The Writing Journey, pt. 1
I like teaching people more than I like helping them. Lucky for me, the two go hand in hand. My hope is that this post finds you wondering where to get started in your own writing journey. Or you’re curious. I’ll take what I can get.
I’m starting with my process as one of many examples of how to write. Perhaps my fumbles will help you avoid your own.
At first, I thought I was a discovery writer, also known as a gardener or a pantser. I thought you just wrote whatever came into your head based on a strong story idea. Never mind that my story idea wasn’t nearly as strong as I thought it was. I was going to be a writer. And I didn’t need any help either. If I tried to learn how to write I’d cloud my mind with dogma and rigid principles that crimped my artistic style. I figured I was smart enough to figure it out as I went. So I started writing in November of 2018 for NaNoWriMo. Got about two and a half weeks in, about 38,000 words, before giving up. This would turn into The Song of Brone after I got over my hubris. Which took eight months.
At some point I couldn’t stand to not write the story while it burned a hole in my brain. But I wasn’t going to make the same mistakes. Maybe you won’t either. I started watching youtube videos about writing, like Alexa Donne’s (highly recommended) Jenna Moreci’s (ditto), and iWriterly’s (double-ditto). There was some Hello Future Me in there too, which also gave me a love and appreciation for Avatar: the Last Airbender.
Alongside the videos I purchased some books on writing, most of which you can find in my Reading List. I created a rigid schedule: read craft for one hour a day (on my lunch break), write for an hour, minimum once I got home from work, then read a fiction title relevant to my genre for another hour. I started the research and pleasure reading first, working on my outline during my writing time. I started by outlining my failed draft up to the point where I stopped, then filled in blanks, removed scenes, etc. Once that was done I started writing. I missed plenty of days where I wouldn’t do one or two of the three things, but with this schedule I spent at least one hour a day on something writing related.
It took me about three months before I lost steam. By that point I had 140,000+ words written and the end was in sight. I took a break for a few months, playing video games, watching tv, that sort of thing. Maybe I was burnt out, or maybe my story was broken and I was scared. But the specter of the unfinished book wouldn’t leave me alone, so I picked it back up.
I finished the last few chapters and ended up with a 160,000+ word draft, far too long for a debut fantasy novel, which I knew thanks to the dozen or so craft books I’d consumed by that point, as well as hours of #authortube videos. The quality of the early words was terrible compared to the later stuff, but I’d done it. I’d finished the first draft. So I settled in for the three-month self-assigned breathing period, so my next draft could be done with fresh eyes. If everything worked according to plan, I would finish my final draft (draft four) in July, two years after I ‘started’ writing.
At the appointed time, I began outlining my work and modifying it. I also purchased a bulletin board and installed it, along with hundreds of pins and index cards. I typed out my scenes one to a card and laid them out in 25% bands that mimicked three-act structure. I dilly-dallied on this step and it took me a couple of months to get it all done, most of which I spent not doing anything and getting anxious about it. I knew I wouldn’t hit the July deadline, and that exacerbated my anxiety. To be clear, this is regular anxiety, not the gut-wrenching anxiety some people suffer from.
One day I ran out of authortube videos and had to switch to podcasts. I started with Writing Excuses. Eventually I got to an episode where they mentioned conventions worth attending, looked up Fantasy World Con, and booked it for myself. It’s coming up this November, 2021. That gave me a deadline. My book had to be ready for November.
That gave me one month each for the second and third draft, one month for beta readers and feedback, and two months for the fourth draft. I either finished, or wasted $2,000+ on a convention I wouldn’t get much out of. It is unlikely that I’ll get a book deal this November. It’s my first novel and I’ve only been writing for a couple years. But there’s a chance I’m a unicorn in idiot’s clothing, so I’ve gotta give it my best shot. I won’t be buying lottery tickets anytime soon, though, so don’t worry.
I found that while I wrote the first draft at about 750 words/hour, I could edit at about 1500 words/hour, not counting those times I wrote new scenes or chapters. Those were the usual speed. The second draft proceeded apace and I finished it right on time. During the process I cut over 60,000 words and added another 20,000 or so back in. Second draft word-count: 126,000+. That was within spitting distance of the recommended maximum of 120,000 for my genre. That gave me confidence. And made me arrogant.
So I waited to start the third draft. For two weeks. That meant I only had two weeks to hit deadline. Then I realized that I had less; some of my coworkers wanted physical copies, and August 1st was a Sunday. If I wanted to get them copies, I needed to be done by Thursday so I could use the night to print and deliver on Friday. I managed it, editing at a frenzied 2,000 words per hour. I wanted to cut 10% off the novel, but only managed about 8.5%, delivering a third draft word count of 118,000 exactly. This draft was more of a polish, and I wish I had more time. I would have used Pro Writing Aid to analyze the novel to death. But my procrastination cost me.
So here we are in August. The novel is out for beta-reading and due back September 1st. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes. For now, try to learn from my example. You aren’t some hotshot writing genius. You’re a normal guy or gal. So buy, rent, or borrow some books on craft. Listen to podcasts, watch youtube, whatever you have time for. Just don’t put it off. Write with a process, even if that process is organized chaos.