30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 23 – I still google 'how to write a novel' every time I start
One of the benefits of being a published author is that other avenues of work open up for you. For example, many of my published friends teach creative writing, or do manuscript reports for aspiring authors.
But I don’t.
I’ve never taught creative writing and I’ve never given feedback on a manuscript unless it was for a friend.
And there’s a reason you won’t find any advice on actually writing a novel on this blog.
(And it’s not just because there is already tons of amazing advice out there on the internet on that topic!)
It’s because, having written ELEVEN BLOODY NOVELS, I still have no clue how to do it.
Or at least, that’s how it feels. You might hope that I’d learnt something over the DECADES that I’ve been surgically attached to my laptop, but my writing method is utterly haphazard and messy and unexplainable.
And yes, I really do google ‘how to write a novel’ every time I start afresh, with nothing but a blank page before me.
I was hoping that once I’d published two or three books, things would get easier somehow. That I’d hit a stride and suddenly find a magic formula that meant I could just knock a decent first draft out in eight weeks and then tinker with it a bit, send it off and wait for the five-star reviews to flow in.
Not so!
EVERY time I come to write a novel, I feel as though I’m starting from scratch all over again and like I don’t have the first idea what I’m doing.
Perhaps this is why it’s the only job I’ve had that I’ve never got bored of?
Each book is its own new problem to be solved, and has its own set of challenges to overcome, and I learn something new each time.
First drafts get harder, but editing gets easier →
Download my FREE debut author’s survival guide →
Having spoken to my author friends though, I know that this isn’t an issue that’s unique to me. So many established authors also feel as though they are flailing around in the dark when they first start a new project.
‘I’ve forgotten how to write a book!’ is a popular Whatsapp message I receive regularly.
The good news though is that you do get better - even if it doesn’t feel like it. With each book you write, you become more and more aware of things to avoid, like slow pace, unlikeable characters (more on those critters in a later post), lame dialogue etc etc.
So usually your first draft isn’t as bad as the drafts you wrote when you were starting out.
But there’s still an element of panic and fear and ‘I can’t do this!’.
I feel it every time, and I remind myself that I can do it and I have done it before.
I’ve written books that I thought were total disasters but that have somehow come together at (what often feels like) the last minute and turned out not to be disasters at all.
I think a lot of writing is done by instinct and intuition, and sometimes your logical brain isn’t fully aware of how pieces of the puzzle are moving together of their own accord but often there’s a moment - a kind of weird awakening - when everything suddenly just clicks into place.
The key, I find, is to keep writing no matter what absolute rubbish you are producing.
My friends and I have an expression we say to one another a lot when one of us is having a crisis with our WIP:
Trust the process.
There is alchemy in writing, and your creative brain works on so many levels that I don’t think we’re always fully aware of.
But if you focus on your book, put the hours in and keep writing, then usually you’ll end up with something that’s fixable at the very least.
However, if you are hoping for full blown confidence that you are now A Writer and you know how to write, then I’m sorry, I’m not sure that ever comes?!
Perhaps the humility keeps us hungry and motivated, and that’s a good thing!?
My favourite books on the writing process
To finish this post off, I thought this would be a good place to share some of the books and resources I turn to when I feel as though I have no clue how to write…
Writing the Breakout Novel* by Donald Maass
Take off Your Pants* by Libby Hawker
Bird by Bird* by Anne Lamott
On Writing* by Stephen King
How to Plot a Book Using the Snowflake Method on Jericho Writers
NB the links marked with * are affiliate links.
Get your author website sorted with my DIY Author Website Course →
Hey, I write novels, but I also build websites!
If you’re an author and don’t have one yet (or you have one that’s so awful you never tell people about it!) then check out how I can help →
This is wonderful - thank you.