That First Novel

Well, I finally bit the bullet and started the infamous Great American Novel. To be honest, it's a terrifying proposition. By announcing I'm writing a novel, I've committed myself. Don't get me wrong, accountability is a Good Thing, but what if it just dies half-way through? What if I do? What if I get stuck and simply can't move forward with it? I think I'm worried about all these little things because this is not something I've ever done before. Like everyone else, I'm learning as I go.

One interesting thing I've learned about this process is that I don't think you can truly teach anyone to do it, like you do with a skill or a trade. I don't know if I can adequately defend that statement, but the process of creation is so personal that you just have to launch into it and muddle your way through. Scouring tips and tricks blog entries can't prepare you for what you're getting yourself into. Neither can dropping $6.50 on a writer's magazine (unless it's Poets & Writers ). You have to find your own ways of making the story make sense. You have to experiment until you find the method of writing that works best for you. Do you write the whole thing, then go back and revise, or revise as you write? For me, the thought of writing a whole novel's worth of Brilliantly Witty Prose then having to back through it all and revise everything (and most likely throw stuff out because it doesn't fit the revisions any more) is Count-of-Monte-Cristo-escaping-prison daunting. I feel like I have to revise as I go. Which probably accounts for why I am making such slow progress.

But to fix that, I think I'll start doing something I've seen other writers do on their blogs: a running word count. I really dread doing this, but I think it will make it easier for me to plant my butt, turn off Turner Classic Movies, and start writing!

In the next post, I'll start off with a synopsis of what I've got so far, I'll think out loud about what I've got to write next, and what the current word count is.

Wish me luck!