Becoming a Novelist

 I really never set out to become a novelist. I started writing when I was twelve. I knew that someday I would probably write books, but had no idea of when or how. I have to say that it took ten years before I wrote my first novel. So we all understand what a novel is, it is a story written in prose form that runs over two hundred double spaced pages and or at least fifty thousand words.

 How long does it take to write a novel? 

Well the math says that if you write two pages a day, each day for an entire year you will finish that year with over seven hundred pages and about three novels in the bank. If your novels are long then two can be written in that time or if you are writing something like epic fantasy then one Game of Thrones sized book. Writing is mostly about the allocation of time and effort. The novels that get finished are not finished because of inspiration, but perspiration. While I was writing Calling Vicki there were days that I could manage only a sentence and other days when I could write ten pages in one sitting. Just keep going back to the page each and every day. Sitting down and reading that page to the point where you left off is usually enough to get at least another page out of you. While writing your first novel you will find that the writing itself is not the hardest part, it is just sitting down in front of that screen and putting your fingers on the keyboard. 

There are a few of you who do not have the patients to invest a year or even months into writing your novel. There are those who believe that it can been done in thirty days. I am not going to say that no it cannot be done. Stephen King said that he wrote an entire novel over a weekend.




 Now the actual time table that you set for yourself is up to you. Do not be disappointed if you go overtime. In the end it is about getting it right. When I sat down to write Calling Vicki I thought that it was a six week project. In the end it took eight months to complete and looking back on it that was the perfect amount of time for me to get it right. Also in defense of that eight month time table I did publish a non fiction book that took a great deal of time and effort to put together. Some of us like to work on multiple projects at the same time. Do what feels right for you. After all writing is suppose to be fun. If writing suspense or mystery is not fun then switch to fantasy or horror novels. If that does not work for you there is humor or even non-fiction. What ever gets you to the keyboard each day is the only thing that matters.

 

 Good luck and please take a moment to share this post on stumbleupon and to read one of the sample chapters of my book. If you like the chapter feel free to share it with a friend. Thanks you and good luck.

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