How’s the Novel Going?
Novel writing is frustration. I have been at it since the beginning of the year and challenged myself this week to only write towards the novel during the morning time. The past two days are going no where. I can’t seem to get a paragraph down. All I’m able to do is write about the problem with my main character, how I know the second half of the book (in my head), but not the first part. How my character doesn’t interact with enough people to give the reader a glimpse of the main character’s personality. I am totally lost and can’t seem to write without a care in the world. The way I write blog post, inspirational writing, and thought writing is the opposite of novel writing (at least for now).
The Struggles in the Past
I have been saying I was going to write a story for now 2 years. I started a couple of pages from other novels and have thought endlessly of others. But, didn’t have the courage to actually start one, like I have this year. I’m thinking of the perfection of the process and the story I want to tell. I want it to be perfect right from the jump, without going through several edits I know that it is going to take to get it right. But, damn, nothing is working and I am getting to the point of rather reading a book than write towards this novel.
My New Direction
The conclusion I have come up with (found out through Tuesday morning write) is I will write the novel in pieces. I will actually write all of my writings whenever I am inspired and feel like writing. So, when I do novel writing I will write the second half of the book or any chapter that comes to mind. I will write short stories or essays whenever I feel like it. I will not have a deadline of the end of June for my novel now, in fact, I will look to finish my essays, short stories, and novel by the end of the year. This whole thinking will help me to continue to produce material, regardless of what I choose first.
Before today, I was focus on novel writing and didn’t want anything else to get in the way. But, realized that I was constantly producing stories in my head that would have to wait another 3 months to get written. Not anymore! I’m not going to put any limits on my writing and let it go into the direction it wants to. In this case, having a routine sucks. I work better without structure.
Why Did It Take Me so Long to..
I can’t believe it has taken me nearly 4 months to realize I don’t have to put rules in the way of my passion. I can do it anyway I want to: in a systemthat is natural and less stressful to my well-being. I’ll let you know in the future how this ‘eureka moment’ has changed my life, for the better or worse. Everything we do should be an experiment to find the right thing or way that makes us happy or just operate better in the world.
Being Frustrated is Okay
It is okay to be frustrated, as long as something is done to fix that disappointment. If an action is taken and it works, then great. If an idea is implemented and it doesn’t work, then that’s cool, too. As long as something is done, that is the only way we can learn what are strengths and weaknesses are. Once this is determined we can apply our findings to our day jobs, working out, playing basketball, having sex, writing, and etc.