Monday, August 6, 2012

New Beginnings


After over five years of writing, and six books and more short stories than I know what to do with, I’ve heard thousands of informative nuggets.
Write what you know. Write the story you want to read. Outline. Don’t outline. Write everyday. Write when the muse shows up.
For every writer, there is a different piece of ‘wisdom’ to impart. And some are great and some are less great—for me.
Here’s the other thing I know. For every writer, there is a process. And if your anything like me, there is a different process for every book. I took one month to write my dystopian book, and six to edit it. Stars took nine months to draft (in my defense I had a newborn) and one to edit. Other books had other stats. Some I started with a clear plan, others I wandered around for ages until I figured out where the characters were going.
Every book is different, and unique. I learn something new with every book.
You know what’s not different, though? The butterflies. The giddy excitement of looking at a new word document, of seeing the delicious blankness of it, the big 0 in the word count. Of knowing that I’m starting a new journey and having a vague idea, but really—not a clue—as to where this is going. Of knowing, deep down, the story is awesome. Even while I wonder if I’m gonna do it justice.
That’s where I am. I have a new WIP brewing in my mind, and I’ve spent the past two months finishing and editing Stars, and toying with the best way to tell this story, learning about the characters and the world they live in. And now I’m ready to start.
Q4U: What is starting a new book like for you? 

7 comments:

  1. I love starting new books. It makes my fingers tingle with excitement. And you're right, each book is different :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Complete agreement. Each one is different, but they each have the element of a stomach bubbling excitement.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Starting a new book - is terrifying. That blank page - I just have to write anything while the nerves settle (and that feeling that I simply can't do this!).

    ReplyDelete
  4. New books are scary to start. For me, it meant giving up on my first MS which I spent about 3 years on, hoping it will turn great, putting all my trust in it. My new WIP is COMPLETELY different (I mean, my 1st was YA fantasy, this one is Adult Contemporary/Literary) so the process is really different as well.

    ReplyDelete
  5. It's wonderful to start something new and be in love with it. You have so many possibilities and endless delightful choices to make. Have fun!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Starting a new book is exciting. I have one brewing in my head and I need to sit down and do a little research to understand some of the things the character keep yapping about. You're right though. Each book is different.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Starting a new book is exciting but also frustrating at times. It's great to finally get all the ideas out of my head and onto paper, but sometimes it doesn't translate well. It's also not until the second or third draft that it's actually readable, so the first draft is usually just.... getting everything down to fix later.

    ReplyDelete