If you ever thought of starting to write a novel because it’s something easy to do, STOP. It is not easy at all. It is exhausting and it will destroy you if you don’t do it right.
I was 16 or 17 when I started writing my first fan fiction. I was new to the “writing a book” thing and was surprised when I realised it wasn’t simply sitting at my desk and write. There’s a lot more behind the writing.
I have been writing my first real novel – not a fanfic – for almost two years. I had the idea for
Summer Nights one afternoon after my first year of college had ended. Two years later I’m still writing it. To be fair, college doesn’t leave me with too much time for other things sometimes. However, I plan to finish this book this summer.
Before starting to write a novel, you have to think of the plot. I start by writing down the main topic of the story and the main events. After that comes a difficult part for me, choosing the title and the character names. Yeah, I always spend a few hours on that. There are so many options.
After these two points are taken care of, I start the planning. I like to know what’s going to happen in each chapter beforehand. I write down the main events of each chapter individually so when I get to the writing, I don’t have to think too much of what’s going to happen. I used to do that in a small notebook I had laying around, but then I was always looking for it when I wanted to write. So, now I have a corkboard on my desk behind my laptop, so I don’t have to be looking around for the chapters planification.
Even with the planification, it can be a bit challenging. Finding time to write it’s the hardest for me. I have so many things to do lately that finding a few hours to sit down and write it’s almost impossible. And other times when I do have the time, I don’t have the inspiration. I can look at the blank page for hours and not write one word. And that can be a bit demotivating.
Nevertheless, I keep trying without giving up. I rather work slow but accomplish the results I want, than finishing the novel faster and not be happy with the result.
