The Arduous Writing of a Novel, Part 1

By Bluemouth · Dec 4, 2007 · ·
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  1. My first blog entry, and certainly not the last of its kind. I'm basically writing a set of blogs over the coming months detailing my personal struggle as I slug my way through a novel that I'm writing.

    Why post a blog then, Bluemouth?

    Because I've observed many comments from people stating they have trouble finishing a novel. It happens to everybody - the writer's block, the sheer laziness to even start writing, and then there's the occasional slip in confidence. These factors can often build up to ruin a person's chance at finishing their novel. It is my aim with these blogs to help aspring authors achieve their maximum potential and get that first draft out of the mind and onto the page.

    If anyone reads this and they pick up on a tip I may have left (even accidentally) then this will all be worth it.

    So, this counts as my first entry. To update on my progress:

    I'm writing a sci-fi/horror novel that I don't intend to be exceptionally long. A very vague plot outline can be this: the main character, Elliot, dies suddenly one morning only to find himself coming back to life on another planet. Elliot finds himself in the middle of the Still Plains, a place where there is no wind, no sound, only complete, perfect silence. There is electric-blue light radiating down from above, creating a shiny gloss across the savanna vegetation that stretches for miles into the distance. Elliot meets with other humans, only to discover that everyone on this planet has died on Earth and, amongst a diverse range of extinct wildlife that roam the wilderness as they once did Earth, Elliot begins to unravel the mysteries of why these humans have come back to life, and the eerie truth about what is really going on in the universe.

    There, it's a basic plotline. You may care for it, you may not. That is besides the point. The key thing once I had this idea down was start writing, which I managed to do. The first page is often the hardest, and then the excitement of a new story helps everything flow along nicely. I'm into Chapter 1, after completing a prologue, and sit at 3,765 words. I've been extremely slack over the past week and really haven't added much to the draft, which is disappointing considering I'm full of ideas. So already there's a hurdle. I plan to overcome it by writing a little more once I post this blog.

    Anyway, for now that is all. Look out for Part 2 for a progress report and to see if you're facing similar problems. Perhaps I can offer you some insight. I'm sure I'll have much more interesting things to say next time. Till then, power on writing,

    Bluemouth


    Tip of the Day: when writing a first draft, do your best to avoid going back to make early edits. If you read your unedited work it may dishearten you and damage your confidence. Just forget about it - keep writing and worry about it all once you've finished.
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Comments

  1. Daniel
    Excellent read. I'm curious to see how your novel progresses. I also agree with your "tip of the day." It's much better to simply go back and edit your work after it's finished than while you're still writing.
  2. Gunslinger
    Thank you for taking the time to help others by opening yourself up. Looking forward to reading more about your story as well as more tips.
  3. Cogito
    Also, if you spend a great deal of effort cleaning up previously written seqments, it is likely to be wasted effort. You are bound to have changes in direction that can have a ripple effect of previous and subsequent events as you build the novel. For example, you may decide that a character discovered some key fact far too early in the story, so you end up removing entire scenes and subsequent interactions based on it. If you spent time polishing the early scene or consequential events, it has been wasted.

    I'm someone who wants to keep cleaning up and tweaking what I've already written, so this is advice I will need to take to heart.

    Thanks for raising it!
  4. Lemex
    Thanks for the tip.
    I'm sure it will be of help to people. :D
  5. ILTBY
    It sounds like an interesting story, I look forward to seeing its beginning :)

    Great tip, too, and the difficulties you pointed out are all too true.
  6. Bluemouth
    Wise words, Cogito.

    Thank you to everyone else who read through this. In another 4,000 words it'll be time for Part 2. Also, going against my advice the tiniest bit - I may post up the Prologue because I couldn't resist a quick read over and it's not as bad as I thought.
  7. kmlovering
    Bluemouth, I can always count on you for tips! Edit after I write is something I was doing in the beginning. Later, around chapter 4, I went back and started editing and now I am stuck!!! So, I am going to use this tip, and write until my fingers swell.
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