Finishing
I routinely get asked if publishers will buy first-time novelists on proposal. And while there are exceptions, the short answer is usually no. Then a conversation usually follows along the lines of: "I don't want to spend a year of my life on something if at the end, I can't sell it." Well, welcome to the world of writing.
Generally, most of us write what we are passionate about. We're not entirely mercenary. We would LOVE to sell our novels, but . . . we do it for some combined love and money thing. Most of us want to finish the darn thing. But some people NEVER finish. If you have actually been able to type THE END at the final page of a novel . . . congrats. Because in reference to my first paragraph, editors (and those of us who have typed THE END) know you gain a few things by actually finishing a novel (regardless of whether it sells).
--You crossed some internal barrier. You set out to do something, and like someone who trains for their first marathon and actually does it, you now know you CAN. That barrier is no longer there.
--You learned something about sticking with a book even on days you felt less-than-enthusiastic about it and a Shiny New Idea was calling.
--You learned to write yourself out of any stuck parts. Yes, all writers have stuck parts and the reason publishers don't usually buy first novels based on proposal is they do not yet know if you can write yourself through one, stuck parts included.
--You had enough story for 300 pages. Some ideas are great for three chapters, but to sustain the concept, the subplots, and so on, for 300 pages . . . meant you thought BIG enough.
--You learned how to self-edit. You figured out what didn't belong in your book and what did.
So bravo for you if you have ever typed THE END.
What have YOU learned by finishing? And if you haven't finished . . . see what you're missing? Get to writing!
25 comments:
Wow! The second third of the book is at least five times as hard to write as the first third, and the last third of the book is at least five times as hard to write as the middle. And eventually, you need to get a feel of the shape of the entire novel. I mean, if you want to be a novelist, you gotta get learn what a novel is, learn what the art form is, LOL.
My revisions are taking forever on my novel. 'The End' is becoming elusive.
I once laughed at a suggestion that I read from an author-- "if you think you are done, put the third chapter first..."
I'm not laughting now, as I try to switch my second and first chapters... I always thought that he was giving abstract advice, but now I wonder.
Oh, to finish this one!
I wrote The End once and I almost cried - I was elated - so happy. It was on my second try at the novel - I got all the way through - and now I know I'll get there again. I would imagine that scores of The Ends without publishing any of them would get burdensome - but in a way at this point I look forward to the hell that comes after The End. So to speak. ;)
I love your blogs, Erika! Just when I get complacent you smack the crap out of me--off to write as soon as my visiting family takes a hike.
First, by ending a novel, I know I can. It's not a given, even for those of us who have completed a bunch. I'm in the process of finishing because I NEED to. (And luckily, one of my projects caught fire).
Second, even when you get a publishing career going, sometimes you have to write the damned thing instead of selling on proposal. I've done both. I'm reminded of Robert W. Walker, who has a pretty successful novel-writing career. But he ran into some problems a few years ago, got dropped by his publisher, and was more or less back to the drawing board. It took a year or so, but he got started again, successfully, I gather. But he commented on one of my listserves that in that period he wrote approximately 1 million words (it wasn't hyperbole) coming up with a project that would sell and retool his writing career.
I always try to keep that lesson in the back of my mind. Writers write.
The End or Happily Ever After are probably the two phrases every wannabe fiction writer dreams of. It's like the first home run, the first touchdown, or the first checkered flag, except of course for the lack of a crowd and the extreme lack of cash prize money.
I remember typing my first novel length "The End" with great anticipation of bells going off and some guy in a pinstripe suit carrying a giant check waiting at the door. Missed both of them by that much...
I've written The End on four novels and a screenplay so far. I know I can do it, but it never gets any easier.
I like to bounce ideas off people sometimes before getting deep into a project, to see if a premise might have legs. It's about the best you can do writing on spec.
Natasha:
I know. The beginning, for me, is usually a snap.
E
Heather:
I used to be very good friends with an author who used to say, "Throw away the first 50 pages."
:-)
E
Amy:
Exactly. You broke the barrier.
E
magolla:
LOL! Get writing!
:-)
E
What does THE END usually mean for me?
Time to start back at the beginning ...
But every so often (as right now), it means I get to work on a totally new project that I'm excited about.
My current The End is eluding me so I think I'll be very relieved when I get there. The first one taught me that I really had a novel in me, but even then it wasn't TOO exciting because I knew I had to double the length. Hopefully this time around I'll be a little more joyous.
Finishing Nameless was, well uplifting for the first thirty minutes and then came the realality of how much was utter crap. No plot, no theme, no real direction. This works for some writers, but I'm not mature enough to take a terrible book to that level.
I hit a rough spot with ESCAPADE, but the only thing I had to do was unlodge myself from a scene I thought I really needed, but in the end was little more than a "show off" scene.
I'm learning, and that's what matters. Only issue is that I get a Shiny New Idea every other day...
Great post! I've been thinking a lot about this lately. I have this manuscript I "finished" a year ago, and it's gone through 3 page-one revisions. MAJOR changes. And I haven't felt bad about sinking this much energy into one book because it's been my teacher. But now, I feel I've learned as much as I can from this one. If I haven't nailed it yet, I'm on to the next one.
"Finish" is elusive for writers. Heck, after all I just typed, I'll probably keep working on it for the next twenty years. sigh...
:-)
I've typed the end three times (currently working on number four at the moment) and it feels great. None of them have been published, but I love the sense of accomplishment.
I've gotten to The End a few times, and a few more times on this one novel. My next novel is stuck at the end of the first third waiting for me to get to The End again on the other one. But each time I reach The End, I realize my writing has gotten much better.
Mark:
Sometimes, no matter how many novels you've completed, you can get in a patch where you don't finish. It's always good to pull yourself out of one of those.
E
Jude:
I agree. You usually bounce ideas first . . .
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Lurker:
The end usually means that for me, too.
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Melanie:
I think we all learn with each new book.
E
JT:
I have Shiny New Idea Syndrome CONSTANTLY. It's a real battle, honest to God.
E
Chris:
And the other thing . . . so much of writing, like you are saying, is self-taught. We have to DO the revisions over and over to learn the lessons.
E
Nadine:
That is awesome. My first novel was my fourth attempt. I finished one, stuck it in a drawer. Never finished the next two. Spanish Disco flew out of my head in six months or so . . . . was a great feeling.
E
Sarah:
That seems to be the pattern for all of us.
E
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