As my teenage diaries confirm, I’ve wanted to write a novel since grade school. But after college graduation, I got distracted by the need for a steady paycheck, and I spent nearly twenty years in the business world, neglecting that childhood ambition. When I finally started to write a novel at age forty-two, my exuberance and ambition were limitless. I was finally going to fulfill a lifelong dream!
Two problems, though.
One, I had no idea what I was doing.
Two, I didn’t know what I didn’t know.
In hopes of flattening the learning curve for other first-time novelists, here are some lessons I wish I’d known when I began to write my first novel.
1. Perfectionism hinders progress.
I wrote my first novel slowly, in part because I didn’t know my plot, but also because I labored over the words. This approach is deadly and futile in your first draft (and your second, and your third). Deadly, because your progress will be turtle-like. Futile, because often those same passages, scenes and chapters will get cut in subsequent revisions. All that time and mental energy spent searching for the perfect word? Wasted.
2. Revision is not a one-time event.
I used to harbor this fanciful notion of an author’s process: she writes a near-perfect first draft; she revises once to make her words even more beautiful, and then she sends the manuscript off to be published. Hah! While my vision was far from the mark, the idea of a single revision pass was particularly unrealistic. My second novel’s path looked something like this. Draft. Revise twice. Send to my writing group. Revise again. Send to beta readers. Revise again. Query lightly. Revise twice based on agent feedback. Query more. Hire an editor and revise again based on her feedback. Send to more beta readers. Revise. Moral of the story? There will be many revisions in your future.
3. Reading and writing aren’t the same skill.
As an English major and a lifelong reader, I thought I knew (intuitively!) how to write a novel. It turns out, you have to write to improve at writing. Reading alone won’t be sufficient. Practice writing. Find writers in your genre with whom you can exchange chapters. Listen to their feedback. Write more of what they like and less of what they don’t.
4. But, you can improve your writing through (close) reading.
To sharpen your novel-writing skills, start reading differently. Underline passages that speak to you. Notice where a writer inspires surprise, sadness, or excitement. Mark those passages. Study how your favorite authors evoked those feelings and apply those lessons to your own writing. For practice, copy favorite passages so that you can see how other authors structure their sentences and how they develop ideas. Then utilize those techniques in your writing.
5. It’s never too early to build your writing community.
I spent eight months drafting my first novel before I hopped on Twitter in search of fellow writers, which turns out to have been my single best move for my writing career. Listening and connecting with other writers, I discovered what craft books to read, which literary magazines to send my writing to, and how to query agents. I formed a writing critique group, now three years strong. Most importantly, I’ve found other people who understand what I’m going through at every stage of the journey.
Don’t worry about feeling like an imposter because you haven’t completed your novel or because you haven’t published yet. All writers started as novices, and many will be thrilled to support you, cheer your progress, or coach you on how to avoid making the mistakes they’d made. If you love being online, you might find your writing community on your favorite social media channel. If you’re looking for writing friends IRL, attend events at your local bookstore, library, or cultural/arts center. Sign up for a writing workshop or a book club. Attend a conference. Your future writing community is waiting for you.
6. Empowering goals are based on output, not outcome.
My first goal was to write a novel. That objective was completely within my control: only I could put in the effort that would enable my success. But if I had set the goal of “publish with Riverhead,” or “write a New York Times bestseller,” I’d still be waiting to check that box, four years later (and I might be waiting forever). Other “output” goals include hitting a certain word count each week, spending a target number of hours writing, or sending a certain number of queries. By setting goals that are within your control, you can see the direct connection between effort and achievement.
7. Your first novel probably won’t get published.
I say this not to be mean but to provide a dose of reality. I never imagined I would spend years writing and revising a novel, only to set it aside. And yet, that’s exactly what happened, and it’s extremely common. If you read author interviews or engage in social media chats on the subject, you’ll find that many, even most authors, have one or more “trunk novels.”
If you’re hoping to publish traditionally (with an agent and a publishing house), you face extremely long odds. Couple those with the reality that in our first efforts, we are learning to write a novel. Actors don’t expect to get chosen for the lead role in a major Hollywood production the first time they audition. Singers rarely receive a major record deal the first time they record a song. Authors, likewise, should understand that most of us won’t sign with an agent and a “Big 5” publisher on our first novel.
Remember, you’re writing a novel, and that’s an incredible feat. The journey is not without its difficulties, but if you love writing, and if you feel your story is important to tell, the journey will be worth taking, regardless of the outcome. Keep at it.