My long-languishing novel draft has been dug up and laid back on the slab. Electrodes have been attached and I’m about to send 10,000 volts coursing through it. Time to bring it back to life and finish it off once and for all.
I recently mentioned how I struggled with the early drafts of this beast. Writing a novel is very different than writing a short story, and I learned some hard lessons. I grew frustrated and set the last rough draft aside, locked it in cold storage, and tried not to think about it for a while.
Which, in retrospect, was a good thing.
Over the past week or so, the unfinished monster has been on my mind, particularly when I’ve been drifting off to sleep. I’ve found that most of my story ideas come to me in that half-dream state. It’s also when I find myself working through story blocks and finding workarounds for obstacles. To me, it feels like I’m editing a movie, picking bits and pieces off the cutting room floor and switching them out or pasting them together to build a coherent story.
Which is what happened with this novel-in-progress. Although I haven’t been actively thinking about it over the past year or so (or maybe longer), it’s always been in the back of my mind, lurking like some crazy ex I broke up with years ago. I knew it was there, and it knew I knew it was there, but neither of us would take the next step.
A few weeks ago, as I was drifting off to sleep on a Friday night, the old girl stepped out of the shadows and said hello again. It was awkward for a few minutes as my half-dozing brain tried to sort things out, but finally I gave in. I lay there in the dark, eyes closed, brain shutting down, and mulled over where I’d left off.
It turns out, it wasn’t as bad as I had thought. There was a solid story there. I just needed to dust her off, dress her up, get her ready to go dancing.
Which is what I plan to do. It’ll be a slow process because I have other projects going on right now, but I’ll squeeze in time to work on it. I tend to have several irons in the fire at the same time and I bounce around between projects as best I can. A little writing here, a little painting there, maybe an hour or so of making music. It all comes together eventually. No need to rush creativity.
Still, I’m excited to get back to working on this story. It’s one I really feel good about, and after these recent dreams, I have a clear path ahead. My plan (or hope) is to have it completed by next year. After that, I’ll have to decide if I want to self-publish like I did with my short story collections, or if I’m going to bite the bullet and try going the traditional route. I have time to think about it.
If you have any tips on novel writing, I’d love to hear them. I’m always open to new ideas.
RB
I’m glad you decided to pick up the story where you left off. It seems like you have the best plan for your own progress. A segment at a time. Maybe it will be like Johnny Cash’s song, “One Piece At A Time”. He assembles a Cadillac with parts from different model years of the car.
I like that! Yes, it’s been a bit of a jigsaw puzzle to construct, but I continue to come back to it with fresh eyes and, hopefully, a clearer vision.
🤣 Great photo from one of my favorite movies.
Agreed! An absolute classic…although I think I may have improved the photo a little. 🙂
Haha. You did! 🤩
“Writing a novel is very different than writing a short story, and I learned some hard lessons.” I can relate. I want to put my short stories together as a book, but I’m struggling with the reality of it. Maybe I will just go with a book of interconnected short stories. 😊
It can be daunting, but you can do it. I’m looking forward to reading it.
Thank you. Looking forward to yours too!