It’s high time you stopped making up excuses and just write that novel! You have a wonderful idea with an intriguing plot, thorough characters, a developed fictional world, and everything else that is key in a novel. So you can’t tell me that your idea is crap because it’s not.
“I don’t have the time to write it, though.”
No, don’t give me that nonsense. You work every single morning until two o’clock in the afternoon. Then you stuff your face with food and watch TV. I think you can get a bit of writing done after work.
“I’m tired after work.”
Aren’t we all? All I’m asking is that you write just a little bit. It would be nice if you could write about five pages. Five pages isn’t that bad when it’s double-spaced. Maybe you could even write 1,000 words… that’s less than five pages, I think. Actually, just write one sentence.
Yes, that’s right. That’s all I’m asking you to do. Just write one sentence a day and if you write more than one, then that’s great! Eventually, you’ll end up getting into a writing routine and then we won’t have to have this problem anymore.
“I can’t get into a writing routine because I have writer’s block.”
How did we just start this conversation? I told you that you have a great idea in your head. You have some of the characters laid out, you know where you want them to go and what you want them to do. So what’s the problem?
“It’s a lot to remember. I’m going to forget some of it as I write.”
You’re exasperating, you know that? This is why you need to write. It. Down. What have I been teaching you all these years? What have I been trying to tell you for the past hour?
I can tell right off the bat that you are not a pantser, so I’m not even going to make you try.
“What’s a pantser?”
Don’t interrupt me.
You need to plan out your novel. You need to make an outline. I want you to make a list of all the characters that are running around in your head. I want you to describe the setting of the novel whether you just describe the beginning setting or a few scenes from the novel. That way you’ll already have the picture in your mind as you write it out.
Speaking of the scenes, I want you write down all the scenes you can think of that will happen in the book. Just write them down in any order. Then you can read through them and number them in whatever order you want. It’ll help you look at the big picture.
“That sounds like an awful lot of work…”
Are you kidding me? You’re being ridiculous right now. Do you want to write a novel?
“Yes.”
Then get started already!
What day is it today? It’s Saturday. What are you doing? You’re doing absolutely nothing. I think you need to sit down at your desk, turn on that laptop, and start writing. Or you should start outlining. I’ll leave that up to you even though I highly recommend that you do an outline first. If you don’t, I can only imagine all the frustration and procrastination that I’m going to have to deal with later.
Are you listening to me?
“I just don’t think I’m cut out to be a writer. My writing isn’t good enough.”
Now how do you know that? Can you suddenly predict the future? No! No one’s writing is good enough at first. Why do you think writers write drafts upon drafts upon drafts of one novel? It’s because the first draft is always crap. But I’ll tell you one thing: I can’t remember who said it first, but a person once said, “Every first draft is perfect because it is written.”
Do you understand?
“No.”
Of course not… it’s like I’m talking to a brick wall.
The point of first drafts is just to get the idea down on the paper. No one is looking for it to be a best-seller because the first draft is basically for your eyes only… unless you ask someone to edit it for you. That’s beside the point, though.
The point of the first draft is for you to flush out the characters, the plot, and the entire dynamic of the novel.
“Isn’t that what the outline is for?”
Now you’re getting it!
Yes, but the first draft is a more detailed outline, I guess you could say. You write the outline, then follow that outline to write the first draft. Then you edit the first draft and write the second draft. Editing is when the real writing begins.
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
It does, if you’ll just open your mind and understand. But I won’t discuss editing with you right now. Are you going to give it a shot or not?
“I just don’t have any motivation right now.”
No motivation?! What have I been trying to do the past 12 hours? I’ve been trying to pep talk you into writing… I’ve been motivating you!
“It has not been 12 hours. Stop being over-dramatic.”
Creative minds are over-dramatic. Get over it.
Sit down at your desk and get that outline done or start writing that first draft. I’ll leave that up to you. On your mark… get set…
“How am I supposed to start this idea when I don’t feel like it, though?”
A real writer doesn’t wait for inspiration. A real writer writes at anytime at anyplace because it needs to get written.
“I don’t have any support for this, though. No one else thinks I can write a novel. I don’t even have an imaginary muse to help me get through all this.”
I am your support system. Take everything I say into consideration. Take all the advice I give to you. Listen to me.
I am your muse.
Sunday Morning
An abandoned house. A heist. A new puppy. Lost Love. From unbelievable to true-to-life, this flash fiction collection will take you to many places and get to know various characters. With no two stories alike each is thought-provoking, emotional,...
