I must be lazy, right? I mean, it’s been fourteen years.
So where’s my debut novel at?
It’s stuck at about 33% completion (about 30k words). Act I is complete, and Act II is still in the works.
It sure doesn’t feel good getting stuck that long. It’s like there’s been this dam holding me back all these years, building up this intense pressure. Hopefully, the dam’s about to burst.
- Like I said before, I recently completed a novelette. In fact, I’ve completed four of the nine writing projects I shared with you on Tuesday.
- I’ve edited over 200 manuscripts from other authors. I also edited the first two chapters of a book that ended up winning the Dragon award. (You know, before that award sucked.)
- I fell in love with the craft of writing. I read many books in my genre as well as many “how to write” books.
- I have a long career in IT database administration and data analysis, have held the same job for 13 years, earning numerous promotions.
- I’m raising (and helping homeschool) two beautiful, happy children.
- A few years ago, I built this garage with my dad.
- I recently built this privacy fence with my beautiful wife.
- I’ve also been helping my wife with her gardening.
- We installed a new sink just last week, too, including new plumbing. The old sink was a cast iron antique, weighing over 100 lbs. (Not easy to remove safely.)
- I somehow managed to graduate from my university with honors and a 3.9 GPA, something I never imagined I’d ever be capable of.
- I fast almost every day until dinner, which takes a lot of willpower.
- I’ve earned over $10,000 of supplemental income through selling goods on Ebay this year.
- I’m posting here every day.
So far, the evidence seems to point to “not lazy”, right? And I can tell you that completing a project feels good. Really good.
So what’s the difference between all those projects and writing a book?
Well, all those projects felt necessary, and they very often had a deadline, or they created a big mess that had to be taken care of sooner than later. The end results of those projects are also guaranteed and tangible, whereas a completed manuscript can easily keep getting rejected, sell poorly, or sit in a drawer forever.
Even exercise gives you more concrete results than, say, increasing your knowledge on writing. It’s hard for a writer to see their own progress unless they dredge up something they wrote years ago. Learning how to write fiction is a slow, difficult, immeasurable process.
In my life, there’s never been much outside pressure to complete a novel. It’s always been a side project done in my spare time, and it’s often taking a backseat to other hobbies. Many of the projects above were done with my family, or under the pressure of a professor giving deadlines, but writing is a solitary thing.
I told myself I’d complete a novel after I finish college, and here I am. Looking back, I have a lot to be proud of, and it makes it feel like this goal is attainable, even if it feels like it’s the loftiest to tackle.
I won’t feel fulfilled if I die before completing this goal. It’s just something I have to do, even if I must force myself through the process.
Nick Enlowe 