A Novel Idea

Sept 2009:  6,800 words, 27 pages
Jan  2012:  10,131 words, 42 pages
Feb 2012:  0
Mar 2012:  0
Apr 2012:  13,513 words, 53 pages
May 2012: 19,282 words, 80 pages
June 2012:  23,056 words, 95 pages
July 2012:  29,517 words, 123 pages
Aug 2012:  35,058 words, 146 pages

I started this in 2009, put it down and didn't look at it again for three whole years.  I never even said it out loud to anyone that writing a book was something I wanted to do until this year even though it's been floating around in the back of my mind for a really long time. I mean, you can't just casually say, "Oh, yeah I want to write a book."  It seems so impossible.

Who am I to think I am actually capable of such a thing?

I love to read and to write. I used to sign up for Summer reading programs at the library when I was a kid. I've been writing in journals since I was 9.  I used to write stories and enter writing contests in elementary school. I've always loved writing, but I have no clue if I'm any good at it. If I'd been true to my heart in college I probably would have majored in creative writing or journalism or anything to do with writing.  In retrospect I wish I had. Sociology may have seemed more practical at the time but I've never even come close to working in that field so I could have gotten a degree in anything based on where I'm at now.

Writing a book has always been a dream of mine, but I put it off for so long because I was afraid. I didn't know where to begin and I was afraid of finding out that I wasn't capable of it. Eventually, I put some words on paper in 2009 and got a nice start. Then I got stumped. Then life happened. I was too busy with house hunting, wedding planning and post wedded bliss. There was always some excuse.
Sneak Peak
Every  now and then I'd get this burning desire to write a book and instead of ignoring it this year I dusted off the old manuscript and got to working on it again. It's going to be Fiction.  I had to re read everything and figure out where I was and then where I wanted to go, but once I got started again I wrote 20 pages in one day making me think....okay maybe I can do this. I need to get to about 60,000-80,000 words which is about 225 pages for it to be novel length, so I made it one of my new year's resolutions to write 15 pages per month. I'm a little bit behind. I skipped Feb and March altogether because I was taking a few college classes, and I'll be gone for half of next month so I'm not sure how I'll do then. I'm okay with that as long as I do my best to write every month.

Sometimes I hit a wall.  I don't know what I want my characters to do, or it feels boring and don't know what to do to liven things up. When that happens I get a little discouraged, and put it aside but at some point I force myself to pull it out and keep writing. Write something. Anything. I keep telling myself that if I just make myself keep going, eventually the story will unfold. I keep notes about the characters and a timeline of events as I go so I can keep track of what's going on. With every page I write, I gain more confidence in myself that I might actually be able to finish it. 

Even now that I've decided I'm doing this the words "my book" still feel very strange coming out of my mouth.  It's something that a lot of people say they want to do, but only a handful ever actually do it. I really want to be one of the ones that do. I'm not even worried about whether or not I would get it published or not.  I just want to be able to say that it was something big I wanted to do and that I did it.

20 comments

  1. How exciting! Write (and publish) a book is on my bucket list too. I wish you a lot of success!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is so exciting! And such a great goal! I can't wait to read more updates about this! :) It's so great that you have pushed yourself to do this! I used to hate writing, but now I love it. I think it would be fun to work for a newspaper (and add in my photography, as well as words) but don't think that's really a job I'd ever have.

    Lauren
    http://laurensweetnothings.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would so love to have a job that had to do with writing too. I don't think it's a job that I'd ever actually have either. Not unless I get that book written and published anyways!

      Delete
  3. so exciting! congrats.

    i've written a book. just never did anything with it, haha. i so have to go find it and see how i like it now :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You've already done it! You need to dust that sucker off and do something with it! You could be sitting on a gold mine.

      Delete
  4. i finally get to say a part of your book

    ReplyDelete
  5. That's awesome. YOU CAN DO IT! My husband has started writing a book but he plans to finish it in about 2 years. It's very scientific but I bet yours would be a lot more fun to read :). All the best. And if that's your dream, work hard at it and you can totally do it. It's not silly, be proud!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks!! I really hope I can too. I just have to really believe in myself and keep writing.

      Delete
  6. just to quote you "It's something that a lot of people say they want to do [write a book] but only a handful ever actually do. I really want to be one of the ones that do. I'm not even worried about whether or not I would get it published or not. I just want to be able to say that it was something big I wanted to do and that I did it."

    congratulations, keep up the goo work. yesterday i was watching the paralympics and to paraphrase one of the athletes "if you do something you enjoy, the results always show."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. I do enjoy it so I just have to keep going. It will be worth it.

      Delete
  7. How cool is that? Judging off of your blog, you are a fantastic writer and that is so cool that you've been working on this! I love to write too and have kept a journal for as long as I can remember. Even though I minored in English in college, I wish I would have majored something more creative now because I didn't end up going into my field either (Hotel and Restaurant Management). I hope that your motivation to continue writing keeps up and we might see it in the store one day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. Me too!! I really need to get some writing done this month before I go on Vacation. I wish I'd majored in creative writing or journalism. Oh well. You know what they say about hind sight.

      Delete
  8. You can do anything you put your mind to! And while the saying sounds so cliche, it's the truth! I will 100% buy your book if you decide to get it published after you finish it. I can just see myself lounging in some Caribbean beach, sipping on a beautiful tropical drink while I go between reading your book and watching my husband and daughter play in the sand. That would be soooooo awesome :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd so love for you to be able to do that too. At least I can say that I already have one customer!

      Delete
  9. I am so proud of you and think this is absolutely amazing!! I didn't know what I wanted to do in college and a friend of mine mentioned that I was always talking about writing and books, so I should focus on English. Thank goodness he did, because I felt like I got to have the perfect college eperience! I have always tossed around the idea of becoming an author and actually started a novel, but it is quite intimidating and daunting! I love that you set goals for yourself. I should do that...

    ReplyDelete
  10. Love writing as well. It's my passion of all passions. Almost published in '08 but blew the deal. But definitely will be able to one day walk into a bookstore and see a host of novels written by myself.

    One thing about the love of writing - it comes natural, as witnessed by you and I both owning journals at tender ages. Lol.

    ReplyDelete

I really appreciate your comments! Thanks for being part of my blog.