Authorly Love: Writing a Novel, Let’s Talk About It

If you missed any earlier October Authorly Love posts in which I feature Karen McQuestion, visit them here!

• Authorly Love: Meet Karen McQuestion and Her Superpowers (+Giveaway!)
• Authorly Love: Grimm House Review
• Authorly Love: From A Distant Star Review

Do you write? Do you want to write but haven’t gotten around to it yet? If you answered yes to either of those, great! You’re in the right place because today I wanted to have a chat about writing.

I’m a writer. I am by no means a full-time writer, I’m barely even a part-time writer. I write sporadically. I get obsessed for one month, or a week, or a day, and then stop for a month, or a few months. It’s usually around NaNoWriMo that I find the inspiration to write again. Knowing there are thousands of other people doing the same thing as me at the same time is incredibly encouraging, especially with all the sprints and emails the NaNoWriMo team have/send out.

Also, because my Authorly Love feature this month is Karen McQuestion, I thought this was a fitting topic. Did you know that McQuestion has 14 already-published books and more on the way? That’s right, FOURTEEN. So, if there is anyone to take writing advice from, it’s her. Conveniently, one of her 14 books is titled “Write That Novel…You Know You Want To” in which she talks about her beginnings, her process, and other tips for us writers to know.

Let’s talk motivation & confidence

“There’s no way to mess this up.”

I think what a lot of us lack when it comes to writing is either the motivation or the confidence (or both) to even start. We’re filled with a whole bunch of self-doubt. We compare, compare, compare ourselves till we’ve completely talked ourselves out of starting in the first place. Or maybe we convince ourselves that we can never be a writer because we simply don’t have more than 10 minutes a day to sit down and write.

Well, we’re wrong. Everyone can write, and is a writer, no matter how many hours a day you put into it and no matter how much you compare your writing to someone else’s. As McQuestion said in Write That Novel… “practice and determination can surpass innate talent…if you want to write a novel and you have the drive, you should do it.” Because 10 minutes of writing is still writing.

Alright, so how do you even motivate yourself to start? For me, NaNoWriMo was the biggest motivator in 2015. I hadn’t written much before then but kept telling myself I wanted to. It wasn’t until I discovered this event that I really sat down to focus. The daily emails were always an encouraging reminder of why I started and that other people are going through the same doubts as me. Once I participated, I found that I do have time and I don’t doubt myself as much. One year later, I have 2 half completed novels (yeah, yeah, they’re not finished, but that’s better than nothing!)

When McQuestion discussed this in her novel, she said you start “one word at a time. One page at a time. One chapter at a time. Every author has [their] own methodology, so don’t worry; there’s no way to mess this up.” Really, everyone is different. There’s no wrong or right way to start a novel.

But, if you need an example…

Karen McQuestion’s Process

According to Write That Novel… this is McQuestion’s process (now):

1. She plans her week as a structured schedule, writing 5 to 6 days a week.
2. She aims for 2,000 words. Sometimes she writes less, sometimes more.
3. Before starting, she jots down key points of the scene she’s writing that day with pen & paper. Nothing too specific, though.
4. She writes quickly. “Writing slowly allows the critical side [of the brain] to interfere with the process…Writing quickly taps into the creative side and keeps the critical side at bay.“
5. Each day she goes over the previous day’s pages to revise. Usually just fixing a few sentences and adding more description. This allows her to get back into the story.
6. She uses Microsoft Word, not Scrivener because she thinks “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”

“The way I write and my ideas about the process evolve and change with time.”

What I like about her process is that she doesn’t spend time criticizing her work, besides some revision when starting. However, she uses that revision time as a positive — to get back into the story and begin writing again.

But there is no wrong writing process. Mine is a stark contrast to McQuestion’s. I don’t set aside a specific time, I just write when I feel like there’s something to write. I don’t take notes prior to writing a scene, I just roll with it. I don’t do any revising, not even the previous day’s pages because I’ll get sucked into a vortex of self-doubt. Whatever works for you is what you should do. If you don’t know even know where to begin, use this as an experimental starting point!

You’ve started writing a novel, now what?

Most importantly: have fun! Take a moment to appreciate the fact that you are creating this fictional, intricate, magical world all from your imagination and no one can write it the way you do.

Ok, maybe you want to know what you should be focusing on while writing. Everyone has a different idea of the perfect novel. What I love might be completely opposite from what you love. However, I agree with what McQuestion has laid out in her novel on what she thinks is the perfect novel.

It’s a perfect blend of storytelling, language, and emotional connection. “You get all three right — a riveting plot, beautiful wording, and a story that taps into the heart of your reader — and you’ve got yourself a masterpiece,” McQuestion says. She also adds that this is rare, saying that she tries her best to hit the jackpot of this trifecta, but sometimes it doesn’t always happen. And that’s okay.

So you’ve started writing, you’ve got a rough process, you’re aiming for a great blend of world building and the feels, and that’s great! That’s you being a writer. Don’t doubt yourself. Don’t compare yourself. Every writer is different. Do you think Tolkien’s process was the same as Austen’s? Or Rowling’s was the same as Martin’s? Just write.

A few extra tips

• Check out Karen McQuestion’s book Write That Novel! You Know You Want To which inspired this post. There are plenty of great tips for writers and the story of how she got started. You’ll find lots of motivation and inspiration in it!
• McQuestion doesn’t use Scrivener, but I still think it’s worth a mention. (Still, do what works for you!) I use Scrivener and for an unorganized mess like myself, it’s magic. I find that having all of my notes on a novel in one place to be a huge help. It’s also an incredibly affordable program.
• McQuestion mentions in Write That Novel… Dr. Wicked’s Write or Die website. I had never heard of this before her novel. It sounds absolutely silly but I can see how it could be helpful. Basically, you go the site where there will be a blank box for typing, once you start, it will punish you if you do not make the goals you set. Set a goal to write 200 words in 15 minutes? Haven’t made the goal with 15 seconds left? It will start erasing your writing. Or playing annoying sounds to force you to keep going. It sounds ridiculous, but if you need a good kick in the butt to start writing something, check it out and mess around with the settings. (There is a free and paid version)

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What is your writing process?

How do you get through the self-doubt?