It’s been a very busy few months continuing the work on my
novel. I got a little behind due to a
nasty cold that zapped my energy and just couldn’t focus well enough to write,
but I am finally getting close to completing the story. It’s exciting and definitely very scary,
since once I’m done, I’ll actually have to publish this book and let people
know about it.
I have seen many websites about how to write a novel in 30
days or 90 days or whatever. My sister
even got me a book explaining how you can get your story done in 90 days. I’m no expert writer, so I don’t know all the
ins and outs of being a writer. I’m
still learning as I go on this journey, but I do feel you have to do what’s
right for you (no pun intended either).
I first mentioned this novel idea to my family about a year ago. I wanted to be sure they would be okay with
my writing a novel based on my mom’s life.
Even though it is fictionalized, family and friends will more than
likely be able to figure out who is who in this book and will also know that
most of the story is real.
I started out very slowly with the writing of this
book. I wasn’t sure where to even begin, so I spent quite a
bit of time just jotting down chapter ideas.
Right around the time I was going to begin writing is when I was laid
off from my job. If you have been
reading my blog, then you know the story behind that, and I won’t repeat it
here. My point is that I was so upset
and depressed from that experience that I could not think much about writing an
entire novel. Then, of course, I had to
go through the process of signing up for unemployment and researching schools
to apply to, since I did want to remain in education.
Along with getting through that, I had decided that I wanted
to also complete my MT book, The
Practical MT. That took a lot of
work because it needed much in the way of updating, rewrites, and organization
of chapters. So with all of that going
on, the novel definitely took a back seat for quite a while.
Now that my MT book is published, I have been devoting more time
to this novel. I learned a few things
along the way. First of all, as I said, I am fictionalizing the book, but as I’m
writing the draft, I am using everyone’s real name, as it’s easier to write it
that way. I don’t have to remember any
made up names. But then I found myself
spending way too much time trying to figure out what new names I should give
everyone. I would think about one
character and try to figure out a good name.
It wasted so much time, so I decided instead to make a list of
names. Every time I mentioned someone in
the book for the first time, I would jot down their name so I wouldn’t forget
they are in the book. But one afternoon,
I sat down and made a long list of names.
I have no idea who will get which names, but it has made it so much
easier to have that list. Now I can just
go back and plug in names where ever I need to.
That still may take some thought, but now it will go much faster.
As far as getting this novel done in 90 days, that is simply
not the kind of writer I am. Maybe as I
get more used to the writing process, my second or third novel will go more
quickly. Actually, it probably will, but
because this story is so special to me, I have been taking my time on it. I have even gone back into completed chapters
to add something I had forgotten. For example, in describing my mom, I had
forgotten to mention that she had green eyes.
That’s important to me because the rest of her family had blue or brown
eyes, so it is an unusual feature. I also
had forgotten a particular incident when my parents get married that I not only
included, but it also added humor to that chapter.
I guess my whole point here is that, if you plan to give
writing a try, do what works for you.
Maybe I am completely going about this wrong in taking so long to get
this novel done, but it’s not a process
that I feel comfortable rushing. I did
honestly think it would be done by the end of March, but I’m not going to fret
because I didn’t meet that deadline. It
probably will be done some time in April, but then again, maybe it will be May
or even June. I don’t think so, but I
have learned that you can’t always plan these things. That is the beauty of self‑publishing. You
can set your own deadlines. The main thing
is—doing it right, not necessarily fast.
