I remember looking out my my window into the backyard and saying “It’s now or never.”
It was time to take on the challenge of writing a novel. I knew I could do it, having written a several screenplays already, but due to an irrational fear of failure, I held myself back. I was stuck and it was driving me (and my family) crazy.
The cover of my first novel.
My professional life was going nowhere and I had to take control. Deep down, I knew that this first novel would change the way I saw my future. I thought what my life would be like if I didn’t attempt the novel. Would I be working at the same place one year later? Two years later? Would I be happy? One thing’s for sure, I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t try.
I devoted my weekends, beginning at 6 am, to writing and it took eight months to get a first draft and a few more months to create the cover and apply edits. In November, I rearranged my schedule to allow for an hour’s worth of writing in the mornings, in addition to the weekends.
I now make time to write seven days a week. Over the past month, I have reduced my hours at my place of work to allow for a few more hours to write when I get home. So far it’s working. I’m certain my next novel won’t take eight months.
Getting up early in the morning continues to be a challenge, since I am a certified night owl who loves sleep. That’s not an optimal combination. Some mornings I just don’t want to get up, but I remind myself of the choice I made a year ago and how much I’ve committed to the process so far. That’s usually enough to get me going.
So now, I’m almost done. I think I’ll have my first novel online before Valentine’s Day. That’s the plan, anyway.
Then I start on novel number two, a complete departure in subject matter from my first novel. It’s going to be fun.
Cupcake photo by Justin McGregor
