Today I'm going to write a blog about the truth behind writing. I've just started working on book number four and it got me thinking about how I write and about all the advice and books I've read about the 'craft'. The truth is, there isn't one way to write a book. There aren't a hundred ways actually (I'm guessing thousands) and there definitely isn't a right or wrong way.
Since I started writing seriously about ten years ago, I've met and spoken to many other writers about how they write, writing tips and all the 'secrets' of writing a great novel. I read quite a few books about it too. The advice out there is unbelievable and I'm not saying you shouldn't read it or take advice from other authors, but don't let it distract you from the most important thing of all and that's actually writing. What I've realised over the years and what I'm realising now as I'm starting my next book is that the way I write probably isn't in any book. I don't have a system (I do, sort of, but more on that later), it isn't very efficient, I don't have whole books of notes about characters, themes, story lines etc. All the things that many books tell me to do, I don't. Yet I'm still writing books, two have been published and the third is going to be published this year. The truth is, writing is about finishing a brilliant book that people want to read. How you get there is entirely up to you.
Of course there are some things you need to know and if you're just starting your first novel or thinking about it, here's some advice that I hope will be helpful.
It's going to take a long time and it should. Some people will tell you that you can write a novel in six weeks or even six months. Think again. My first book took two years. Even now my books take roughly a year to write. The reason is that I could bang out 90,000 words in a few months, edit it a bit, do a few read-throughs and then be done in six months, but would it be any good? It might be all right, but would it be the best it could be? Definitely not. There's a reason novels take a long time it's because they're long and they need to be complex, emotional, funny (if it's meant to be funny) and life-changing. The biggest thing I've learnt being published is that you could write two novels a year, but if they aren't very good you might as well write none. Spend the time, make it the best book it can be. When you look back on your writing career it's better to have one great book you're proud of than fifty than you just knocked out and then moved on. Novels are about quality not quantity.
Thinking is as important as writing. Sometimes as writers we think that if we aren't writing we aren't working. We have this need to get things down on paper and there are times when I'm guilty of this. However, the truth is that the thought-processes that go behind a novel are just as important as the words on the page. Most full-time writers I know try and write 1000-2000 words a day. That isn't very much. Take into account that the average working day for most people is seven and a half hours, writing 2000 words isn't that difficult. Why don't we write more? Here's where the thinking comes in. Spend time thinking. Even when you think you've got the book down, the story, the plot, the characters, keep thinking about it. You never know when inspiration will come and a new unexpected idea will jump out at you.
There are lots of people out there who will try and tell you that you're doing it wrong, that your work isn't very good, it needs more of this and less of that. Once your work is out there, people will literally wait in line to have a go at it. This is good. Some of the advice and opinion you can ignore and some you can take on board, but good feedback helps you more than anything else. I spent quite a few years afraid to show my work to anyone in case they thought it was rubbish until the day I realised this was pointless and self-defeating. Once your work is in a decent state show as many people as you can. I recommend joining an online site where you get reviews for doing reviews. I spent a few years on a website called Youwriteon and it was really helpful. Some of the reviews are hard to take, but it helped me improve, see where I was going wrong and I made a few friends too.
The only thing that really matters is that you write something interesting, fresh, intriguing and uniquely you. Every agent and publisher I've spoken with are all looking for the same thing - something new. Something different. Don't try and copy anyone. Be you.
Lastly, don't worry worry about how you write, just write. You can't edit something that hasn't been written. You will find your own style and it might take a few books to get there, but you'll realise how your brain works and then just go with it. I know writers who plan loads, but that isn't me. I used to feel under pressure to plan more, to get organised, but now I don't. My system works for me. It almost definitely wouldn't work for you and so I'm not going to tell you much about it. I think a lot, I write the opening three or four chapters a few times, but mainly to get the voices, understand the characters and world I'm creating. I don't write lots of notes, but I do write a lot. Then once I feel like I know the characters and where the stories going, I write the first draft quite quickly (around 6 months). Once I have the whole book I just edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Until it's done (another 6 months). Then, of course, it goes off to my agent, my proofreaders and editors and it comes back to me with changes and problems and mistakes and then I edit again.
Writing (much like this blog) is a long process, but it's worth every second. The truth is that it's exceptionally hard to write a really good book. You may read books and think, I can do that and maybe you can, but even if you're talented, it takes hard work, time and a very thick skin once it's done. Then, of course, there's getting published, but that's another blog all together. Just remember that there's no rules to how you write. You will end up writing like you and that's good enough.
Until next time.
Hugs,
Jon X
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