How To Write A Novel

Nearly 6 years ago I decided to try my hand at writing The Great American Novel. I’m not sure what that title implies, but I am an American and I wanted my novel to be great,  Ergo Sum….( or something close…. I don’t speak Latin).  I had read a book called No Plot, No Problem, by Chris Baty, whose premise is that you, too, can write a novel. You don’t need characters, story line, plot, location, or anything else except the time and inclination. It will all come to you. The philosophy was attractive and convincing and I took the author at his word and wrote. 50,000 words and a month later, I was a novelist.

Baty conceptualized National Novel Writing Month (November), and originated and weaponized the website, Nanowrimo.org. Through the website, an aspiring novelist can joint other writers throughout the world to write a novel during the month of November, post their progress during the month, and win swag at the conclusion for being successful. (As an Army veteran, I had learned a whole different meaning for the term SWAG, but had to dig deep within the google results to find it)

                I serialized my first novel by posting a chapter a day on Facebook, and a few loyal friends really read it that way, but what worked for Charles Dickens with David Copperfield didn’t resonate with today’s readers. They….Want It All, And They Want It Now…(thank you, Queen). Since then I have invited a few select and loyal readers to beta-test my writings, and will eventually get them all published via Amazon.

                The Nanowrimo plan is to write every day during the month of November. A novel the size of The Pearl or Of Mice and Men is about 50,000 words; a short novel to be sure. Writing 1667 words a day for 30 days gets you there. Writing 1667 words a day only takes a few hours and the promise of No Plot, No Problem is realized; you really don’t need the whole plan in advance. It really will come to you.

                I will be starting my 6^th novel on November first this year. The first one was a heady experience, like no one had ever done it before. I harbored the secret hope that the world would embrace my book and it would be on the Best Seller List immediately. It didn’t happen (surprise) for many reasons. First, a book has to be edited and formatted to even be eligible for self-publishing. The grueling truth is that editing is much more difficult than writing. Getting all those commas in their proper places is tedious, but I have become more appreciative of what Mrs. Douglas taught us of dependent and independent clauses in the 7^th grade.

                Formatting is also a painstaking task. Just getting the page numbering right took me a day for my second novel. Sure, I could hire someone to do all that, but at this stage I am still way too cheap to pay the hundreds of dollars it would cost for just the editing and formatting. Then there is the cover design that requires more of an artistic eye. I could pay for that too, but not when I can wheedle my daughter, Rebecca, to do it (and she does do it wonderfully).

                Amazon started out as a bookstore (remember when?) and still is. They also have the tools for self-publishing. Createspace.com has been their author’s tool, but it is currently morphing into Kindle Direct Publishing where the same tools should be available to help with formatting, cover design, final review, and publication. They don’t stock a warehouse with copies of your book to ship out at a moment’s notice; instead they print on demand, one at a time….and ship it out at a moment’s notice.

                My first two books, The Closet and The Fort, are available on Amazon. The third, The Mine, will be out as soon as Rebecca gets her priorities sorted and the new baby takes second seat. The Quake and The Cabin are still awaiting editing, and I do that best on a hammock in Costa Rica….maybe in the spring.

Why else, other than availability, are my novels not first on your reading list? Competition! There are literally millions-and more every day- of other books that people must choose not to read in order to read mine. What helps? Nice reviews on Amazon makes their algorithm let more people see a book, but for the part-time writer, word-of-mouth seems to be the most effective tool.

In the end, one must decide what they are willing to sacrifice to be a successful novelist. By my own measure, I write because I enjoy it, and I hope others enjoy what I’ve written. And I guess that is enough for me.