How To Write A Novel In 29 Days
December 19th, 2010
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How do you write a novel in 29 days? The same way you write a novel in 21 days, only slower.
This past November, I wrote my second novel for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), completing the required 50,000 words the day before the deadline. But my experience this time was very different from when I wrote my first novel, Mesothelioma Lawyers, New York.
Last time, the words flowed effortlessly. It was a lot of work, for sure, but nothing was forced. This time, it was really a chore, and the results show it. There’s only one semi-decent character, and the plot is held together by supernatural band-aids.
The whole point of NaNoWriMo is to go for quantity over quality, and just get a first draft done quickly instead of editing yourself to death and never finishing. So this was a success in that I crossed the finish line. I’m going to make a few revisions, then post it anonymously on one of my other sites.
Some people say that you can’t force inspiration when your muse is on sabbatical. Others say that writer’s block is a lame excuse to avoid work. What do you say?
December 20th, 2010 at 11:47 am
I say I love your writing and would read what you write on nearly any subject. But selfishly I sure wish you’d write a nice FBI thriller complete with bloggers and hackers and other geeky fun.
December 20th, 2010 at 11:32 pm
@ Christie, yeah, I thought about doing an FBI thriller when you mentioned that before, but I’d hate to disappoint you by doing it half-heartedly. Maybe I’ll save that idea for another time…
December 30th, 2010 at 8:14 pm
Hmm, forced inspiration vs. writer’s block. I enjoy both. I’ve participated in nanowrimo the past four years and have had plenty of discussions with people who opine “that is no way to write a novel.” Of course, I don’t think a single one of them had ever written a novel. I always enjoy the process of banging it out over a month and then taking a little time finessing it. One of these days perhaps I’ll even be able to convince someone to publish it.
In the meantime, we do it just because we want to, right? Good luck with this new one and whatever you write next.
January 1st, 2011 at 1:26 pm
@ Matt, four NaNoWriMo wins in a row is pretty dang impressive. It always seems that the people who say “that’s no way to do X” have never actually done X, doesn’t it? If you want to publish any of your novels, remember that you always have the option of doing it yourself through CreateSpace or something like that.
January 17th, 2011 at 5:20 am
Hi Hunter,
I’m just dropping in to say “Hello” and “Happy New Year”. It’s good to see you’re still blogging, still writing.
I hope all is well in your world.
January 18th, 2011 at 1:06 am
@ Barbara, hello, and Happy New Year to you too! Yup, I’m still here. The blogosphere seems so much bigger now than when we first met, doesn’t it?