Anyone up for a novel writing support thread?

[Cel982]

Just thought it might be nice to have a place we could give each other a kick up the bum cheer each other along as we try to get our novels written.

I'm currently on the eleventy-hundredth draft of my first novel - hoping to have it ready for submission in the next month or two. Have been stuck on a niggly plot point for the last few weeks but had a bit of a breakthrough the other night so now the words are flowing again. Am a SAHM with a toddler at the moment so all my writing is done in the evenings when I can tear myself away from the TV. I know, I'm inspiring

So... you?

Can I join? I'm nowhere near as far as most of you. I cannot for the life of me come up with a plot that would carry 200 pages. My mind has been barren of any substantial plots for too long, but I'm itching to write! Scrapped my last 2 'books' as reading them back, they were cringe level bad.

I do that too Soo - I have a 'notes and quotes' document/file where I draft all the random scenes which pop into my head. Snippets of good dialogue, short plot points, etc. Eventually they get woven into the main book document when I get to their place in the novel.

I've done 500 words today - except its on book two (in the aforementioned notes and quotes format...)

Welcome Look! I'm sure they weren't that bad. I know I'm definitely far too self-critical for my self-esteem!

I think, to get back into the swing of things, I'm going to enter a couple of short story writing competitions. It will force me to write 2-3000 words which seems much less daunting, and hopefully some more ideas will start coming to me once I start writing. Well, hopefully anyway!

Only managed 500 words yesterday instead of 1,000 so starting early today to try to make up the word count.
This thread is really helping me to get my finger out and get on with it!

SpiderandMouse 3 months, seems a bit young for teething

Well done to everyone whose word counts are increasing, I tend to add stuff then take other stuff away so it never really gets any longer.

DH is off work next week so I probably won't be doing too much as we're going to have a bit of a staycation. On the plus side though I finally figured out my POV as I kept dithering for ages whether to just write it from the main character's POV or whether to have many (I'm going to have many)

SooWrites lol at professional, I'm another one that writes in no particular order and has lots of chunks in the middle thought out but still hasn't decided what the first chapter is going to be!

Good luck Look!

That's great progress, Naice. I forced myself to do 500 words on book one last night... was a bit of a struggle but got there in the end.

Spider, I need a better system fir notes and notes
Or maybe I just need to work on the novel more often as I keep forgetting I've written random bits. I tried having a spreadsheet but that's not great either.

We're back a bit earlier tonight - on an early train as I was worried that Southern Rail chaos woukd get me home too late for a decent nights rest before work tomorrow.

So after returning from work tomorrow I will write for 2 hours! I will post here when I've done that. No procrastinating, I will do the unpacking and laundry tonight as soon as I get in so there's no need to do it tomorrow. (I really do let domestics derail me from writing, as well as MN!)

Lorelei I've found that my novel is so big, I constantly lose track of minor details - I think it's normal? At least I hope so!

Sounds like a good plan . I'm either all in or totally procrastinator. It's so annoying.

I've lost my nerve a bit with my plot. The Big Event of my novel isn't going to happen until we're about 80% in... Is that okay? It feels okay to me, but I've practically moved in to this weird dystopian world I've created. I've lost all sense of plot perspective .

Spider, climax at 80% with a debrief after, okay.

But if you mean inciting incident, def not okay, sorry.

Thanks Lorelei.

It's been so long since I formally studied writing I had to Google 'inciting incident'. Oh, the shame. (And probably the reason why I'm having plot issues...)

This happens in chapter 4-ish, and it's quite fast-paced up to that point. It then slows down and gets quite angsty until the Big Event. And then that doesn't quite go to plan and there's a debrief-of-sorts (with the Big Evil Character - who we meet for the first time) and then that's it until Book Two .

Typing it out really helps, lol. Thanks for the reassurance. I think I need to sit down with my whiteboard...

Sounds interesting Spider!

I am finding it hard to keep minor details in my mind too - and writing in a very bitty way doesn't help.

I feel a bit more confident now, though as in the last three days I've really got on with it - just finished yesterday's 1000 words, and written another 1000 for today's word count. May even get the bloody thing finished this year at this rate!

Have a full draft bar a couple of final chapters of a much revised historical novel. Had an idea on the bus the other day about introducing a new character for my protagonist to have a relationship with (it's based on real people, and there's no evidence my protagonist met her, but I'm very tempted - and it's perfectly possible, they lived in the same city and would have know about one another) - but I don't know whether it's madness to go back and try to 'seed' a new relationship throughout...?

May I join? I'm desperate to get a book written, but not as far on as most of you. I'm terrible for procrastinating, at the moment I haven't written anything for weeks. Whenever I sit in front of the computer I panic that what I write will be terrible so end up putting it off. Those of you who are managing to get something written every day, do you have any de-procrastination tips?!

Fool, you've done loads, that's brill. Mine is also historical and that hasn't helped! Re new relationship, I guess if you imagine summarising the book as is, then with the new element....which is better? Could the extra relationship form a different novel that ties in?

I have an ensemble cast, I redrafted and ended up cutting one person out and moving another to supporting rather than main. Tbh I don think the novel had to do that, but I was finding it hard to keep together. Hopefully I've done enough planning that I can reintroducie them if need be. Writing is rewriting, mais oui?

I am not an expert at all, Rosie, but I did a short writing course a year ago where they advised getting something down on the page even if you are not convinced that it's good enough. After all, you can always go back and edit it.
I was a bit doubtful, but this does seem to be working for me... so far, anyway!

Great thread. I finished the first draft of a fantasy novel about a year ago and totally stalled when it came to revising for no good reason. I think it's because I know there's such a big job to do. I've got two point of view characters and one's story is just too dull. It needs a lot of work.

So I've been trying to do short stories instead, but really I need to get back to revising. I want to start this week.

Mais oui, writing is rewriting, and I've done more of that on this one than I care to think about Lorelei. I completely restructured and took out a POV character (in fact, rather like you - she's still there, but only from the POV of my first-person narrator now) and played with the time scheme etc etc.

Yes, if I imagine pitching the novel/blurb-writing/someone reviewing the novel, having this new character in would be something that would be quite important, as this person is probably more famous than many of the others, which makes it very tempting.

Also, some very credible feedback suggested my main character should be more likeable, and this relationship would bring out her protective side, maybe.

In fact, I will be unable to get to the novel again for another week, as I'm away for work in an archive, so perhaps it will have decided itself in my head...

Fool, that description has sold it to me!

Hamster, I'm in awe of you for completing the first draft. So you edit while I finish this draft properly fir a change and then I can pinch your editing tips

Can I join, please? Currently subbing my memoir (at least, that's the plan, though it likely won't happen until my essay's finished).

Anyway, that's in the background now, and I'm writing a novel. I've convinced myself I can't write fiction, and I want to prove to myself that I can!

I'm attempting to write a comedy that's based on the the main character's letters to an old school friend over the course of a year, when she comes home from uni and gets a job in a library. 15000 words written so far, but it's all a bit bitty, lots of characters and sub-plots, but no main plot line. Trying to do some free-writing in an attempt to tease the plot out a bit.

Summer holidays looming and little time to write, but I will keep at it, bit by bit and hope that the first draft comes together by the end of the year.

Ooh, I love epistolary novels, Aristotle! And well done on finishing your memoir, that's very impressive.

I'm still plugging away. We're off on holidays next Monday (nowhere exciting, just visiting family) so I'm really hoping to have this draft finished by then. Then I'm going to print it off, put it in a drawer and try to forget about it for a few weeks before reading it again with fresh eyes. That's the plan, anyway...

I'd love to join in here too - love writing support threads! (may spend more time on them than actual writing)

I'm on book three of a YA trilogy and book one is in submissions (currently waiting on an agent who requested the full and hasn't got back to me in weeks and very frustrated) (can you tell)

But stalling a little at the moment, we're moving house soon and have a lot to do. Lovely to read some of the helpful tips on here - good luck to everyone with your novels! :)

So...I said id do 2 hours tonight.

I did 90 minutes of plot sorting, outlines etc, then the rest of the time drafting a new scene which arose from plot sorting.

The plot sorting is def going to be a big job.

Same plan tomorrow night and Thursday night. Hopefully the continuity will help me remember stuff and keep a better grip on what I'm doing.

I haven't got much done. My ex-p is a tosser and took one child on holiday leaving the other at home. I can't afford a holiday so we are having a staycation.

We went to Whitby yesterday. So. Many. Steps.

I was exhausted and only managed about 50 words. I'm giving myself a break this week and just doing what I can.

Soo, not a week to worry too much about writing.

Can I get a well done? From someone? Anyone? I've given up so many times I can't tell anyone in real life that I've started again.

I think it's great you've started again, Lorelei, so you can have a big well done from me. Plotting can be tricky as well - I'm in two minds as to give it up with my current project and be a pantser to see how it goes.

Toying with downloading the new version of Scrivener for my iPad. Anybody else tempted?