It's time for another round of Insecure Writers Support Group. Thank you Alex J. Cavanaugh for creating this monthly support system and wonderful website. The team always puts together great posts to help authors. If you haven't had a chance to visit the website, click here for the link.
Today, I thought I'd mention a recent discussion I had with a friend of mine. He's a former colleague that I meet occasionally for coffee. Sometimes being a writer is such a lonely existence that I very rarely talk about my writing to friends and colleagues in my professional career. Most of the time they just don't get it so I don't bother. This particular friend is a writer and knows how difficult it can be, but then again novel writing is a whole other enchilada. That said, he asked how my book was going. I told him I was working on it, but when I saw this, it made me laugh because I can relate.
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Anyway, we continued to talk and he mentioned something even funnier. He said he once had a friend that said...
"I've started nine novels, but I haven't finished one yet."
He said he thought it was a great opening line to a novel. I agreed. We had a good laugh, but then I stopped, feeling the need to defend the unknown friend, and probably myself somewhere in there too. Hey, we've all been there from time to time with novel writing. I explained how hard it is to create a story with the plotting, characters, point of view, editing, beta reading, re-editing, rewriting etc... Hell, that list can go on forever. I then said how challenging it is to balance everything in life like your family, work, laundry and dare I say making dinner? It's not easy. But's if it's who you are and what you do, what other choice do you have? I should have told him to have his friend reach out to ISWG. I think maybe just a little support might help them.
Other than that, I have no complaints this month. What about you? Can you relate? Did you like the opening line? Do you have any insecurities you'd like to share with me today?
14 comments:
Find that person and have him join - he really needs some support!
I don't talk with co-workers about my books either. Feels weird and they don't really get it.
Part of the challenge in the beginning, too, is the fact that the only deadlines are self-imposed. Nobody, except for me, is ever really going to care if I never get a book published.
Ha, ha -- that WOULD make a great opening line for a novel!
But I bet I have more than 9 unfinished novels on my computer. Easily.
My issue isn't so much in finishing the novel, but in knowing when it's finished. I'm always worried that it needs one more pass, one more edit, one more revision before it's ready for public consumption.
Hi, Mina,
Although I've finished a fair portion of what I've started, I have so many stories with 1-3 chapters that can't seem to move any further. It does take determination to carve out time to do what we must.
LOVE that opening line! Made me giggle.
Finding time IS tough. That was my IWSG complaint today. :) Time is ticking by, deadlines looming, but children & housework just don't care.
Great post!
I think it's a great opening line and that person definitely needs IWSG!
I've abandoned a few novels, but not nine! I can't really imagine doing that much work and then just giving up.
I LOVE that opening line. That is MY life, no joke.
I can totally relate. Nice defense. Well said. And I'll add an Amen, sista!
I can relate so well to that comic you shared. Time likes to run away from me too much! XD
I can relate! I can! Life just seems to get in the way and then when I do 'catch time' I am too exhausted to write... It is frustrating. And then, sometimes I do catch time and my head is like an empty tin can rolling down a hill. Nothing in it and can't catch it anyway...
Nine novels? So I don't feel too bad struggling with the first one...
I have started oh-so-many (more than 9) never-finished novels... At one point I considered smooshing a bunch of novel-beginnings together and publishing it as an avant-garde experimental novel.
But now I'm determined to finish the current novel. And guess what? It could happen.
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