Hello, readers and writers! Did you know that November is National Novel Writing Month? A lot of writers, both first-time and published, like to use the month of November to crank out as much of their novels as they can.
It isn't easy to write a novel, and starting one is by far the hardest part. Not only do you need to have an idea and story outline that work well — stages that can take months or even years to finish — but now, you have to commit to fully fleshing your story out. You have to invent the dialogue, descriptions, and scenes that bring your abstract idea to life. Staring at a blank document is incredibly daunting, especially knowing that there are tens of thousands of words (or hundreds of thousands of words) between you and the finish line.
When it comes to "getting words on paper," the best investment a writer can make is time — giving yourself openly to the "generative phase" of writing allows you to come up with new ideas, write out scenes, and actually finish a draft worth revising.
During this imaginative phase, it's crucial to block out that fierce inner critic that can paralyze the writing process. Oftentimes, I find myself backspacing every sentence I write because the inner critic deems it "not good enough" — and I waste hours without getting any words actually written! As I work on the first draft of my next project, I've learned that it's crucial to let the world-building and character interactions simply flow. I tell myself: there will be time for revision later, which is when I can add, change, or remove what is necessary to tell a better story.
But as a writer, if you revise too much while writing the first draft, you'll end up not getting anything written at all! As much as the inner critic may try to tell you otherwise, you cannot improve on an empty draft! Likewise, you cannot finish what you haven't started. Even if you don't churn out an entire first draft in a single month — which most writers, myself included, cannot — working up the courage to finally fill that blank document with words will bring you that much closer to a completed novel.
With all of that said, perhaps it's time to share more about the writing that I've been working on...
In honor of this Writing Month, I'm excited to announce that I am working on the sequel to ABRAHAM! I still have quite a lot further to go before it's finished, but I'm so excited to share it with you when it's done.
The novel (title to be announced soon!) will follow the continuing journeys of Arthur, Sarah, and Ali as they navigate a world which has been forever changed by the advent of the Solar Sphere and the mysteries it has unlocked.
In the meantime, if you are working on your own writing, I wish you great success. And to all of my readers, I wish you a Happy November, Happy Writing Month, and a truly Happy Thanksgiving!
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