“There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.”
- W. Somerset Maugham
If you divide the quantity of words on notebook pages, by the degree of earnestness with which they were intended, shouldn’t you arrive at at least a single chapter?
Unfortunately, I have been learning, it is not so easy.
My advanced novel writing class began a few weeks ago, and my first chapter was due for critique this past Thursday. Thus, my absence from this blog. I have found blogging to have a quality that is consuming in its own right, and I realized that, given my limited time, I must temporarily swear of blog-related distractions until I had completed my work. When I did this, I secretly thought that I could wrap things up rather quickly with Ch. 1 and return to my blog dreams. Ha ha.
Here is some of what I am learning so far:
1. I know this is obvious to some. But it truly is remarkable to me, just how vast the difference is, between having pages and pages of notes, descriptions, and sketches, and having a story that works. I have felt like I was swinging blindfolded at a pinata. Fortunately, some of the copious note making is paying off. Now I feel that I am still blindly swinging, but that I am developing some of the heightened sense of hearing that blind people are known to experience, which allows me to maneuver somewhat more adeptly, via my own primitive and clumsy version of echolocation.
2. The omniscient point of view, though wildly attractive to newbies, is wrought with problems. Which is too bad, since I so looked forward to playing God. Sigh, C'est la vie. I think that these are problems worth negotiating, but I will wait until I have more experience.
3. Beginning novelists often want to have their characters waking up. This is considered a cliche. I thought I had an above-average radar for cliches, and yet I had missed that one. So, there went a few ideas for opening scenes, right out the window.
4. It’s beautiful when the story begins to take on a life of its own, offering unexpected surprises.
A few people have asked me to report a bit on my experience with taking a novel writing class online. I have nothing but positive things to say thus far. I have taken quite a few writing classes, and more than half of them have been “live” sessions through UCSD’s Extension program. That was before I was a mama, and I must say that there is no way I’d be able to do a regular class at this point in my life unless it was online. This is my third online writing class, done via Gotham Writer’s Workshop. For me, it’s ideal. Classes are small (12-18 people per class) and I have been impressed with the qualities of the instructors and of each class I have taken. In this class, we submit 2500-50000 words for critique, 3 times in the 10-week session. I review lectures, post assignments, and review the work of my peers from the comfort of my home. I usually work at odd hours before sunrise, with my feet up and a cup of coffee beside me. I benefit greatly from the structure and the pressure of having regular assignments. Although I consider myself quite disciplined, I strongly feel that at this point in my life, I would not be able to complete chapters without this pressure. Or maybe, I would not prioritize my writing to such a degree without the “excuse” that class deadlines provide.
Well, I’ve got a long way to go, one page at a time.
I remember writing my first novel. I likened it at the time to pushing off from shore in a boat with a paddle not knowing where I was going. I did no writing exercises, let alone writing classes. Just had this blind determination that I would get there somehow. And I did. As you say: one page at a time. All the best with it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the slings and arrows with us. I too am on a first draft of first novel tangent - 2 years and counting. I'm almost at the point of maximum crisis.
ReplyDeleteWhat's been most revealing for me is the need for scenes which have their own arc, rising to a crises with cause and effect, the effect made up of an emotional response first, then a reflexive action to whatever happened, then a thought and a plan and a decision, which gives rise to another action. I had no idea.
Another thing I learned is to write every day, no matter what, whether its a finely wrought paragraph or a gibberish chapter, just write.
A third thing I've learned is, despite the value of critique, the story is mine to do with as I wish. And there's lots of time for overhaul in the subsequent drafts.
Write on!