Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Catrina Barton on March 28, 2012 at 6:43pm

lol, my biggest one is "Why does it keep changing directions?"

I've done 3 complete overhauls on my current WIP over a 4 year period. Now I FINALLY see exactly what's going to happen and just need to finish writing it out so I can do the heavy revisions.

It doesn't help that I started revising when the original version was half written out either :P Live and learn right? But after doing Nano last year and completing a 80K+ novel of zero structure, I got geared up to revise and rewrite this one again.

Permalink Reply by T. S. Johnson on March 28, 2012 at 9:06pm

I understand the "Why does it keep changing directions."  There is always something to add, always something you could do better. The thing about writing a novel (or anything for that matter) that I find is that it's never good enough. It's so important for me to have critiques to smash my fear for constructive criticism. This first novel, I'm expecting it to take time to evolve and then the rewrites or edits.  So years is probably fitting.  Thank you Catrina

Permalink Reply by Catrina Barton on March 28, 2012 at 9:20pm

You're welcome.

This is the 4 complete facelift for my current WIP. But I finally know the two main characters very well {including past relationships and medical history} I know the plot enough I'm mapping it out for the major events and the characters are filling in the little events as I write it out. {gone through two other sets of characters along with the other three plots I may save those on the back burner for other stories laterr.

Adding a solid plot structure to my Nano novel won't be so easy, lol. But I'm in love with the concept I came up of mixing the Renaissance times with Native American elements into a fantasy plot that isn't your usual princess escapes and returns to reclaim her throne story. I'm determined to add a solid structure to it. {I didn't plan anything but basic plot for Nano. Never doing that again. I'll stick to being a planner.}

Permalink Reply by Shannon Alexander on March 29, 2012 at 7:54pm

I've noticed it takes me about nine months to write a "shitty first draft" (thank you Anne Lamott!). I'm near the end of year two (or is it three? I've lost count) of revisions on the piece I want to submit to agents and try to publish.

Most days I wonder if there will ever be an end. When I get down, I remember an article a friend sent to me about a published and successful author looking back fondly on what she called, "the dark place." In the article, she talked about how much she missed the days before deadlines and reviews and outside pressures to produce manuscripts.

Here's a link to the article:

Writing in the dark

Maybe it will help you too.

Permalink Reply by Catrina Barton on March 29, 2012 at 8:05pm

Thanks. It can get very frustrating sometimes.

Permalink Reply by T. S. Johnson on April 3, 2012 at 2:25pm

I know the feeling of the dark place. Thank you Shannon.

Permalink Reply by Anna Gergen on April 2, 2012 at 5:19pm

I measure my progress in words because I get frustrated/impatient if I think of my WIP in terms of time. I like to set goals for myself which usually end up somewhere around 1k words per day of writing. But what I actually get done fluctuates greatly day to day.

@Shannon- Praise Anne Lamott and her "shitty first drafts"!

Permalink Reply by Fi Phillips on April 10, 2012 at 3:13am

As long as it takes.

I've been working on my main novel for years, off and on. I wrote a children's novel in about a year then took another six months to get it into a condition to send off. 

Permalink Reply by Kerry Ann Morgan on April 13, 2012 at 4:41am

I'd thought the actual 1st draft  took forever (off and on for 1 1/2 years) but the editing takes a while, too. My shitty first draft needed a major overhaul.  I think it's funny how some people (mostly non-writers) think that everyone should be able to knock out a complete and ready-to-publish manuscript every few months like some of the authors on the best sellers lists. My Mother-in-law keeps asking why she hasn't seen my book on the shelves yet—THREE Nora Roberts books have come out since she found out I was writing a book. Patience.

It takes as long as it takes to get the words right. OR at least right enough. They may never be right.

Good luck to you!

Permalink Reply by Ariel Rosetti on September 1, 2012 at 9:01am

I wrote a 85000 word novel in a month, but that was all that I did. I am working at a sequel to a Fantasy novella which has taken me three weeks and I am still at the opening scenes.
I believe you have to feel it to be able to write it.
I guess that was the situation with the novel.

Permalink Reply by Ariel Rosetti on September 12, 2012 at 1:17pm

  Hi,

     The first novel took. thirty days. That is without a re-write etc

                                                                                      Ariel