10 things I've learned writing my first novel

Hello friends!

In my previous post I wrote about how I failed to find an agent with my first novel. But of course there’s no such thing as failure. I believe Elizabeth Day opens her How to Fail podcast by saying that by learning how to fail, we learn how to succeed. And I believe that’s exactly what I’ve been doing.

When you pick up a book in the bookstore or library, the story usually flows so well, it feels like the author just sat down and wrote it exactly like that, word for word. It’s hard to imagine what the story looked like on a previous draft, or even that there was a previous draft at all.

It’s not until you sit down and start writing yourself, you come to understand the arduous process behind it all. I once read it took Madeline Miller ten years to write The Song of Achilles and at the time I couldn’t understand how that was even possible. Why would someone spend ten years on one and the same story? Four years into my own project, I now see how that might’ve happened. You want the best for your characters and you want their story to shine. But along the way, you will fall and stumble and it takes time to get to where you want to go. Also, she was writing The Song of Achilles, a masterpiece like no other!

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

All that stumbling and falling has given me some valuable insights though and I’d like to share them with you, hoping to help make the whole ordeal a bit easier.

1. The first time you think your story is ready to send to agents, IT’S NOT
   Read it again, read it out loud, let it sit for a few weeks and then come back to it. I made the mistake of querying too soon. My story wasn’t ready and I wasted many opportunities by sending on a, quite frankly, embarrassing draft. I was advised to let it rest, but I didn’t listen, I was worried I’d loose my shot if I waited too long. Don’t worry about time. This is not a race. Do it right!

2. Find yourself some writer friends
   It doesn’t matter how much your ordinary human friends love you or understand you, they won’t know what you’re going through and they’ll get sick of you talking about it. Writer friends are mental like you and love talking about it all. They’ll understand the highs and lows, and they’ll keep you going. Cherish them!

3. Have your work read by beta readers
   These can be the same as your writer friends, or if you’re writing in a completely different genre, they could be another group altogether. Bianca Marais from the podcast The Shit No One Tells You About Writing sets up a beta reader match up once every few months. You can still join the July one before the 31st. It’s insanely helpful to have other writers look at your work and the other way around. You helping them will teach you an enormous amount about your own writing too and if you’re lucky like me, you’ll make a friend for life.

4. Don’t send your work to friends and/or family
   If, like me, you are a sensitive soul with fragile self-esteem don’t ask your friends or family to read your book. Not even if they ask for it themselves. Peer feedback and industry feedback are one thing, having your closest ones giving you their opinions is another league entirely. If you want actual constructive feedback, see number 2 & 3, if you want your soul crushed, ignore this advice.

5. Shield yourself from internet wisdom
   Whether you’re on Instagram, TikTok or Twitter, there’s always someone who will tell you how to write your book. ‘Never give backstory in the first three chapters.’, ‘Don’t open with the weather.’, ‘Don’t use adverbs.’, etc.
   Some of what you find online might help you, but most of it will be contradictory and end up confusing you. It’s your story, you know what you’re doing. Stop listening to the negative voices.

6. Read. Read. Read.
   Reading widely has helped me narrow down what I love and what I hate. It has improved my own prose and it has helped me understand what I’m drawn to. There are so many wonderful writers out there. Let them inspire you, let them teach you!

7. You don’t need fancy technology
   There are a lot of apps and software programmes out there and they all promise to make your writing life easier. But these things cost money and not everyone is privileged enough to be able to afford them. Don’t worry though, all you really need is a pen and a notebook, maybe a typewriter or computer if you want it to go a bit faster.

8. Back up your files
   This should be obvious by now, but I wanted to remind you. Email your work to yourself, back it up in the cloud, use a floppy disk for all I care, just back it up!

9. It’s okay not to write every day
   Some people have busy lives with full time jobs and families and other hobbies. They should not be made to feel guilty for not having written anything each day. Everyone has their own process, respect it.

10. Remember: you love writing!
    It’s easy to forget this sometimes. There’s a lot of pressure to succeed and social media is full of success stories. Comparing yourself to them while being rejected or ghosted by agents time and time again, will get your spirits down. You’ll want to give up, believe me. When that happens, talk to your writer friends (they come in handy all the time!) and try to remember you’re doing this because you love to write.
    

I hope this list will help you and I’d love to hear your tips and tricks so post them below! Writing is a solitary act, but it’s the community that will keep you going. Let’s make everyone a happier, more confident writer!

Love,

Mx