Tag: #amwriting

#amwriting

This whole writing a book thing didn’t just start last week. I’m taking a class this semester called Novel Writing in which we have to produce a 50,000 word “craptastic” (in the words of my prof) novel. I had my basic novel plot ready to go at the start of the semester, so at least I didn’t have to spend time figuring out where to start. For those interested, I am using Save The Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody as a way to keep somewhat organized as I churn out my weekly word count.

My challenge was not where to start, it’s how to hack my way through the dark jungle that is most of the novel. I know approximately where I want to end up, but how to get my characters there is challenging and at times overwhelming. One of my favorite writing quotes is from E.L. Doctorow: “Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” I try to remind myself not to focus on the next chapter, the next subplot, the larger goal. Instead, what I have to do is just keep moving forward in small increments and trust that I will eventually have a first draft with a beginning, middle, and end.

This post is essentially a morning pep talk to myself. I want to get least 1000 words written today, which is very doable, but as I sit here in my home office, sipping my second cup of coffee, surrounded by wonderful books that other people have written, it seems very far away. But if I can write one sentence, another will follow, and, like the headlights, I only have to see that far in front of me to get a whole page. Wish me luck.

A “writer” becomes a Writer

It’s really hard to call myself a writer. This despite the fact that I have had a few essays and op-eds published. There is part of me that still struggles with feeling like an imposter, as with so many of my female contemporaries in various fields. It begs the question: what will make me feel less like a “writer” (the quotes suggest the need to qualify this is some way, explaining it’s not my actual job, I’ve only written x and y, etc.) and more like a Writer.

One goal I have is to write a book. I tell myself that if I do this, if I manage to complete so large and ambitious a project, find outside validation in the form of an agent and publisher (not to mention readers), I will fully embrace the title of Writer.

This is a tall order, however. Many, many people attempt this and do not cross the finish line. The publishing industry is notoriously fickle, so even if I write a book there is no guarantee it will be deemed “marketable” enough to be published. So, why do I embark on this process? Because it is just that, a process, one that I think I will learn a lot from even if I don’t end up with the kind of product that I can hold in my hands.

I am going to post about the process of writing a book, without too much focus on the goal of one day sitting in a Barnes and Noble signing autographs as displays of my many books surround me (daydream much?). It’s a leap of faith or an exercise in frustration. Likely both. It means I will have to be a bit vulnerable, as the process of writing is never smooth and emotions tend to run high. If nothing else, I might find others in these same trenches who are looking for support and encouragement and are happy to send some right back to me.

Onwards!