| it's hard to get a novel published? For most | | | | had to learn how to stick with it. |
| writers, it is - but it's certainly not impossible. I've | | | | If you're struggling with finishing your novel, these |
| had two hit the shelves-in 10 countries, and with | | | | tips may help: |
| book club and movie rights picked up. People | | | | 1. Tell yourself a little white lie: that you have a |
| often ask me how I did it, and the truth is simple. | | | | real deadline. One of the main reasons writers |
| All it takes is, 1) talent, and 2) actually writing the | | | | give up is because they begin to question |
| thing. | | | | whether anyone really cares. Pretend there's an |
| As much as I hate to admit it, the second is the | | | | editor or agent waiting, drumming his or her |
| more important factor. | | | | fingers, eager for that completed manuscript to |
| Fact is, plenty of great novels go unfinished. The | | | | arrive. |
| statistics are staggering: of those who start | | | | 2. Set a daily goal. I set a minimum of two hours |
| writing a novel, only about 3% will finish. And | | | | a day, every day. You may prefer to designate a |
| unless you're the child of a rock star or | | | | certain number of pages, such as three to five. |
| Shakespeare's long-lost descendent, no agent or | | | | Writing is a lot like dieting: people who approach it |
| publisher will look at your novel unless it's | | | | reasonably on a daily basis are more likely to |
| complete. Only in rare instances will a publisher | | | | meet with success than those who try a crash |
| make an offer to a newbie novelist based on a | | | | program. |
| partial manuscript. | | | | 3. Don't write a novel - write a first draft. A first |
| On my first novel, Flip-Flopped, I actually did have | | | | draft can be imperfect - and in fact, it will be. |
| interest from an editor at a major publishing | | | | That's okay. Just get the pages down. You can |
| house before I was finished. I'd been taking a | | | | fix it on the second draft. |
| writing class, and the teacher passed along a | | | | 4. Be careful whom you show it to. It can be |
| short description of my book to an editor | | | | helpful to get feedback as you go, but choose |
| acquaintance of hers, who professed interest. I'd | | | | your readers carefully. Giving your precious pages |
| written about 100 pages at the time and was | | | | to someone who is frustrated at their own |
| elated - that is, until my teacher added, "Of | | | | inability to write a novel is like handing them a gun |
| course, she doesn't want to see it until it's done." | | | | ... pointed right at you. |
| It may seem unfair. If your novel starts with a | | | | 5. Spend more time writing than you spend |
| bang, why can't you just give a few chapters and | | | | planning. It can be helpful to have an outline and |
| an outline? Surely that's enough to prove your | | | | some basic research, but typically writers who |
| mettle. But publishers want evidence of more | | | | mire themselves in creating lengthy drafts of |
| than writing skills. They need to see you can go | | | | what they're going to write rarely get around to |
| the distance. In the world of writing, a novel is the | | | | actually writing. |
| marathon. A finished manuscript is the only way | | | | 6. Feel the joy. Remind yourself why you're |
| to show you can cross the finish line in the same | | | | writing a novel. Few people if any set out to write |
| sort of shape you started. | | | | a first novel because they have to. They do it |
| It took me two years to write my first novel. | | | | because they have something to say...a passion |
| Even with an editor waiting - and knowing she | | | | for the written word...a dream of seeing their |
| wouldn't wait forever - I nearly gave up many | | | | name on a shelf next to writers they admire. |
| times along the way. A single mom with a | | | | Hard work may be the backbone of a writing |
| full-time job, my only writing time was in the early | | | | career, but it's the joy of creating something |
| hours before work and during my son's naptime | | | | amazing that keeps us going. |
| on weekends. I not only had to learn novel basics | | | | So keep going! |
| like how to plot and create strong characters, I | | | | |