Going Forward
Well my novel is proceeding at break neck speed. I toy with the idea of going back and revising the beginning to incorporate my modified plot points. But I've decided the most important thing is to drive forward and finish the first draft--no matter how rough it is. Once that is complete, I will edit and revise to my heart's content.
That said, I'm 32,000 words in and moving strong. I'm all about action right now, dialogue too. I think I'll need to go back and put in some more character self-reflection, but that can be added later.
I also find myself creating a separate file of "don't forgets." Don't forget if they both take the ship, that leaves the houses unaccounted for. Don't forget she has a cast on her wrist that will need to be removed at some point. Don't forget about the mysterious key.
I bought a guide to enhancing your plots and whatnot. I think it looks interesting, but again, with this first novel, that may just be a diversion. I plan to write it out first and then go back and do major revising. With future novels this may not be necessary as I'm sure I will learn lots just writing this first one.
So forward I go!
Research and Rewriting
I am 30,000 words into my novel. I made the decision to do my research concurrent with my writing since I so dislike research. Well, that may or may not have been a good idea since my plot had a premise which turns out to be extraordinarily unlikely (i.e., impossible) in the time period it was set. That leaves me two options: (1) admit and rationalize the unlikelihood as part of the story in order to maintain authenticity, or (2) revise the plot. I chose the later.
The story between the two characters has not changed, only the back story has. I will still have to do a substantial amount of rewriting. However, I feel this revised plot is both more feasible and lends to a much better story.
The Way Things Were
I plotted my novel in advance, seeing my characters actions and the scenes in which they lived clearly in my mind. Yet as they come to life on the page, they change, growing in ways I hadn't anticipated. In some instances, this conflicts with how I had seen them developing. In that way, I am as surprised as my reader as to how the story will end.
My damsel in distress is handling her situation much better than I had anticipated. She's stronger than I gave her credit for. It will be interesting to see how this affects the story overall. She is not the weak, broken-spirited creature I had envisioned, and this is good, because that would not have jived at all with the strong-willed woman she began as.
I'm up to 20,000 words at present. That's 1/5 of the way there! Onwards and upwards, as they say.
The Solitary Life
Writing is a rather solitary life, one which exists only in your mind. While there, you will find your companions to be your characters. Their problems become yours, their worries your headaches, their dilemnas your plot points to resolve. And although I long for more social contact at times, I do enjoy living in my character's world and seeing things through their eyes. It is the only time I can be a 27 year old man sailing on a ship across the ocean, or a 17 year old girl living in 1790's England.
Nonetheless, one does need to get out at times. I attended a writer's group today. It was okay. At other times, I chat online with other writers. That is fun too, but it would be even better if we could see each other in person. I long to be able to beam about as in Star Trek. Until then, though, I'll have to suffice with my electronic friends and the alternate universe of my characters.
Learn How to Write - Buy a Book
There are tons of books on how to write: how to create fiction that sells, how to outline, how to plot, how to write witty dialogue, how to create memorable characters, how to schedule your kids around your potential writing career, etc. But you know what? None of them will write your book for you. I tend to shy away from these books. Not because they aren't any good, but because for me, they are just one more avenue of procrastination. The best way to learn to write a novel is this: WRITE ONE. Granted your first novel may be awful. But so what? Get it on paper and then go back and revise, rewrite, polish. Learn by doing. You could spend your whole life reading books on how to become a writer, without ever putting a word on paper yourself. That is the danger of "learn how to write" books. If you must, read one. And then, get to work!
On Standby
I am currently stepping back from my novel to do some research. The book is divided into three parts: (1) England, (2) The ship to America, (3) Settling in America. I'm working on the first part right now. I've decided, though, that I can't do it justice without having a better understanding of eighteenth century England.
I tend to be a summary writer. I concentrate on the emotions, but not on the scenery. In so doing, my writing lacks atmosphere. This is okay for the very first rough draft as it gets my ideas down on paper. I do end up going back and reworking a lot though to add that element. I'm hoping in doing the research upfront, when I do write, I will be able to incorporate everything and reduce rewrites.
My characters are still fresh in my mind, which is good. I still hope to have a draft by May, but that may be a bit ambitious.
Excerpt
Here is an excerpt from the novel I'm working on, just to wet your appetite.
Susanna sat on edge of the bed facing away from him, her hands clasped tightly together, her whole body trembling as tears streaming silently down her cheeks. It broke his heart to see her like this. She had not lost her innocence, it had been taken from her––brutally. And although he could not give it back to her, he would do what he could to ease the pain and the memories, to replace them with something softer, something kinder. He could only hope that it would be enough. But first, he had to reach her in that place of desolation and despair.
It was their wedding night. He had no intention of demanding his martial rights, for he didn’t view them as rights at all, but a mutual coming together––heart, body, and soul. He would accept no less. And if that meant waiting a day, a month, or a year; so be it. When they did come together, it would be something that neither of them would ever forget.
