New Novel Update

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Remember how in my last post I said I shelved my last novel because nothing was working? Guess what? I finally finished the first draft of a new novel. The story flowed better even if I had some hiccups along the way. And I learned more about myself as a writer. There are three things I want to discuss in this post about what I went through and what I learned that would help me forward in future books. These lessons may also help those that are writers and creators as well.

Create garbage

I’m kind of a perfectionist. If things are not going correctly or the way I want them, I get very frustrated. I have a system for most things in my life, especially in my creative process. But sometimes life doesn’t care about what works. Things are going to happen and you as a creator have to adapt.

I’m a plotter, which means I plan out scenes of my story before I sit down to write them. But after a few chapters, the story changes a bit. Yes, the core message and story arc may stay the same, but characters may shift snd change the more familiar I get with them. However, this is not something I often embrace. And if I’m stuck on a scene or where the story is supposed to go next, I end up not writing. I let the story sit until one day I come back a month later and can barely recognize it or remember what I was writing about.

This is when I had to learn the art of letting go. Instead of trying to write the perfect scene that would make sense in the story's trajectory, I allowed myself to write what scene came to my head first. It didn’t matter if the scene was something I would end up deleting later. It was about giving myself permission to explore. I needed to see my characters in certain situations and be forced to have certain conversations so that I could get a better feel for it. Words flowed once I let go of needing the scene to be perfect the first time I wrote it. In fact, one day I sat down and wrote 4000 words in one go, which is a record for me as I usually need to take breaks every 1000 words.

You can’t edit a blank page

I need to get the story out of my mind before I can judge what the story needs. I can’t do that if I don’t first write it down. The freedom to allow myself to write garbage takes the self-imposed stress out of the creative process, making it more enjoyable. There were many times when I started writing a scene I thought was going to suck and then it turns out being a favorite.

My other favorite part of the writing process however is revising. If I have a pretty good foundation of a story and feel the story is strong once I type “the end”, then I’m excited to tighten up the story and filling in the gaps that need to be written. (Just for reference, I didn’t get that same feeling for the draft I shelved. That should have been my first sign).

The thing is, I can’t go through revisions if I don’t give myself the freedom to write that first draft freely. Revisions are when I can let my perfecting tendencies shine.   

Learning from setbacks

I have a book I consistently use that helps you write a first draft in 30 days. The problem is life happens. There were several times when I was too stressed and exhausted to write. I had just moved into a new place when I started drafting this story. There was no way I was going to write on the days I was moving and going through that transition. We live in a “hustle culture” society, where if you give yourself a break, then you’re missing out on money and opportunities and you’re subconsciously a failure.

I can’t operate like that. I need to wander through life and take my time. This is especially important for creative projects. I can’t rush my creative process. That’s why it took me three months to write this first draft instead of one. (For the other writers out there, this might be why I’d “fail” NaNoWriMo. Not because I wasn’t motivated enough to write. But because I need more than 30 days to write out my story. Life happens, especially when you have a day job.)

These three months taught me there’s value in slowing down. There’s value in not rushing creativity, especially on a long form project such as writing a novel. There might be some “gurus” that may argue otherwise, but they’re not the ones writing my stories. I am.

In conclusion, I’m excited to get this story polished and share it. The main protagonist is a Black gay man that slowly comes to terms with his sexuality despite what he’s been taught by his family and community. He goes through intense life situations where he’s forced to consider his life choices. Will he foreclose on his sexuality? Or will he embrace it despite what his family thinks? Hopefully, it won’t be long until you get to read it and see.

I’m exciting for this new book cycle. If you want to stay updated on it, click here to join my Readers Group.