Hello!
This blog will track my progress as I attempt to write my first novel.
Well, technically not my first, but we've got plenty of time to get into that.
I will be outlining the ideas I come up with, the obstacles I face, any resources I use to try and help me on the way, and then ultimately my progress towards writing the novel itself.
I have decided to maintain a blog throughout this process for several reasons.
Firstly, to be a writer one must, you know, write, and I simply don't make time to do enough of it. My hope is that by increasing my written output, regardless of the form it takes, my composition, sentence structure etc will improve, and I will develop the habit of writing more often.
Secondly, I am hoping that the blog will help me keep track of my progress, see patterns in my processes and pitfalls, and again hopefully improve my success. I am keeping notes and planning in notebooks and on my phone, but this will be one portal for everything.
It may also be nice, eventually, to have support from others through this blog. I don't anticipate a huge readership and will largely produce this for myself, but if others do read this and enjoy it, I hope that will motivate me to continue. I may also be able to offer support myself, and be inspired by fellow writers.
Perhaps, if everything works out the way we all hope it will and I become an overnight worldwide sensation, this blog can serve as a fun 'making-of'. Hey, a guy can dream can't he?
This first blog post was just to serve as an introduction, but I will add a little about myself here too.
I am thirty-three years old, British and living in the UK, working as a psychiatrist in the NHS. I have in fact been published before, but only in medical journals for my research! I have not had an creative writing published outside of school magazines and the like, although I haven't submitted anything for consideration either.
I have always wanted to write a novel. Well no, that's not true. I have always wanted to tell stories. I adore the process of creating characters, plots, twists, adventures, interactions. I have also written a large amount in my time, all dutifully catalogued and saved on my external hard drive. Most are either short stories based on an idea I found interesting, or long epic novels full of purple prose terminated when I finally ran out of steam. I did complete a first draft of a children's book, which came in at around 50,000 words. I even started trying to edit it and prepare a second draft, but never quite got round to it.
This time, I want to try and complete a draft, edit to it as best I can, and eventually be sufficiently satisfied to seek an agent and try and get it sent to publishers. I think at this stage I would be able to look fondly upon a rejection letter, as proof that I had, finally, taken that final step. And there's always a chance they would like it...
I have an idea I want to work on, which I will outline in a later post. I am doing this now, as I am currently going through a divorce, and find myself with a lot of free time on my hands, which I am taking as an opportunity to work on myself and my own goals in life, and try and find something positive and productive and creative to do with that time.
If you are reading this, thank you for stopping by. I hope you come back and follow along with me, and please do offer any advice or thoughts, or even just say hello!
Let's get cracking...
