Writing a novel is tough. Oh, don't worry, it's not like this is some kind of a grand revelation for me. It's just that there are parts of the job that are unexpectedly difficult.
Before I go about my whinge, it's of the utmost importance that I let you all know how much I love what I am doing. I had a bit of a whine to a friend here the other day, after eight hours of hard slog resulted in just six-hundred words (and this was eight hours of only writing, not editing, not planning, not brainstorming, not charting...), and they told me, “don't push too hard on something you love, that's an awesome way to get you to come to resent it.” My thoughts on this are that.... well... my current situation with my writing is that it is much more than my hobby. It's my job. And even while working at a job you absolutely love, there are days where you struggle. I know that. When I was teaching, it was the same. So I have to remind myself that one horribly frustrating day every month or so is totally acceptable. I won't grow to resent it - not a chance! I love it! And, for the record, the next day I bashed out about 1800 words in only two hours – who knew that was even possible!
So, parts of this writing business that have been unexpectedly difficult:
I get way too much pleasure from editing my work. I could happily spend a year just reworking the writing I have already completed, working on the atmosphere, the style, the imagery, the rhythm of my word choice, etc. This is a sure-fire way to feel very productive, and yet to produce nothing.
I HAVE TOO MANY IDEAS! I have to stop thinking. Just write. Otherwise my novel will end up with fifteen protagonists, each with their own flaws, their own journeys, etc. And... well, that's just no good. The organisational skills that go hand-in-hand with attempting to keep track of these ideas, deciding which are relevant, which can serve as sub-plot, and which will just have to wait for novel numbers two, three and four, are simply mind-boggling.
Having to consistently answer questions about my writing. I know that if I was not writing a novel myself, and I met a person who was writing a novel, I too would want to know what it was about. But what a ridiculously difficult question this is to answer! Earlier on in the process, I would follow the advice from another friend and answer this question with something along the lines of, “if I truly knew what it was about, I'd have finished it already”. But that doesn't fly anymore. I know what it's about - I just can't describe it effectively without making it sound ridiculously melodramatic, or just plain boring. I need to come up with a one-sentence fall-back answer. Incidentally, one thing that I love is when people ask me about my novel, but they ask very odd questions. Instead of asking what my novel is about, some people have asked me:
“What's your main character like?”
“Whose writing is similar to yours?”
“Is your novel about relationships?”
"What's the most important symbol in your book?"
“What do you want people to get out of your novel?”
The guilt. I am just so lucky. I wonder, often, what I have done to deserve this incredible opportunity I currently have. I am just having too much fun. It's hard, I work my butt off, but I love it. Sure, all of this shouldn't bring feelings of guilt, but... what if nothing comes of it? Ooo... that's the scariest thing. Let's not think about that, actually.With this guilt comes the need to consistently justify myself. Again, this is unreasonable, but that's just me.
The fear that I am wasting this opportunity, that I am not making the most of it, am not working hard enough, am not producing enough. This is a great motivator, actually.
so, what is the most important symbol in your book? (can you hear the facetious tone in which i ask?) i hope you keep updating your blog with more stuff, and i would really love to read a random paragraph excerpt from your book !!!!! post a random one!!!! with no explanation!!!!! please :)
ReplyDeleteWell you'll have to put some parameters on 'important' for me to accurately answer that question... Can you hear the facetious tone in which I answer? Ha! And random paragraph sent ;)
ReplyDeleteHi there, Johanna. Do not fret. This happens to us all.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to give you some very practical advice. Nothing about the art of writing, the magic. More about the nuts and bolts.
Let's deal with question 1. The pleasure of editing. Good for you. You'd be surprised at the number of writers who don't believe their work needs to be edited. Bull and furthermore shit. Nothing worth reading ever got out into the wild without being savagely edited at least a dozen times. But everything in its time.
Here's a little mantra for you: get it writ, then get it right.
There's nothing wrong with fixing up some clunky copy if just banged out, or correcting a typo. But do not obsess over getting every line exactly right before you move onto the next one. It's impossible. You can't do it. The story is more important. Tell the story to yourself by writing it down, then go back and turn it into something you'd be pleased to tell someone else after it's been cleaned up.
Finish the story. Then fix it up.
Question 2. Good ideas are good (sounds like an Internet meme) but you don't have to pack them all into one paragraph, or even one book. To some extent, what you do with your ideas as they come at you in a bullet storm depends on whether or not you're the sort of writer who plans out every scene before they write it, or lets the story evolve organically. I suspect you may be the latter, but would benefit from some of the discipline inherent in the former approach. Do you have any idea where this story is going? Perhaps before you sit down to write another paragraph you should take a day or two to think through where you are going, and where you want to end up. I'm not suggesting you block out the entire plot, but it might help if you have some sort of rough idea of where your various narrative arcs are going to land at the end of the manuscript. It will help you decide which of your babies you have to kill. Because, I'm afraid, killing our babies is a huge part of the writing game. I have deleted entire story arcs which I really loved, simply because they did not fit within the rest of the novel.
Question 3. This is interesting. I don't want to discourage you from talking about your work, but the more you talk about it, the less time you have for actually doing it. You should be able to summarize your story in something like a Hollywood pitch. Can you do it in one line. If people are still listening after that can you give them the details of the novel in less than a minute. If you can't, you need to think through the story in the way I suggested immediately above. People don't need to know what happens to every character. Neither do you. But you at least should understand the theme of your book and have some idea of how the story will play itself out. Work that out and you won't have any trouble answering people's questions. Not that you should be wasting time yapping with these busybodies. You should be at your damn keyboard. Now.
Question 4. Fuck this. If it was easy everyone would do it. Lucky to be a writer? Try getting a bank loan.
Question 5. The fear that you are wasting time and opportunity is a good fear. It will keep you at your desk when lesser, weaker writers will give up or get distracted. If it is a matter of focus, if you are not getting enough work done and this is bothering you I have one last suggestion. Google up the term “Pomodoro technique”. Use it.
Good luck.
Hey there, Birmo! Firstly, you have no idea how spun out I am by the fact you discovered my little rant and wrote such an in-depth response to my musings. Thank you so much for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteNow, down to business:
1. Editing - Yep, you're right, and don't I know it. I like, however, that you say there is nothing wrong with going back and fixing a typo or a clunky piece of banged out writing. This is often what I do in the mornings when I sit down to read my last two or three paragraphs from yesterday, before I continue on. I always feel a little bad about this, though - that I'm breaking the rules. So *PHEW* thanks for clearing that up for me!
2. The Ideas Problem - I wonder what it is about this post that has made me come across as so... disorganised? Ha! But seriously, I actually am quite well-planned out. I have storyboards for my major and minor plots (which actually do include the conclusion - big step, I hear) and probably once a month I take a day to get re-organised, reclarifying everything in my brain. The many ideas are often (though not always) just flashes of an image that are so strong and that I don't want to leave out. And one good thing about having this problem is that I now have at least four large notebooks filled with possible future material. Meanwhile, the idea of deleting a whole story arc gives me shivers...
3. Talking about it - The theme of my book is very clear, and this is often what I end up discussing instead of the plot. I like your idea of the one-line-to-one-minute summary. I think I'll work on that. Good practice for a future query letter, too. Sometimes I think the problem with being able to do this is that I am just too submerged in it right now and it's difficult to see the grand one-liner when I'm currently wading through all the intricacies...
4. Haha - well, the reason I'm lucky? I don't need a bank loan. I married a guy who is happy to support me with my writing... See? That is lucky!
5. Thanks for that support - it really means a lot. I've had a quick mosey of the pomodoro technique and it looks like a winner! I'll have a better look now.
:) Thanks for the luck - it never goes astray!