Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day!
“Without goals and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination.”
Fitzhugh Dodson
I have been gradually whittling away at writing a novel now since Nano in November. I can’t say that Nano gave me anything close to a novel. It did give me a boost of self esteem that – yes I can write that number of words. It did give me a lot of scenes for a novel but no where near a complete novel. During December, I was able to assimilate all that writing and see what I really had and I discovered that I have been trying to write the same novel for quite some time. Each time that I tried something new, I found myself headed in the same direction. It felt like an epiphany. I hadn’t really been starting over, I had been writing the same story from different starts. Each attempt gave me a little more of the story that I wanted to tell and Nano gave me a hugh chunck. So during December, in between the holidays and gathering with friends and family, I came up with a more cohesive story idea. I was able to take a story that I played with earlier in the year last year and by using scenes from my Nano project, I feel like I can moosh it all together into something that looks like a book. That has been my journey since my last post. I have been working on the plot and characters and I have written the first two chapters. This weekend, I’m meeting with my writer’s group and will be sharing chapter one. I plan to keep notes on their critique but do not plan to make any changes until I complete the novel. I know deep down within my writer’s soul that I have to complete the project before I can revise otherwise I may miss writing the story that I am meant to write.
My goal for the year, is to complete a novel. I do not expect perfection. I do expect to revise and edit a lot. I will know when the project is complete and then I will set my next goal of sending it out for publication. It is a lofty goal and I know it will not be easy but I will continue to take small steps until I am done. I will stay focused and not be drawn off track. I will report in each month and hope you will be cheering me on.
If you have completed a novel and have any advice, please feel free to comment and share. I know that I am very interested in learning more about the process.
Virginia
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