Quick and Dirty Author Reflection: A Bulleted List

Things I Learned About Myself As An Author In November 2016

(in no particular order)

• Writing is not a one woman show, at least for me it isn't. 

• During this month I relied heavily on my husband for both emotional and practical support.
• My little sister graciously served as my sounding board and my pre-Alpha reader. 
• In addition I have discovered that I am surrounded by friends and family who are willing to cheer me on as work to discover what I am capable of as an author.
• Finally, during November, I was blessed with a motley little crew of like minded writers in the city who offered wisdom, encouragement, and levity during this 30 day challenge. 

• I like to write in public...BUT just as I talk with my hands...I tend to write expressively...so if you see a beheadphoned thirty-something making weird faces and flailing her hands about in your local Starbucks...it would be safe to assume she’s writing a novel.

• I am not a quick typist. Therefore, I have to put in more time than some of my NaNo cohorts. I average about 1,000 words an hour...which, believe it or not is SLOW when compared to other authors who can hammer out 500-700 words in 15 minutes.

• I definitely get in a zone when I am writing. Here is a clip from one of my favorite films, written by one of my favorite authors, that describes what “the zone” looks like...especially to my children.

• Sometimes I love what I write. Sometimes my writing is simply passable. Sometimes I write a sentence so tragically terrible that I psych myself out and have to take a break...for the rest of the day.

• Writing can be a very, very, vulnerable pursuit. I’ve written scenes that left me feeling angry or lovesick or heartbroken or ashamed for days.

• I spent the first few days of November floundering. I came up with a really great premise to build a story around...but I couldn’t get it to work. I was trying to fit my author voice into a novel that wasn’t appropriate. I wanted to be more creative...use symbolism...personify emotions... allow for fun plot twists and just let the story flow.

• Creativity is, apparently, not what I do. As it turns out, I am a straight shooter. (shocking I KNOW). Yes, I created a work of fiction and built characters don’t exist...but they COULD. They function in a world that doesn’t exist...but it COULD.

• This style of novel is classified as “literary”. That is a genre which makes me feel highbrow and snobbish; so I pushed against it.

• About the third day of Nano, I decided “f@#k it” and wrote what I wanted to write. It turned into quite the little novel...one that I like and have enjoyed writing. I ended up using my original premise as the novel’s climax.

• This novel has been, yet another, lesson in accepting who I am as a human being and as an artist. I firmly believe that my craft can glorify God...but if I try to be something He didn’t make me to be, I’m wasting a gift by wishing I had a different one.

• Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to say that I still have a lot to learn about writing a good novel. And, frankly, I still have so much to do to fashion this mass of words into a good novel. So much. I am willing to learn. I am excited to work through the process of preparing a manuscript for publication.