Finishing the novel

[butterfly133]

Okay lovely MNers
I have a novel that's about 1/3 complete - it's been hanging around for years. I have now made a plan to finish it! I have 3 sessions per week where I can really get stuck in - one of them being now....it will be different each week due to rota and family but there are def 3 session per week of 3 hours. Then there's any extra time. (I'm beginning to think I need to use my commute to do something as well, though that seems a bit overwhelming).

the structure is all there so I do know where it's heading, I just need to put bum on chair and do it. I hope some other "finishers" might want to join this thread and update?

My hope is to have it finished by end of September. Yikes! I really must sit down for the 3 sessions per week because I have previously done it in chunks and then I've had to reacquaint myself and ended up wondering "why" I made certain storyline decisions, only to go through the process again and make the same one!

so fingers crossed for more continuity and focus.

now I must tear myself away from browsing MN.....

Probably not going to meet my 2,000 word goal for the end of the week, I only managed 171 words yesterday afternoon during the baby's nap and the 3 year old's TVquiet time. But I have managed to do a big re-read of the MS so far and I think I'm back 'in' the voice which is a relief. Because of the stop/start nature of my work on it so far I'd been worrying a lot about the voice consistency but on the whole I think it's still there. This is my first foray into a sustained first-person -- I'm normally more comfortable with a close third-person narrative and I'm finding this a LOT trickier. But it is what it is.

I know what the end is but I'm still not entirely sure how to get there and there's one character I either need to get rid of or completely re-develop I think.

Thank you for the offer to read Travelling, I may well take you up on it although I do have a trusted reader on the go already a fresh pair of eyes is always welcome if I'm brave enough--

hm only the 'If I'm brave enough' was meant to be crossed out there

Hello can I jump on this thread please?

I'm trying to make more time for writing, I usually enter the Mills and Boon SYTYCW competition in the autumn so I am working towards that (I did previously get a positive 'we like your writing' from them so that is keeping me going!) - I need to work towards something where I think I might get a contract, I would feel too despondent to write a whole novel and everyone say 'no thanks' because I don't know if I can go down the self publishing route.

I do find it hard to make time to write though - I prefer to write in longhand so I am trying to write in the evenings in my notebook and type it up/edit it at the weekends.

hi diamonddealer

welcome! I'm interested you say you would feel despondent if you wrote a whole novel and it got turned down. I started - years ago - from the same perspective as you. I got to pitch to two agents who both said the same thing to me "love your start, love your pitch, love your plan - send it to me when it's 100% finished". I don't know if you mean you are hoping to pick up a deal before it's finished but I am not sure if that happens?

The idea of finishing it seemed so much like "working without pay" that I then didn't do any regular work on it and just did bits and pieces when I fancied it, so I totally relate to what you are saying. But since then, I have seen someone have success with self-publishing via crowdfunding. That in turn made me realise that if no one published my novel, I could try that at least.

Also, I've come to a point where I feel I need to write the whole thing, or I will feel I never properly tried and as a poster said upthread, if it's this hard then a complete novel is going to feel like a major achievement.

I just thought I'd share that as I know what you mean, but have decided to plug on anyway. Obviously if I start to really resent the time spent on it, I'll think again, but hopefully it won't come to that.

Thank you butterfly133. I have never considered sending anything other than a whole novel to an agent, but I can see your point about 'carry on ploughing on' which maybe I need to be more determined about!

This has all given me more determination to get stuck in and get writing!

I really am the last person to lecture about writing for no pay.

But I do think it's important to be able to prove to yourself and others that you're a finisher. And you can only do that by finishing.

Horrible though, to spend all that time, love and energy on a project which might never attract payment.

Diamond I spoke to an agent recently who said that they usually asked for 3 chapters, a synopsis and a covering letter to start with.
I am hanging on to this as I think it's possible I will get the first 3 chapters finished in the not too distant future, but finishing the whole novel still seems like a fairly mammoth task!

Totally agree with you about being a "finisher" Word although it does seem like a huge challenge.

pasta agents usually do ask for the first three chapters.

However, if an agent bites and asks for the full MS, they would not normally expect to have to wait months...though they might for a work of genius of course.

So glad I started this thread, esp as we understand each other re wanting to get deals. I used to belong to a writing group and they were all about doing it for love. I think that's great if that's why you're doing it, but it was the wrong group for me. I wouldn't join another group as I don't have time now but I think it will really help reporting in here!

Tomorrow I have a full 2 hours so should get a fair bit done. Will post after doing it. Think Father's Day stuff will take up most of Sunday but will try and do a bit first thing.

Looked over the work I did while commuting...it may have been more useful than I initially thought.

Oh yes I see what you mean about waiting for months for the full MS Word!
Damn. I'd better get a move on.

confession
have written NOTHING today. Have half watched 2 films and even got bored with those!

will forego lie in tomorrow and do it then. Turns out FD lunch not happening till 2.30 as well.

It's hard to get motivated some days isn't it!

I've actually finished over the last two days and now into the edit. Found Words advice about reading through and then reading individual voices really helpful, thanks. I am writing in first person but more than one perspective so it's really important it all flows.

Keep finding the odd typo and grammar fail too so it's going ok. Still finding it increasingly hard to know if it actually works.

Anyone know of a place you can get a MS printed into a book without committing to the isbn and fancy version - I really want to print one off for dd and others to read as a boom iyswim. I can design an ok ish cover for that purpose.

That should say final version not fancy :)

And book, obvs. DYAC

Definitely don't send off first three chapters and synopsis without having a completed MS, just in case.
Even if nobody wants your first novel, it isn't time wasted. You'll have learned loads. It can be disheartening. I am developing a skin like a rhino, but it's such a wonderful feeling when you get a positive response.
mad:
I think Lulu print single copies but I'm not sure of costs.

Green I'd love to, but I know what you mean about being brave. I can't show mine to anybody yet, it just feels too fragile, like a Jenga tower which will collapse if it is criticised (at this stage.) I am going to get people to crit it later - it's just too vulnerable now.

It's also so hard to believe in it, and that somehow makes working on it all the harder. god this tree is hard to climb, crap, what if I get to the top and realise it's completely the wrong tree

Travelling - so right on the tree analogy! I've been asked "what have you got to lose" and frankly the answer is "time with family and friends". I am not sure sometimes if people understand the time involved....

I didn't get up early and write. The alarm went off, I ignored it, went back to sleep, then had an extra long run - just as well as Father's Day lunch has left my stomach sticking out into next week.

Then I turned on the laptop intending to do a bit....well maybe I still will do a bit but I doubt it. When this food has gone down a bit more, I need to do some cleaning.

That was rubbish of me, I know. But will work both ways on commute tomorrow. Coming home a bit later than usual so should have a seat.

I am often on here when I should be writing! Going to get off MN now and get on with it.
I've actually written about 1000 words this weekend but could have done a lot more if I hadn't spent so much time faffing about!

Hi, can I join? I must confess I do mostly write because I love it, and because I couldn't imagine not writing - which is probably a good thing, because the only thing I seem to be able to consistently write and finish at the moment is a series of Harry Potter fan fics! (Seven planned, three finished, with the first two 34,000 and 46,000 words respectively, and the third one looking to be closer to 70,000 - I haven't finished typing it up yet) Of course you could never publish fan fiction, but I have a little bit of an online following, so I'm happy with it. I'm currently writing a series of "shorts" set between books 3 and 4 before I start 4. my problem with these is that 3 started to feel more and more out of control as I went along, with too much happening, and I'm still not sure how to manage that editing it, or indeed heading into 4 without it happening again. I've never really planned more than a list of things that need to happen and crossing them out as they do, but maybe I need to change that.

I've probably been writing "stories" since I could write - the first "complete" thing I never wrote was a 16 chapter 9,000 word collaboration with my younger brother when we were about 11 and 9 which was a cross between Star Wars and Harry Potter, complete with Lightsabers, self-inserts, an obvious attempt at the Weasley family, and a Neville-Longbottom figure who saved the day by apparating and locating the giant robotic hand's off switch!

So, I suppose the Harry Potter thing is Project 1. Project 2 is currently 5 chapters/ 9,000 words of a facebook selling site/writers/pregnancy thing, for which I know the beginning and the end but am yet to flesh out the middle. I find it hard to focus on Project 2 because I want to write it's person-a's-teenage-sons-ex-girlfriend-turns-up-on-the-doorstep-with-their-baby/person-b's-trying-to-adopt-their-foster-son sequel. I'm fairly sure the sequel won't make sense on it's own so I really do have to write the original story.

And then there's Project 3, which was originally aimed at 8-12yos, but I have a feeling you're not allowed to use the word "arsehole" in a book for 8-12yos, so either that age rating or the word has to go... It's supposedly a pre-teen-brothers-attempt-to-get-their-divorced-parents-back-together thing, but with a twist at the end which changes the whole thing if I can pull it off . It's currently about 3,500 words and three chapters. Again, my head is bogged down in the sequel, three years later, from the POV of the other brother to the one narrating the original. I am absolutely certain this one needs the first one first... but I want to write the second one!

Of course, posting on mn about them is just a thinly-veiled attempt at procrastination

Wow - you sound incredibly prolific Obligatory.
Fascinated by the sound of Project 3; I work in a primary school and there is a definite need for more good writing for this age group (8-12).

today's update - worked on commute both ways. Surprisingly useful. I began sketching out a scene, rather than full on writing it, and realised it wasn't going to work. I didn't think I'd have enough brain in for that type of judgement on the commute but apparently I do [grins]

going to need a more thoughtful session tomorrow though if that makes sense. I did have an arguing couple sitting next to me so my thoughts may not have been as sharp as I am currently thinking...

Can I join please, Butterfly?

Hi to all!

I'm trying to do the final edits of a memoir, and I really want to start submitting before the end of the year. I'm starting a part-time PG uni course in November and really need to get as much done as I can before then. I started writing it three years ago, have had a full manuscript report done on it, and am now making a few edits based on some suggestions of a beta reader. So am really on the home stretch now.

I have 2 kids, aged 4 and 1, so finding any writing time is hard! Am currently a SAHM, so squeeze writing into naps and after bedtime (goodbye watching the soaps!). I probably manage about and hour to 90 mins writing time in total on a good day, though of course I sometimes have to do other stuff, like having dinner, cleaning, tidying etc (ha!), so it doesn't always happen. I'm also a member of an online writing group, so need to do critiques and stuff too.

Great to have a support thread to cheer each other on. Nice to see there are a few of us in the same boat!

Aristotle, that sounds like a lot of writing each day, I'm impressed.

I had about 3 hours sleep last night so spent the journey in trying to kip. Not sure I will do much en route home but not planning to beat myself up as I feel quite pants. Tomorrow is out so next possibility is Thursday- shorter shift so easier.

TheWordFactory - if you don't mind me asking - just ignore if you do - do you do a lot of publicity? I actually didn't want to and really wanted to publish under a pen name if possible. I also have other books in the pipeline which are totally different to this one so I think there'd be commercial value in having different names for them as well.

Hiya .

I do a fair bit of publicity, yeah. So book events, literary festivals, interviews, blog tours. Basically anything that the publisher asks of me, I do.

These days a fair bit is on line.

I use a pen name too. I didn't intend to, but my first publishers (HarperColins) asked me to change my name for a number of reasons. And I'm really glad I did. It feels like a pull on my writing persona as opposed to my normal life.

My agent and I have discussed whether project 3 should be launched under my existing pen name or something else. As yet, we're undecided.