How to start, write, and edit a novel? It’s a commonly asked question that answers itself: START, WRITE, and EDIT! But for the sake of elaborating on what many consider to be a multi-faceted topic, let’s start with the basics.
START
To start, drop your cache of excuses. The majority of people that achieve anything in life are busy people. Busy people realize that life is finite, and to validate themselves, they must PRODUCE. If you have a family, a job (or many), a truckload of responsibilities and so forth, you are no exception to the rule; in fact, you are totally ordinary. To overcome your ‘ordinariness,’ you must rise from the humdrum and craft your visions into realized products. Thus, if a novel lives inside you, the only reason it’s still there is because you’re fronting excuses rather than sharpening your skills. I suggest dropping the BS, wiping your brow, and getting serious… NOW!
You see, no one’s going to care if you don’t write your novel. Except maybe you. If you’re reading this article, you might be harboring a dream of bringing a story to life, but feel too caught up in the convolutedness of your existence… right? Ok, enjoy that. But don’t expect anyone to care if you go on about your potential without producing things. Perhaps it’s money, acclaim, or credibility that you’re after, but these are earned rather than transmitted or bullied into being – if you want them, you have to EARN them!
WRITING
Ok, your head’s screwed on right. What next? WRITE! It doesn’t matter if you know every detail about your story or not; your book’s content will find its place, but first you must let it do so. Like other procrastinating loafers, I too whined for ages about how misunderstood I was, how my talent was wasting away, all because I couldn’t see an ending to my story and harbored misgivings about writing dialogue. And what cured these? WRITING. I started one cold winter’s night. I was living in a forest bungalow then and had run out of whiskey and cigarettes. I felt cold and alone, and in that uncomfortable state, I started writing. My first words, in hindsight, proved revolutionary:
I woke up startled.
That’s it! The moment you genuinely commit to something, you DO wake up startled! I proceeded to get the first page down, and within six months, I’d produced a hundred-thousand-word draft. I guarantee you that alchemy exits: if you 100% believe in what you’re doing, the rest falls into place.
It’s definitely not all sunshine and rainbows after that. Next comes the long, aching slog. And it is a long, aching slog, a veritable relationship of alternating heavens and hells. Yes, writing novels is indeed alchemical, but you’ll still need an extensive amount of time to write it! For many aspiring authors, this is the mega art-killer: I don’t have time to write! My personal take on things is this: if you REALLY want to write a book, you WILL. If this means waking up in the middle of the night and taking your laptop to the bathroom… giving up your weekends/social life/friends and family for the cause… you must do what’s necessary. For some, this is a terrifying thought, but reality states that bringing something substantial into the world takes sacrifice and courage. An added benefit is that your process will reveal who really cares: those who matter stick and those that don’t, don’t. So think of novel writing as an existential spring cleaning: all that’s unnecessary is swept away, leaving behind only that which sparkles.
Another massive hurdle is self-belief. Or lack thereof. There are days when the words and ideas stream quickly and your genius dances with irrepressible precision and wonder. And then self-doubt arrives to lord over a sullen, meaningless landscape in which nothing makes sense, and it feels like your writing falls to apparent ruin. Hey… rest assured that EVERYONE experiences this. I’d stake my life on the fact that every author who’s ever written something meaningful has charted similar courses. Also, consider this: when your book is complete, you’ll be not only a legitimate author but also a wizened soul who’s dug deep into the belly of a gargantuan beast and can now lift that treasure of immortal truth to light.
Really, a book is Life in miniature: a tremendous surface-level achievement built atop innumerable (untold) tales of blood, sweat, and sacrifice.
With this in mind, don’t forget that your process has worth. If you’ve committed to writing a novel and have been at it for a while, there’s benefit in what you’re doing. Maybe you’re destined to become a famous author… maybe not. Maybe your purpose is to learn more about the world or simply improve yourself through self-knowledge… maybe not. What matters is that you’re growing, and that wealth always exceeds expectations.
But what if my book fails? you ask.
Well, what if it doesn’t? It’s natural to hold concerns and imagine worst-case scenarios, but if a book is living inside you and never gets to see the light of day… isn’t THAT failure? I mean, how can you live when you’re choking on unrealized talent screaming for release? Henry David Thoreau’s eternal quote now springs to mind:
‘The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.’
Gendering aside, don’t be an a-hole who tiptoes through Life, never speaking your authentic voice only to die in obscurity from self! Writing novels isn’t about success or failure; it’s about letting the process be and reveling in the subsequent relationship between you and the sublime.
Novel writing is the definition of End-In-Itself, a thousand times over.
EDITING
Next comes the real writing! After finishing your first draft, you’ll realize that writing a novel isn’t as difficult as first imagined, only to get slapped through the face when you realize how much the editing process entails.
To start, you MUST edit. If you don’t believe this, fine, but please don’t force your unedited book on anyone. It’s not a claim against your talent and skill to say that you MUST edit: it’s a priori fact. To write something of considerable length and feel that you’ve nailed it without needing to review is embarrassingly naïve. A novel is a living thing, infused with such variable complexity that tying everything together requires considerable review, re-enactment, and subsequent editing.
You start by revising your first draft, your focus being to fix spelling mistakes, punctuation issues, and grammar no-brainers. When this is done, it’s OK to show your baby to beta readers. It’d be better if these readers were anonymous because bias exists with family and friends. Editing aims for objectivity, and if strangers can offer opinions on your books, you’ll know where you stand objectively.
When your book emerges from that mill, edit it again before handing it to a professional editor. Ughhh, you sigh. Yes, it’s painful to pour yourself into something so profoundly and then incur additional debt, but employing a professional editor goes beyond fixing lexicon and syntax. They help you gauge your book’s market, its competitors, and give you feedback regarding potential commercial value. They can also offer insight regarding book marketing, and often know publishing industry insiders who can prove useful contacts. Also, each author-editor relationship is laden with potential in that editors can offer educated, experienced platforms that teach you more about the novel-writing process. The point that they’re generally interesting people doesn’t hurt, either. On balance, an editor is worth the investment, hard as it may initially seem.
SUMMARY
To write a novel, you must START: not in your mind, but on a page! This takes commitment, courage, and a ready willingness to eat humble pie. Once that ball’s rolling, you enter the minefield of Life, dodging numerous distractions to snatch parcels of time to write amid never-ending madness. This process will be compounded by fears of not being talented enough, wise enough, sharp enough, or disciplined enough to finish what you started.
If you do complete a first draft, next comes editing. This hair-tearing exercise includes the HUGE step of letting other people read your work, which may result in your book receiving a sentence-long compliment, a short, critical paragraph, or no comment at all.
Ok, you’re still here. Next comes the idea of hiring a professional editor. This is a beneficial exercise because you’re not only paying for a professional to edit your work, but you’re also buying peace of mind because you know your book will be as polished as possible come publishing time.
And… congratulations! Your book is finished! You can now say (with a well-earned smile) that you’re a novelist!
Now for the next one!