I think a lot of writers obtain that one unfinished manuscript they keep working away on every so often. I can definitely relate to this because I am a horrible procrastinator with commitment issues, so finishing a novel seemed like an impossible task for me. However, I was abroad the past summer coupled with some free time on my hands, and that i did the old trick of giving myself a collection number of words I needed to create each day. Surprisingly, that worked and today I can say that my teen novel is finally complete! In today's world, the process of writing a book for yourself is completely different than when you have a real estate agent standing behind your back telling you what you need to change. Unfortunately, writing a singular and selling it seems to become two different things now. The space, the topic, the language all have to be in accordance with what is popular on the market. However, I wrote my first novel solely for myself, and here are the thoughts that I had while I was working on it.
- I want to re-read this scene over and over again.
We all put a little bit of ourselves in our writing. There are certain parts that are magical which conjure up memories, which inspired the particular scenes. Or maybe the section is simply so well written that we inspire ourselves when we read it over and over again.
- I don't want to remove this whole chapter.
Editing is a tough process. This becomes even harder when you are writing a book for a number of years already. You change as a person and your writing changes too. Maybe something that seemed highly relevant to you a year ago, might make no sense when you are back to re-read it.
- I type of hate/love how this character ended up.
To me, a book is a living, breathing thing. It takes on a life of its own, and that i get so caught up in the experience and the characters that they begin to sway away from the original idea or plot line. Maybe I simply have a good imagination, but I have caught myself realizing that the characters that I write about have developed their own personalities which are different than what I had in mind.
- I think I should never let anyone look at this.
We all have moments of self-doubt. Sometimes, I want to burn everything that I've ever written because it seems not good enough. Writing a book is that a lot more difficult because you spend so much time and effort only to be disappointed using the outcome.
- This is amazing! I think I might be a genius!
On the other hand, there are times when we consider ourselves literate geniuses with no one can say otherwise. Especially, if you go back to read something that seems to not need any edits, you might be pleasantly surprised at how well you write. (But don't be deceived because everything needs edits)
- I simply went on a tangent here.
When I write, it is simple for me to go on a rant. I simply bang at my keyboard, spurting words out onto the screen. I find whole paragraphs referring to the same thing that should have been cut down to a sentence and a half. It's all too easy to get carried away when you are in the moment and doing something are passionate about.
- I just want to QUIT!!!
Despair, sleepless nights, and writer’s block a few of the roadblocks when it comes to writing a singular. Quitting seems like the easiest way from it. However, never quit, it'll all be worth it in the end when you finally get to feel the accomplishment of finishing something which has a part of you inside it.
- Hey, that wasn't that bad!
When you are finally done (the whole novel or simply a chapter that was hard to generate) the whole process of writing doesn't appear to be such a hard task after all. And before you can even catch a breath, you're onto the next one!
I have learned over the years that writing is not for everyone. When I was younger it would boggle my mind how someone could not want to write. Finishing your first novel could be a real mission but after the day, all the hard effort is worth it when you see the finished product, even though you just did it for yourself.
