I wrote a novel in ninety days
This week, I finished the first draft of my new novel. It’s historical fiction, set during the U.S. Occupation of Japan after World War II. I’m not proud of the writing (it’s what you call a ‘sh*tty first draft’), but I did get 85,000 mostly coherent words down in ninety days. As I rest briefly on my laurels, here’s some free advice for anyone attempting a similar project:
Set a daily goal: It might be two hours in the chair every morning or a set number of words, but take it in achievable, modest bites. Five hundreds words a day is much less scary than 45,000 words in three months.
Don’t beat yourself up: I started with a goal of 1,500 words per day, but after three weeks, I downshifted to 1,000 a day. I didn’t slip into depression over it; I didn’t waste any time hating myself or rethinking my life; I just adjusted and kept going.
Be honest about your personal kryptonite: For me, it’s Facebook. So I committed to my son—who also was trying to break a habit—that I would stay logged out of FB Monday through Friday during working hours. He made a similar commitment to me. We checked in regularly and admitted when we fell off the wagon. We encouraged and congratulated each other. This was huge!
Accept mediocrity: Sometimes I crawled across my daily finish line, or despaired that my writing was drier than an unripe persimmon, but as long as the plot was moving forward, I accepted it. Keep your goal in mind and keep typing. I’m letting the draft sit for two weeks, and then I’ll dive back in and start honing it.
Tell everyone: Anyone who has tried to lose weight or quit smoking knows that accountability—especially to loved ones—is a powerful motivator. I posted on Instagram and Facebook and told family members what I was doing. The desire not to let them down kept me going when I was otherwise uninspired.
Now, here I am with the beginnings of a pretty good book. I’m proud of myself!
What motivates you to keep writing?
Instagram post from October 3.
