5 Things I've Learned From Writing My First Novel
For years, I have wanted to write a book. I’ve always loved the idea of creating my own characters and having the ability to determine their fate, all while exploring various literary themes.
I’ve had several plot ideas, but the most I’d ever written is one or two chapters before abandoning the project. I would inevitably come to the realization that my first draft wasn’t perfect, which would eventually cause me to lose interest in the story and give up altogether.
However, in 2023, I finally stuck with an idea all the way through and completed the first draft of my first novel. It was a difficult but fun journey, and I learned some things along the way. In this story, I am sharing 5 things that I have learned from writing my first novel.
1) Embrace Imperfection
I think one of the major reasons why I was so successful in my 2023 attempt at writing my novel is that I embraced the notion that my first draft was not going to be perfect. In fact, throughout the writing process, I often reminded myself that my first draft was supposed to be horrible and that all of the wrinkles would be ironed out during the editing process.
This approach allowed me to do the most important thing when completing the first draft of a novel — put words on the page. Because I was no longer concerned with making my first draft publishable quality, I was able to make progress towards my goal like I had never done before.
During this process, I learned a valuable life lesson that I will keep with me moving forward: imperfect progress is still progress.
2) Consistency Really Is Key
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that I am a creature of habit. I thrive when I’m able to complete my morning and evening routines, and my days are always off when my routine gets interrupted.
When writing the first draft of my novel, I’ve learned that my habitual tendencies translate to writing.
I made significantly more progress on my novel once I started being intentional about incorporating writing into my daily routine. I would timeblock at least one hour per day to dedicate to writing, and because writing was on my calendar — thus reserving this time for working on my novel and eliminating the possibility for any scheduling conflicts — I didn’t have an excuse to do anything other than write.
Another great thing about writing consistently is that I was able to keep any creativity slumps at bay.. When I made a habit of practicing my writing daily, I noticed that ideas began to come easier and the words flowed more freely.
As I make progress towards other writing projects in the future, I plan to be intentional with incorporating writing into my daily activities.
3) Set Aside the Draft, Not the Writing Practice
As I wrapped up my novel towards the end of 2023, I began to seek out advice on the editing process. As a new writer, I have little to no experience with the editing process, so I sought out as many resources as possible.
One common piece of advice I noticed across the different resources was to set aside your first draft for some time, rather than immediately diving into the editing process. The purpose of this strategy is to allow yourself some time away from the story so that you can do a read-through of your first draft with a fresh perspective.
Upon completing my novel, I opted to set it aside for roughly three months. Unfortunately, my full time job became extremely busy, so three months actually turned into about six months.
During these six months, I’m embarrassed to admit that I did absolutely no writing. I did not start on a new project, I did not complete any writing exercises, and I barely even wrote in my personal journal.
As you can imagine, once I did pick my rough draft back up for editing, I struggled. It took about three to four weeks before I was able to hit the same level of creative flow that I had experienced while working on the draft.
For future novels, once I complete the first draft, I will be more intentional about maintaining a writing practice. Currently, I have a list of one-sentence prompts that I work my way through each morning. I select one prompt a day and set a timer for 15 minutes to draft a short story.
I’ve enjoyed this practice so far, and a major plus is that I may have even stumbled upon some ideas for a future novel.
4) Track Your Progress
“Before you think about giving up, remember how far you’ve come.” — Anonymous
This is a quote that I’ve heard countless times throughout my life, and this is especially true when tackling a monumental task such as drafting a novel.
One of the main sources of motivation that I relied on during the novel drafting process was my word tracker. Each day, I would set a word count goal for myself in my planner. At the end of the day, I would update my actual word count for the day as well as the total word count for my novel.
The feeling of seeing your word count total increase from 1,000 to 10,000 to 30,000 within the span of a few weeks is indescribable. I surprised myself and was proud of what I had been able to accomplish.
By keeping track of my overall novel progress, I was able to keep myself motivated to reach the finish line.
5) Celebrate the Wins!
Just as it is important to track your novel writing progress, it is also important to celebrate your wins. Set milestones for yourself throughout the process, and reward yourself once you’ve reached these milestones.
For example, when I completed the first draft of my novel, I set milestones based on word count (10,000 words, 20,000 words, etc.). When I set the milestones, I also established rewards for each milestone.
When I hit the 10k milestone, I treated myself to a waffle cone from my favorite local ice cream shop. When I hit the 20k milestone, I purchased a new journal to assist with note-taking throughout the drafting process.
These rewards motivated me to continue hitting my desired word count goals, and helped me to make progress in a way that I previously never could.
The reward can be large or small, but I suggest that it matches the difficulty of accomplishing the predetermined milestone. The important thing is that you are acknowledging that you have accomplished something great, and are rewarding yourself for it. Be proud of yourself!
Bonus Tip: Win the Marathon
In general, it is best to remember that writing a novel is a marathon, not a sprint. It may take you several months or even years to complete your writing project, and you shouldn’t get discouraged if you feel like you aren’t making progress as quickly as you’d like. Everyone moves at their own pace, and producing quality work will take some time.
The most important thing is to keep going and keep growing. Read and learn from your favorite authors, take courses that can assist with your writing, and continue to put words on the page.
