For anyone else who wants to start/progress/finish writing a book in 2011

[artifarti]

As the title says really!

Me: After several years of dithering with short stories, I committed myself to Nanowrimo last month and managed to bash out a 50,000 first draft of an idea I've had for ages. There is some excrutiating crap in there but also the bare bones of a plot and some interesting characters. So I'd really like to spend 2011 trying to develop it into something better.

But I need some company so that we can mutually kick each other's arses when the temptation to watch Holby City is proving too great. Anyone else?

Im in.I have two first drafts, one that I really like and the other I put down to a trial run. Lets do it.I keep imagining wrapping it up in brown paper and string and sending it out into the world...

I'll join. I have written part of a first draft, but despite loving writing, I find it almost impossible to motivate myself. Having a 10mo doesn't help, but I think my main problem is that I am so critical about what I come up with - as soon as I commit to a plot and characters, I feel like it is all rubbish and I want to start again with something new! Anyone else have this problem?

I'm sure I'm meant to be a writer. If only I could skip the actual writing part...

Anyway, here's a kick up the arse for you both from me!

Hello both. And thanks for the kick FruitSalad. I have a 2 year old which also doesn't help (apart from it meaning I have zero social life!) I am also very self critial but found that when the pressure was on to just write and write that I didn't have time to look back until the end - and as I said in my OP, some of it is shite but at least there's a draft now.

Not much progress today admittedly, other than plotting everyone's ages at different points of time on an Excel sheet in my lunchhour. Had to be done though.

Oh yes me! (hi again artifarti!). I have almost finished draft one - I finished a chapter and started another today. I reckon I have about five/six chapters left. But then what?? (there's no terrified emoticon is there?)

Oh yes and for background reference I have a 5 yr old and a (very nearly) 3yr old, currently live overseas but will soon be home so will have dd2 at home with me a lot of the time. I have had loads of time to myself here as dd2 at preschool 8-3 every day. But that's all about to change!

And I started writing this novel one year ago this week.

Perhaps we should motivate ourselves by setting goals for the day/week?

Although I need to decide first whether to pursue the novel I've already started, but which I have massive doubts about, or start on a new idea which I have had, which I love a lot more...

I am always around to provide support and advice.

Am a writer. Currently going through the proofs of latest book which has to be back wiht ed by 15th.
Then draft of next book finished and subbed to ed by Easter.

Hi Litchick.

Amazing that you're a published writer! How long did it take you to get a book deal?

Perhaps you can help with my problem of being unable to stick to one idea - how did you decide on your plots? Did you have doubts while you were writing?

Thanks in advance!

Thanks Litchick, support would be brilliant.

When you wrote your first book, what did you do with the first draft? Did you show it to someone, send it to an agent, re-write it until you were happy?

I am nearly finished (first draft) and just don't know where to go next. If someone told me it was worth working on, I would be happy to do more work on it. But I'm not sure I have the will power to keep working at something when I have no idea if it's any good or not.

I wrote book one for fun, never dreaming it would be published, but once it was finished the other members of my book club and DH bullied me into subbing it.

I bought the Handbook and started at A, lol.

Once I'd got an agent, he subbed it for me a nd I got a deal relatively quickly (a month or so abroad, about six months in the UK).

Since then I've written another four and I'm currently going through the proofs of book five.
I'm contracted for another two.

And I can say a big fat yes, to never being happy with the project I'm working on. In my mind there is always something much more interesting and saleable that calls me.

It's difficult. Sometimes the project you're working on is crap and you'd better to ditch it. But more often, you're just bored and searching out new sparkles.
If you think it might be a case of the later, you must be disciplined and finish.

stranded - unfortunately, there is never really any way of knowing if our work is any good.

We can try to get feedback - writing groups are great, or on line sites - but ultimately no one can really say.

It's also a curse that nearly every writer I know suffers awfully from lack of confidence. I always think everything I write is crap and expect my editor to return it wiht a sharp request for the return of my advance.

To paraphrase the rather lovely Elizabeth Gilbert ( Eats Prays Loves). We are writers. Our job is to write. It's for others to decide if our work is any good. So finish your work and sub it.

'I always think everything I write is crap and expect my editor to return it wiht a sharp request for the return of my advance.'

Me too, Litchick!

When my editor told me he liked my latest contracted novel I almost emailed back to ask him if he was sure? I was sure he'd want the money back.

Though a little bit of self-critical sharpness is a very good thing, IMHO. Sometimes my inner editor is my best friend. On the other hand, sometimes he/she is a boring old idiot who knows nothing.

Thank you Litchick. I suspect it is just boredom and you are right, I need to be disciplined.

It's hard to enjoy the writing though, when I am worrying it is terrible all the time. And if you still feel like that after being published, then there is no hope!

I like the quote though. Will try to keep it in mind.

Can you recommend any good websites/forums for writers?

hi good idea arti! I managed 30k on the nano thread which I am currently revising. I have taken all the effing and jeffing out and sent it to my aunt, who is a fab reader and critic, for feedback, too. I plan to do a similar 30k effort this January as the first draft of part two of my novel, which falls into halves, an event, and 20 years later.
I have two dc at primary school, work full time and am a lone parent, so have lots of free time once dc are in bed (aka no social life). Writing is fun, free and doesn't require a babysitter!

Thanks, this is all great advice/support/help/ But surely once you've had one book published (or at least accepted by an agent!) you know you're not laughably, embarrassingly crap?

Anyway I think I will get my dh to read it first as he isn't the type to tell me it's brilliant even if it isn't. There's also some technical stuff in there he can help me with.

Then onto the hard work I guess.

Oh and Litchick and Abr1de are we allowed to know which novels you have written? Can you pm me or do you prefer to stay totally anonymous? Understand if you do but very curious

I know of people who've had books rejected well into their literary careers.

Yes--don't send it to any agents or editors unless you've had quite a few people critique it first. Seriously. It's amazing what other readers will spot. My books go to other authors and friends who are English teachers or generally bookish folk. They always find things I'd blush to let my editor see.

Thanks. I have a friend who is an English teacher. Good idea. Unfortunately she also has two young dc's so not sure whether realistically she would have time....But yes that is what I need to do, find a group of people to critique.

A group is a good idea. Writewords, the online group, is supposed to be good. I belong to several private online groups and they are gold-dust.

I have just bookmarked that site, it looks good. We're about to move back to the UK - the packers are in next week, we fly home the following weekend, so it's hard to do much at the moment. Once more settled I really need to get on with this.

I won't say who I am,if you don't mind.

It's just that I use MN for a lot of other related stuff, and I wouldn't want to lose my anonimity.

Also, when I give interviews I wouldn't want any of the stuff I post here, coming back to haunt me. I have a very orchestrated public persona vis a vis my writing iyswim.

And no, even after all these books, I still get the worry worm. I appear to have no ability to judge my own work.
I thought book three was idiotic, but my agent and ed thought it was a triumph. I thought book four was deliciously dark, but everyone thought it lacked my usual black humour.

Totally understandable. How brilliant to actually be published though, it is one of my life's dreams and only now have I been in a position to actually do anything about it.

I still think it must be nice to know you are capable of writing something good even if you still get your usual worries.

I prefer to remain anonymous, too. Otherwise you might know about all my bad habits and terrible domestic standards. :))

Litchick, I think it gets worse the more books you publish. You know more about what could go wrong: your editor leaves, your publicist leaves and the successor doesn't really care about your book (happened to me). Waterstones hate the cover and insist it's changed, causing a delay in publication (and attendant delay in income). Or you worry that you just can't do it any more: pull stuff out of your head and turn it into something that someone might want to buy. Or the bean-counters just decide that they need to cut your part of the list.

But it is fun. And better than working in an office and having to commute and wear smart stuff all the time. Even though the money can be terrible. I know that, yet again, someone I meet at a christmas party (or on MN) will tell me I must be rich from writing, as all authors make lots of money; and I am being mean to complain about Amazon marketplace and illegal downloading of books.

This year, admittedly a bad one for lots of reasons, I have earned just seven thousand pounds so far. (This is one reason for the wish to remain anonymous: I'd never admit to this in real life as I would feel like such a failure.)

Abr1de - that's £7,000 more than I've earned this year though! I hear you though - I certainly don't do this to get rich.