On the writing journey, so much experience is gained…

Many people have the desire to write a novel. They enjoy reading and they toy with thoughts of writing and one day an idea comes to them. They think: That would make such an excellent plot. I’m going to write a book! - They sit down and get started.

Some of them kept with it… and some of them didn’t. Other people may have started writing simply because they have a passion for words and somewhere they picked up this need to write. It’s like breathing… one of life’s little necessities.

David Eddings said, “Start early and work hard. A writer's apprenticeship usually involves writing a million words (which are then discarded) before he's almost ready to begin. That takes a while.” Yeah… no joke there.

“Experience is one thing you can’t get for nothing.” Oscar Wilde
You do not want to see my first novel… it was never finished and I keep it close to me so that I can remind myself how far I’ve come. I’m not published. I’m not an expert. However, I wanted to share some of the things I have learned on my writing journey.

Subjective

If you don’t know what this word means, learn it. Right now. Come back when you know. I’ll wait here.

Writing is art. Art is subjective. You will not please everyone. Some people will love your work. Some people will hate it. Some people will think it reflects your intelligence or stupidity. They will all comment with their opinion.

Defense

If you want to seriously take part in the writing process… prepare your defense mechanisms now. This is termed: “grow a thick skin”. People have a multitude of ways to communicate and one day, someone will say “Wow, this is terrible. Your plot is boring, your characters are as flat as pancakes and your syntax is as crooked as John Boy’s teeth.”

Don’t cry. Don’t argue. Grin and bear it. Sometimes, those people are right and there is something you need to improve. Sometimes, those people are wrong. Regardless of how they say it, consider it to see if it has value TO YOU (see subjective) and then set it aside to consider when you do your revisions.

Revisions

If you are working on your manuscript and you aren’t finished with your novel. Put revisions aside. You will become lost in edits. The only thing writers get more obsessed about than writing the story… is editing the damn thing. I didn’t finish my first novel because I got lost in those edits. I changed main characters twice, changed the plot three times, rewrote the prologue scene, etc.

If you are going to write a novel, story, whatever… commit to it. Finish it… and then you get to play with your red pen.

This is a three part article and the continuation will be posted later today or tomorrow.