Happy Birthday! Not just to me but to my blog as well. I started writing a little over a year ago this blog and my novel. Birthdays are a good way of looking back over your life and your progress. For my writing it has been a year of changing and learning for sure. So what are some of the things I learned over the past year.
1. Writing a novel takes a lot of work.
It is like having another job. So if you are are writer that has a full time job and writes in your free-time you should understand that you have two full time jobs where only one pays you for your time.
2. Love what you are doing.
Since writing a novel is hard work and you have to take the initiative without any incentive you need to write for the "right" reasons. You have to love writing or feel that you have a story or message you want to convey that you believe in full and feel that others would enjoy reading.
3. It is a you problem not a me problem.
Writing is often done with an audience in mind. However, when you write a novel you often have such a wide range of differences to your audience that you have to consider them and let them pass through your head and out into the atmosphere. Do not get caught up in trying to please everyone that you lose sight of your story and theme. Stick to your ideas and enjoy how they evolve without worrying to heavily about what publishers or readers will think.
4. Let your story Evolve.
When I recently looked at my original outline for my story it was very different that how my story evolved. I believe my story took on a life of its own and went into the direction it should have but when I initially thought and plotted it was different. Change can be good. Do not fear the changes your writing takes. Just like people even our words progress in their own patterns and often that is how your story really was meant to be written.
5. Research....another job requirement.
Where I currently work, every position has certain job requirements you must fulfil. For writers, research can often be part of your job requirement. Research can be interesting and fun and sometimes frustrating. I think that it also legitimizes a story and adds a depth and meaning that would not be there without some research and expertise inserted.
6. Breath.
It is great to set goals but not to hyperventilate when those goals are not met. When you have a full time job and are trying to also write what often happens is that something may get in the way of writing. You may not meet your writing goal. That is okay. Take a breath, relax and let yourself find the time later. Remember as a writer you are your own boss so you can be late on your self-imposed deadline. Remember that it may happen again. Mostly you should remember that you are writing because you love it. If you stress over the missed goal or deadline you may sabotage yourself into not writing again.
I probably learned a lot more over the past year of writing. These are just some of my overall observations that I have taken away with me over the past year. I also am proud to say I am more than half way done with my novel as I progress into chapter seventeen and that I feel that I have a personal relationship with my characters and my story that makes me feel vested to this piece of work I am creating. With that understanding I feel proud of what I have accomplished over the past year and look forward to the next step and chapter as we celebrate its first birthday and my own (age left off purposely) birthday and renew my commitment to my novel with the hope that by this time next year I may be writing...The End.
