I wrote my first novel two years ago. I just opened Ywriter, and kind of knew where I wanted to go with it. I wrote a few scenes, and once I had the flavor of the book, I then started up Dramatica and went through the very annoying process of how it talked about… well, how people interact.
Okay. I finished the book in three months. It’s not a 50,000 word novel, but three times that.
As I wrote the second book, I felt like… hey… my writing has drastically improved. And my wife kept calling for re-writes of the first book.
I’m on book 4, but recently I stopped. Why?
What’s the point of getting book 4 done, when book one still needs major re-writes?
I’m not procrastinating. I’m engaged on this “learn how to write” thing, and as I do it, I’m trying to apply it to the first book.
The major difference between the second book and the others was… I knew EXACTLY what I was going to write in the second book, then I sat and fleshed everything out.
The first book, once you get two thirds of the way through it… suddenly it’s aces. It’s the first two thirds.
So… that’s the holdup.
Why not write the first book, get it done, then get it published?
I wanted to prove to an agent and a publisher I could write 3 or 4 books of the series. Once they see book 4, they know I can write books 5-10. Why? I got 40% of the way.
You know, finishing 4 books REALLY tells agents and publishers a lot. They begin to think… “He’s written four books. I can work with this.” They’re less inclined to worry about coaxing my book out of me. I’ve shown I can meet deadlines.
