The one question that I’ve been asked a lot since I became a published author is a variation of the age old, “how did you finish a novel” question. The question takes different forms. But mostly the person asking it wants to know how I did it. After talking to them I realize that some people actually mean the question literally. They have a book that they just can’t finish. They have several manuscripts started but none completed. They have an idea for a great story that they just need someone to help them write. (Yes, I have had several people approach me with this great story idea that they want me to write for them. Seriously…) The list goes on and on and that’s when it occurred to me that the best answer I can give, the best advice I can offer is this: Sit your butt in the chair and put some words on the page. Repeat as long as necessary, as many times as necessary until you have a finished manuscript. Now this doesn’t mean that your manuscript will be good. It doesn’t mean that you will find a publisher or an agent. It doesn’t mean that you will grace the bestseller’s list. But I can pretty much guarantee that if you do not stick to it and finish something you won’t ever publish anything. There really is no big secret to finishing a novel. Put butt in chair. Write words on the page. Repeat until finished. That’s it. It works in other areas of life too. When I got my Doctorate, guess what method I used to finish that dreaded dissertation? If you guessed butt in chair, blah, blah, blah, then you guessed correctly. There are a lot of smart people out there, people way smarter than me who might never get a Ph.D. There are lot of smart people who started their Doctorates and never finished, folks who will remain ABD (all but dissertation) because for whatever reason they never completed the dissertation to get the degree. There are lots of really gifted and creative storytellers who might never publish a novel because they just never started one or never finished one. I’m convinced there is no magical reason why. (Small side note, this does not rule out the fact that having some book smarts goes a long way towards getting a Doctorate and being a good storyteller or a gifted writer makes writing a novel go oh-so-much smoother…) However, I’m convinced that when it’s all said and done, it is about sticking to it… following through… finishing it up… all that good stuff. Completing the work is a big step… a huge step. You can be sure that you won’t sell a thing if you don’t have anything to sell. Craft and making it the best it can be is just as important, of course. But that’s another post… What do you all think? Can you think of any other really simple advice that might help some aspiring authors?
until next time…
Yahoo Groups or some other version of author/reader list-serves and loops seem to be a must-have for the contemporary author who wants to remain connected to her readership. This is especially so for romance writers. And I don’t have one. I’ve told myself that since my first book only hit the shelves a little over [...]
My alter ego had the opportunity on Tuesday to be on MSNBC. With all the hoopla surrounding the Don Imus situation and Russell Simmons’s recent request that the n-word, b-word and h-words all be bleeped consistently by the music industry owners, it seems that the media wants to talk to the Women’s Studies professor who [...]
Next month is the 12th annual Romance Slam Jam. It will be held in Miami, Florida from March 15-18th. The Slam Jam is an annual conference for Black romance readers and writers to fellowship, talk about romance, and just have a great time. I attended my first Slam Jam in New York City in 2003. [...]
I need them. I hate them. They motivate me. They rule my life. They keep me focused. They… Well you get the point. You see, for the most part, a person with a tendency to be distracted by things that seem far more interesting than sitting in front of the computer needs deadlines. Before the [...]
Normally, I detest dichotomies. I firmly believe that things are never either/or, black or white, this way and never that way. I’d be the first person to argue that things are “more complicated” and there are always more than two sides to any story. So it seems only fitting in an entirely too ironic way [...]
“You’re headed for self destruction. You’re headed for self destruction…” “Stop the Violence,” Human Edutainment Against Lies (HEAL)
“Don’t you know we have to put our heads together… make the change, ’cause we’re all in the same gang.” [...]
“Yet do I marvel at this curious thing:To make a poet black, and bid him sing!” — “Yet Do I Marvel,” Countee Cullen
As I think about what it means to be a black writer in the 21st century, I’m reminded that many black writers before me have pondered the same [...]
