Maybe you’ve always wanted to write a novel, but you haven’t. It’s hard to start. I get that.
I spent a few years figuring out where to start my first novel. I struggled with whether it should be a mystery, thriller, or suspense and what were the differences. Light-hearted or intense. And the time frame. Should the story be all in the past, all in the present, or some of both. Is first person or third person point of view the better approach?
I wrote a few chapters, got stuck, and put it on the back burner. A Word document, a leather notebook, the notes section of my cell phone, and even paper napkins housed my ideas. I brought them out from time to time, added sentences, juggled paragraphs, edited pages, and stuffed them back into the proverbial drawer. Life got messy and I walked away. It seemed easier.
No one saw and no one judged, but no one benefitted either. And I was okay with that. For a time.
Then I came across this quote.
I only write when inspiration strikes. Fortunately, it strikes at nine every morning. William Faulkner
There’s no magic wand, no super pill, and no instant novel. Writing is work.
Any man who keeps working is not a failure. He may not be a great writer, but if he applies the old-fashioned virtues of hard, constant labor, he’ll eventually make some kind of career for himself as writer. Ray Bradbury
I agree with that, but I am neither an English major nor a creative writing aficionado. I needed to learn the craft of putting together a novel.
Tell the readers a story! Because without a story, you are merely using words to prove you can string them together in logical sentences. Anne McCaffrey
I love that. I can tell a story, but I needed specifics. And I needed to write consistently, have a routine, a goal. So I started a blog and made it anonymous. I wanted to hone my craft in private, so to speak, and I wanted a writing credit for my first writers’ conference. And something to put on the business card.
I called it City Girl Goin’ Country. But more about that next time.
For now, go Writer go! Get in that chair and start tapping away. How many words can you get on the page in the next week?
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