I’ve spent a decade writing. I mean that literally. A decade and one day ago I only had two itty-bitty “stories” to my name. And now writing has become something that’s always on my mind, whether it’s for my novel, a review, or some other topic I’m composing. When I look back at my first attempts of writing prose, I’m very happy to report that I’ve come a long way.
This is not writing advice but I hope you can learn a thing or two. Even if it’s just being glad your writing experience is the complete opposite to mine.
It’s not a fast endeavor
Apparently I am not a fast writer. A decade on one book is a long time (and it still needs to be edited). But I wasn’t constantly writing these past years. Months would go by where I didn’t write a word. I hadn’t figured out how to hit my stride and stay on top of it. The “I just don’t feel like writing” thought frequently knocked me out of the writer’s game. I went through multiple story, character, and world-building paths before arriving at a close semblance of what I actually want the end result to be. I’m fairly sure a decade per book is not going to be normal, but it needed to happen for this one.
Over the course of this decade I’ve changed a lot as a writer and now I’m actually close to what kind of author I want to be. Now I can take those years of practice and start writing something good from the outset.
Research. But also write
You can read countless books and articles, listen to hours of podcasts, and fall down the YouTube writer’s hole, but it ain’t gonna make a dent if you don’t practice.
Before I started writing I do wish I’d had a better grasp on writing prose. When I did dabble in all those writing advice mediums I found that I wanted to incorporate everything I’d learned. The problem with that is I became so focused on making sure I didn’t make those novice mistakes that I forgot to write new stuff. I rewrote sections, highlighted overused words, analyzed character voices etc. etc. I should’ve just kept writing while implementing those new skills.
I had to set aside everything I learned and just write and let my subconscious make the changes instead of consulting my notes.
It’s okay to not have a plan
I am a pantser. Meaning: I write by the seat of my pants. In the beginning, I had a plot that was a couple sentences long, but everything else that had to happen to make the plot a reality was completely blank. That allowed me to try various fillings and additives without feeling like I’d abandoned my original idea. I love the freedom to do whatever while still heading vaguely toward my goal.
The next book I write will have a more thorough outline but still leave me plenty of room to make burrows and grow trees and completely change course. I do not like having to stick to a plan when my writing has made a new, better plan possible.
Outlines are optional
I have tried to do outlines. I thought it’d help prevent writer’s block and make writing faster. Turns out it doesn’t work that way for me. The one I made for the denouement sorta happened but then I derailed it and went skipping toward a different sunset. Plan, yes. Detailed outline, no.
Grammar is the friend you need, if not the one you want
I don’t have to spell out all the ways grammar is helpful. No one’s going to read your work if you don’t know how to make a sentence.
I took a hiatus roughly halfway through my writing to learn grammar. (Being homeschooled, I had the luxury to learn grammar only when I needed it.) I am by no means an expert in that field and if you ask me to diagram a sentence it’s not gonna look right, but I have a better grasp of it than someone who’s not a writer. Going through grammar is not for the faint of heart and if I hadn’t already been in the writing hole I’d have gotten sick of it. But I wanted what it would give me, so I stuck with it and I’m grateful to have it behind me.
I have different voices
If you’ve read any of my reviews you may think you know how I sound. Well, that’s not how I write my book. My prose is slightly archaic and stripped of most modern language to help create my Renaissance-esque world. But my reviews are relaxed and informal. And when I talk it sorta resembles my reviews but it’s the unedited version complete with wrong words, brain fog, and incoherent thoughts/sounds.
With each of those voices comes a different mindset and I have to make sure I’m in the right prose lane.
Writing every day helps
For the final push to reach the end of my book, I wrote every day. That’s not something I’d ever done before. It made a huge difference. I remembered where I left off and it made continuing each day that much easier. I never left the groove and I wrote about ten thousand words in a week. Now I know for future books to take the advice I’ve heard so often and WRITE EACH DAY.
That probably sounds like something I should’ve tried years ago and you’re chuckling at my stupidity, but hey…better late than never.
Dialogue is da BEST
I’ve always loved reading conversations, but it’s much more fun when I’m guiding them. Some of my favorite parts of my book are dialogue and I can’t imagine writing a novel where few talks take place. One of the things I judge books by is the dialogue, so having lots of it is important to me.
Love the story you write
When I first conceived of my book, I wrote a paragraph-long outline. A decade later I’m still telling that story, just with a lot more added on to it. I’m glad I never wanted to completely scrap my “plan” and that for the most part, my idea of a good story can be found in what I’ve written.
I may be a vastly changed person from when I started, but I have stuck with that initial concept and I’m happy I did.
I still want to write
I’m not a quitter. I’ve known this for a while but it’s nice to see it validated in my book. All those times I said, “This year I’ll finish it,” could’ve turned into, “I don’t want to do this anymore.” I’ve come a long way in my writing skills and in life in general. By writing this book and immersing myself in this way of life, I’ve concluded that writing is part of who I am and the course I want to take.
Here’s to many more years of writing and learning.