By
Kimberly Johnson
Yesterday,
I browsed the webpage of Writers Digest. Brian Klems’ article, How
Long Does It Take To Write A Novel?
piqued my curiosity. Mind you, I‘ve toyed with writing a novel, but I lack the
discipline. I can write a blog. I can write a magazine article. I can even
craft a brief for work. The whole frustrating thing reminds me of the 70s tune:
How Long (Has This Been Going On) by Ace.
After
reading that article, I realized that writing a novel is like a Premier League soccer
fan in a tattered East London pub. The mate
can give you a black eye, if you’re not careful. I want to share some of my
time poachers:
Thieves
#1 - 2: Outlining and Drafting. It took me
Sunday morning and afternoon just to create an outline and draft two chapters.
Somebody told me to just write and worry about the grammar, the consistency and
other stuff later. That sent me back to the keyboard.
Thief
#3: Self-editing. How am I to replace every finely chosen
word that I took all day to write? Well, I’m not. Well, maybe. Somebody told me
to print out my draft and read it out loud. Hearing the mistakes is a good
thing. Somebody also told me to hire an editor.
Thief
#4: The 'experts' say a standard novel has 80,000 to
100,000 words. I don’t know if I have that in me. What I’m really saying is
that I need to get organized. Carve out some time after work and focus. Somebody told me to write 1,000 words each day as a
goal.
Thief #5: The 'experts'
say the re-writing process varies: a few weeks to a couple of years. Really?! I
guess I’m used to a deadline and then it’s over. Somebody told me to not put added pressure on
myself. If you do, you will rush the process and that’s not cool. Somebody also
told me to reward myself each time I hit an “ah-ha” moment.
Thief
#6: Listening to the 'experts'. I
would typically write three to five pages and stop. Go online and read a few
expert-related articles. Talk to some of my old newspaper friends. And get
frustrated again. Somebody told me that I am a procrastinator. Set a deadline
and stick with it.
Thief
#7: Writer’s block. Again, I would type three to five
pages and stop. I would watch CSI: Miami , Law
& Order, or reruns of Friends. Nothing could get my fingers
tapping on the keyboard. Somebody told me that there is no such thing as
writer’s block. Somebody also told me to respect my writing skill and put in
the hard work.
I remember that song. It brings back memories.
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