The first attempt I made at writing a novel took me forever. From the beginning of my junior year in high school to the end of my junior year in college, I pecked away and rewrote parts over and over. That adds up to a long freaking time.
This opus was absolute crap by the time I got it done. If I knew it was going to be crap, would I do it all over again?
Absolutely. Writing that first novel, even though I hope to God it never sees any more light of day, proved to me that I could do finish a novel. The trick now is finishing one well.
At the end of the first week of writing my second novel, I’m happy to say that I’ve met all my goals and written 1,000 words every day.
Had I not written that first one, I wouldn’t have learned that I can’t just sit down and write without knowing where I’m going. I have to have the bones in place before I can flesh things out.
Some other things I’ve learned in this first week:
- If I write earlier in the day, it’s often better
- Earlier writing means I don’t dwell all day on the 1,000 words I still have to do
- Having my character sheets and outline out next to me helps keep my writing grounded and will help me keep track of my improvisations
- 1,000 words can fly by, and it can also be like pulling teeth
- I still need to carry a notebook with me everywhere so I don’t lose the lines I think of in my head
Official Word Count - 6516
I figure if I post the word count every week it’ll keep me honest. My goal? 90,000 words in 90 days. I think my story should take around that long to tell, but we’ll see where I’m at once I get there.
