The Writing Posts: So I wrote a Novel
If you have made it to this
webpage, you will know I have written a novel (called Impostor
Syndrome). Please download it and I hope you enjoy it. If you
don’t enjoy it, or download it and forget to read it, that’s okay, too. Even if you download it without any intention of reading it, thanks for the funds.
So yes, I wrote a novel. I’m
not sure what possessed me: I don’t have any qualifications, I showed no aptitude during my childhood and I’m not even a
voracious reader (largely due to dyslexia - if I borrow a book from the
library, I can guarantee it will need to be extended). But people kept telling me I could write and I have just enough ego here to think I might have Something Important To Say.
So what is it like to write a
novel? Before I answer that, please be aware that this is only my
experience. I have heard many authors say they write because not writing is worse. I don't fall into that category.
I remember reading about Douglas Adams and his approach
to writing (and I've tried to find it on the interwebs but can't - I think it was Stephen Fry who described it), which was something along the lines of weeks of procrastination,
followed by sequestering himself away, almost chaining himself to his desk. After about 15 minutes he
would emerge, with much gnashing of teeth and swearing and groans of
pain saying he couldn't do it or asking why he did it. He would then return to his desk. This process would be repeated until he finished. This was the great man’s writing process. At the time I
wondered why it would cause him such angst. Now I know why.
My experience is that the initial
idea and even the first couple of drafts were fun to write. The ideas just flowed: I kept a notebook with me to jot down sentences and wrote
paragraphs when I was at work which I would then email to my personal
email. I would constantly think up twists and turns for the plot, adding or subtracting as needed. I was pretty sure I could get it
done in a couple of years. Ha!
I started writing this in
2006. Granted I had a fulltime day job so it was a part time pursuit
(even part time is probably embellishing). But 13 years later I think it is
finished. No, it is finished – no matter what thoughts might come to
me now, there will be no further revisions.
But why did it take so
long? Well, I had never written a novel so much of that 13 years was
a learning curve. I’m not sure if people think creative endeavours just flow out and copied down in a feverish effort, all done and fully formed. Certainly, there
are some passages that haven’t much changed since I first wrote them but so
much of it is revision, revision, revision.
I started sending it to publishers
about four years ago (I’ll talk about the publishing industry in another post. But it was disheartening). Again, a fulltime job and some family matters into the
mix meant this didn’t get my full attention. In fact, I would say the hardest
part of writing is finding the time to do it. I knew my manuscript most likely unpolished but I hoped its potential would be spied by someone. But no and here
I am on Amazon KDP.
So the most labour intensive part of writing my
novel was getting it ready for publishing. The proofreading and editing was done by me. This had the effect of making me feel I was untalented, kidding myself and embarrassed about sending it to publishers thinking it was
up-to-scratch. Ultimately it was beneficial in that I now know what my bad habits
are. For example, I overuse the word “though”, almost as punctuation, and I know how to use
colons and semi-colons correctly.
So getting back to Douglas Adams
and his dread about writing. I understand it now. It is because
you know how good it should be but your initial drafts are utter rubbish and
you know how bad they are and how much effort is required to make it as good as
it needs to be - that part is painful to go through. And you have to
go through it every sentence and paragraph. And then you start on the next page.
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