Do you enjoy deception?
I don’t know about you, but I’m not a fan.
Yesterday, I opened Medium and found three articles claiming you could write a novel faster than you can tie your shoelaces. And today, the first article Medium chose to present to me was about how you can write a book in a week. A week! it said.
I know, I know, it’s because I follow that cursed writers tag, but still.
You can’t write a novel in 40 days — two months or a bloody week. You can write a first draft, but that’s not a novel. Why? For starters, first drafts are unpublishable.
It’s almost a novel, but there is so much work left to do that calling it a novel is like laying the foundation for a house and calling it a day. “It’s ready, Boss. Bring in the furniture.”
Here’s how these articles usually go:
- Procrastination is your enemy.
- Get rid of distractions. Stuff your phone in a drawer.
- Prepare! Get everything you need ready before you start.
- Manage your time well.
- Lock your kids in the basement.
It’s all rubbish.
I’m currently working on my third project. I planned out 40 chapters and what needs to happen in every one of them. I left a lot of room for character development and surprises — I’m still a pantser at heart.
I did write it in 40 days — 70k words. And now it’s done. I can dust my hands off and send it to an agent or press publish on Amazon.
Of course not.
As it is, it’s a far cry from being called a novel. Also, this novel idea sprouted from a short story I wrote years ago that has been slowly cooking on the back burner. So, this 40-day gimmick also depends on how you look at it. Collecting enough ideas for a novel takes time. At least good ones do.
Even though I’m pleased with the outcome of my first draft, I can’t show it to anyone. It’s a jumbled mess of ideas and settings. The prose is rushed in some places, and in others, it looks like a freaking…