“You’ve only been working on that novel for how many years? Are you ever going to finish?” Husband was incredulous.
What he didn’t realize is that, yes, I wrote the first draft of my first novel, “Groupie,” in 2002, but I haven’t been working on it ever since! C’mon! Give me a little credit. I’m meticulous, not insane.
The time line goes as follows: I revised it in early 2003. I sent out multiple queries and received just as many rejections. Life and work intervened. When I sat down to write in the interim years, I wrote short stories and rough chapters of new novels. Something never sat right with me, though. I’m the type of person who likes to complete things. With my visions of a published “Groupie” unfulfilled, I haven’t been able to give full focus to any other project. A few months ago, enough time had passed for me to dust off the manuscript and re-read it.
Oh, boy, did it need work.
Fast forward to now. I’ve been gutting this thing like a fish and changing things that just didn’t work. It’s true what they say: a little perspective and a lot of life experience can better your writing. I’m not going to venture a guess at when I’ll be done because I’m not writing for speed; I’m writing to get the story right. How’s that for a novel writing tip?
That being said, it’s been seven years since I started the novel, but I’ve only spent a grand total of six months actively working on it! So I stick my tongue out at you, Husband, but I will accept your challenge and finish this beast; hopefully it won’t take me another seven years.
