It’s a long journey from the first word of your novel to the last. Through the first draft you will often have real life events you may think back on when you are finished. In the middle of chapter six, you may remember that you wrote it around Halloween time. Or while in the middle of writing chapter twelve, your car broke down. It’s funny how looking back at the writing process it can feel like the story we have written is “the real world” and our memories are like some far off place.
The journey from first to last word may just be fifty or sixty thousand words, but we live a lot of life in the process.
One word at a time we get closer to the end.
Keep writing. Just a thought.
"One word at a time ..." is one of the most effective thoughts on writing.
ReplyDeleteYep, sometimes it helps me to remember to just put one word after the last one.
DeleteSo very true Rick. Then sometimes, that first word is the hardest.
ReplyDeletectny
That's true. At times, I just jump in and come back to fix the beginning. Still that first one can be hard no matter if it's the first word of the first chapter or the last chapter.
DeleteIt's funny how real our stories and characters can become to us.
ReplyDeleteI guess it's a good thing when that happens. The closer we can get to it all, the better.
DeleteGreat post, Rick. Although I haven't worked my way through a novel yet, but I know it's true of stories and articles. Found you through ICL.
ReplyDeleteSara
http://thewritershadeofpale.blogspot.com/
Hi, glad you stopped by. ICL is great. Yeah, I guess it's true for all writing. For me, a novel, is a long journey. I know I cant' get to the end unless I take the first step.
DeleteMy favourite is when I re-read a story I wrote long ago and discover that I really CAN write. :)
ReplyDeleteWhen I re-read my old stuff, it makes me glad I am taking a writing course.
DeleteI'm learning.
I'm so guilty of losing myself completely in a story and forgetting that my characters are not real. They become so important to me--my husband may argue more important than him at time. ;) Oops! I have to work on that.
ReplyDeleteI walked in to a store one day and over heard one clerk telling another one someone had died. They didn't seem to worried about him. I later found out it was a character on some soap they watch. So yeah, if they are real to us, they can become real to our audience.
DeleteThanks