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Why Your First Novel Is The Easiest To Write
It’s also often the most fun and the least stressful
If you’re struggling with your first novel, you probably think I’m crazy to say this. But it’s true. When you write your first novel, you have dreams, ideas and determination. Sure, your determination might falter, but if you really want to write, you’ll overcome the lows and get it finished. Eventually.
We know what’s hard about first novels
Firstly, most people don’t really know what they’re doing, even if they’ve attended fiction writing courses. Because a novel is HUGE. While you struggle to get 200 or 500 words down, those 80,000 words or so seem an eon away. You ask yourself — how the heck does anyone write that many words?
But then you realize that your 500 words, if you keep doing them regularly or daily, will get you there, often within a year.
You have to keep that big plot and all the subplots in your head. Or on paper somehow (I use diagrams and notebooks). Some people swear by Scrivener, but it won’t write the novel for you, and comes with issues of its own.
But you gradually work out what works for you. Plotting on paper or with diagrams. Following a structure like the 3-act or hero’s journey to guide you. The more…
