Losing your novel

Recently, The Verge posted about some comments George R.R. Martin made at a Game of Thrones screening. As I'm not a particular fan of the TV show and haven't sifted through the rest of my backlog of books enough to start reading his series, there was really only one thing he said that I found interesting. In reference to video games that he played back in the 80s, he said, "I think I probably lost a novel or two there."

I'm not looking to make any sort of commentary on video games-- there's likely enough debate on that topic already. But George R.R. Martin's comment about having lost a novel made me start to consider my current situation, and what I may be doing that is making me lose a novel. Am I spending too much time reading and not enough writing? Too much TV? Too much work? Too much idle surfing? Of course the list could go on, but I've identified my big hurdles. And that's the first step-- knowing what's stopping you. The next step, overcoming and changing, is far heftier.

I've set myself a series of goals to help me re-center and balance my life, prioritizing writing a bit higher than it's been recently. I've never been good with goals, but this time is pretty different. I'll explain why next week.

In the mean time-- what's keeping you from your highest potential with your writing?

Love the story you have to tell

I've wanted to be a published author ever since I was a kid. I remember when I first began reading The Wheel of Time, I was so enthralled-- I wanted to do that myself. I was too young to read such a weighty novel, too young to try to write one. But I didn't care about either of those thoughts; I just started writing. I had a list of possible names, but nothing more. It was a creativity and a freedom that I've never since felt, not in any of my unpublished works. The blank page set my imagination racing, and my fingers laced the keys to keep up; writing my first novel is how I learned to type. I had to fill those pages somehow.

But why is it different now? Why is the blank page more like a set of steel bars than a pair of powerful wings? Why do I spend more time rereading my last paragraph than creating the next one? Why is my backspace key more worn than the space bar?

My answer: I'm not writing for myself right now. I'm writing, looking to have it read, to have it published. I need to get back to the simplistic love of the story I have to tell.

Just tell your story at first. Fix it up for readers and editors and publishers later. The first draft is for you. And you alone.

Put the work first

Current wisdom states that any up and coming writer needs to start building a network-- fans, professional ties, writer friends, etc. Have a presence on the internet, pick your favorite social network and get started. You'll be pretty alone at first, but that's okay. Keep going. It'll come.

Here's the question I ask myself whenever I sit down with my limited writing time. Am I better served by focusing on social media, freelance assignments & pitches, or on my current work? Freelance has been winning out lately. Next is my novel, and last-- blogging and twitter.

My wisdom: make sure you take care of your writing first, networking second. After all, a great author will find a network by being a great author. But the opposite is not necessarily true.

Put the work first. There is no substitute, no shortcut, for getting the words on the page-- and getting them right.