final chapter, I wasn’t sure how I should feel. I should have been jumping for joy. I should have felt like a lady and a scholar. I didn’t. I was exhausted, elated, scared, and sad all at the same time.
I had just spent the better part of the previous year writing this thing for NANOWRIMO (National Novel Writing Month) and suddenly it was finished. Most of my MS was written quickly and in an attempt to fit 50,000 words in during a month, so I was disconnected from it. The other half was a changed setting, choppy dialogue and enough description to rival G.R.R. Martin fanfiction writers.
But it was done.
It was rewarding and I still feel like I have a hundred thousand miles to go before I ever let anyone look at it, but that’s the scary and adventurous part, right? That’s the part where I can take this thing apart and move the pieces and stretch them until they fit my vision. While I only completed part of the journey, I still have an exciting path ahead.
My Pinterest boards are now being filled with editing tips and character charts. I’ve really started to visualize what I have in front of me and I’ve been stalking the Twitter scene for writers, publishers, and agents. This feels like a big thing that I am just dipping my toes into and it is exciting.
I wasn’t excited on July 16th. I was scared and sad and breathless. I did nothing with my computer that day except turn it off and collapse on the couch. Okay, okay… I did a load or five of laundry and a load or …seven of dishes. I had a house I had neglected and domestic life started to matter again.
Two weeks later and I feel like I’m ready to go again. I’ve got another MS on the way and I’m starting my editing process by breaking down that novel. What I have now will be just a shadow of what I will have when I’m done, and that too is fulfilling.
Boat Against the Current 