Novel If a novel idea has been in your head for 8 months, does that mean it's one you should write?

I've had an idea for a novel in my head for around 8 months now.

At the start I thought it was too ambitious/difficult/complicated for me to write, considering i've never written a novel before.

I actually tried to write it mid this year- ended up writing a 30 000 word first draft of a novella that had some of the story, but didn't convey everything I wanted.

After that, I thought I was done with the idea. But it has come back, and it is as clear as ever in my mind.

Is this an indication that I must write this novel ?
Have other people who have written novels experienced similar things?

 

I've had novel ideas in my head since I started writing (8 or 10 years, maybe?) and I still don't think I'm able to write them properly.

So, sure, yeah, it's an indication that you should probably write the novel. But I wouldn't say it's an indication that you should write it now.

 

Thanks for the reply. Fair enough.

I certainly don't think I'll write it quickly. I'll try write every day though. I think it's in me but it may come out over a longer period.

 

My WIP has a similar history to yours. I’ve never wrote an entire novel, and when I first got the idea for my story, I was new to writing. I wrote a 22,000 word first draft, but it only encompassed some of the story. I took a break from actively writing for 4-6 months and just worked on developing the story in my head. I couldn’t go back to the first draft because it just wasn’t very good, so I started the second draft and I’m now fourteen chapters in.

I wouldn’t say “must,” but if you truly want to, then you will work on it no matter how hard it gets. I say go for it.

 

Okay, so now the question is: what have you considered in the months since you finished the 30K? How is what you wrote incomplete? What part of the story did you leave out? What did you learn about your characters in the 30K that provides fertile ground for more story? After all, when we meet someone new, we don't know them immediately. We have some contact with them, discover mutual interests, some aspects of them that we like, get to know them better. Maybe reveal more of ourselves to them, and they to us. It takes time. Same with characters. Take your mc, for example. I would guess that you knew more about him/her when you finished the 30K than you did when you first started. And, if you've been dwelling on him/her since finishing, you probably know more than you did when you finished the 30K. Use that. Cultivate it.

Only you can answer that question, because you are the only one who can tell what you MUST do. But I will say that it's an indication that, deep down, you're not ready to give up on the story just yet. The question you need to decide is what is YOUR best method of developing a story idea? Do you do your best when you simply sit (or walk or whatever) and contemplate? Me, I only function well with silent contemplation when I'm trying to resolve a specific plot problem (like, if she's being stalked by the same guy who arrested her two years ago, how would she not recognize him?). For open-ended story problems, I do better when I write through them. If you're like me, you should decide on a direction to take your story, then sit yourself down and start writing.

Several years ago, I started a project about a priest assigned to a very poor parish in New York City. I was very happy with several characters I created for it, including the priest, but in the end I felt I just couldn't bring it to a satisfactory conclusion. I chalked it up to a valuable learning experience and moved on.

My current project, on which I am now doing the final editing, is the first novel of what I hope will be a series. I have also started writing the second novel of that series, and realized that this would be the vehicle for at least some of what I had included in the aborted attempted novel. The priest, a social worker, and a runaway all have been folded into the new work. So, you never know how things are going to work out. Which is why I never permanently delete any project I start.

 

I agree with @big soft moose. What do you have to lose if you write it? Go for it if you want to.

 

I say just write. Get whatever has been stuck in your head out of it and onto paper. As @Rosacrvx said, what do you have to lose? If it keeps coming back to you, the idea must be captivating, and I suggest that you write out all of your ideas. It's okay if it doesn't turn into a novel; you have unlimited chances. Do whatever you want with your writing and ideas. Go and write that story if you want to. Best of luck!

 

In my experience, the rule is simple: if an idea keeps coming back to you, it has some positive aspect, something that you think is genuinely good about it, some promise it has. It might need work or fleshing out, but generally, the only ideas that come back to me are the ones I think are good, the ones I'm kinda proud of.

Just my two cents. Give it some thought.

 

You needn't do anything. A story is only in your head, and doesn't force you to write it. It doesn't have a life of its own.

But consider this: All art is out there because someone felt the urge to share. To sweat and curse and bless over a piece of paper, a canvas, a clump of clay—and our world is more beautiful because of the art these people created. If they hadn't, we'd be missing Mona Lisa. Or the Sacrada Familia. Or Paradise Lost.

Guess what? I got the original idea for the story I'm writing right now about two years past. I chucked two attempts and I-don't-know-how-many words. But I'm still writing, and I'll keep writing, until I'm finished; whenever that is. I care.

 

What made it seem too difficult or complicated? Just curious.

Most novels ARE complicated, which is one of the things that makes them different from short stories. Have you any idea how you might handle the complication? Lots of characters, loads of time passing, many subplots or many settings? Are these some of the problems you are seeing?

 

its almost begging to be written down