Pen to Paper

You've thought about it for some time--the story, the characters, the possible titles, the potential sequel, your name in big letters across the cover--just like any other aspiring author.  Published authors (independent or commissioned) do to, but with one crucial difference; they pull out the pen and paper.  And yes, it should be a pen.  I'll explain the pen in just a moment.

Ever been asked the question, "so what do you do?" in which you promptly reply, "I'm an aspiring author," or something similar?  Maybe you've told them you work a nine to five job, but you've been "writing on the side," and plan to publish soon.  The same person inquires a few years later, curious about that great American novel you published and where they might pick up a copy, only to be informed you haven't finished it yet.  Well there's one book selling opportunity gone.  Harsh truth for the unpublished.

I started "writing" The Keeper's Chronicles as a senior in high school, in the late spring of 2006.  That's a long time ago, relatively.  No, it wasn't called The Keeper's Chronicles then, and it certainly wasn't planned to be nine titles long either.  In fact, it was a short story for entry in a creative writing contest in which the prize of one thousand dollars sounded very appealing.  I entered.  I lost.  Rejection notice number one.  Actually, it was far worse.  I received no recognition at all.

I'll go into more detail about The Keeper's Chronicles in a later post, but I mention the start date for very good reason here; The Knights of Abaddon, Book one of The Keeper's Chronicles was published on August 21, 2013.  You read that right.  Nearly seven years from the early days of a short story writing contest to the time of publication.

Completely unacceptable.

Not unacceptable that it took time for the story to get shape and substance, not unacceptable for the time spent writing, or the time spent planning the series.  Unacceptable, however, for the ratio of time spent writing/planning/story-boarding/editing to the time spent collecting dust.  In those seven years, I would be willing to estimate one year's worth of work.  One and a half at most.

So what happened with the other six years?

College.  A nine to five job.  An engagement.  A really good book or two, likely titled "how to write."

All excuses really, to cover up the real reason for such a long production time: fear.  Constantly pushing the manuscript away with self-convicted failure.  There where many reasons: the characters were not interesting, the readers might not like it, the great plot-flop, etc.  Fear keeps you from doing a lot of things, but particularly it keeps you from being successful.  Consider: a book cannot be a failure if no one has the opportunity to read it.  A musician will likely never perform on a big stage in a concert hall without having performed on the street corner (or the local bar).  The point is exposure.

You start by putting your pen to paper.  Yes, a pen.  A pen provides you the visceral satisfaction of crossing out lines and it's permanent.  No hesitation, then, when forging the first draft.  No careful consideration of your first words.  Everything gets written down, laid out on pristine white paper, completely raw.  You can edit later, just jot it down.  Drench the paper in ink.

Keep everything.  You'll use it later.  Maybe tomorrow, or the next day, or even the next decade.  But don't throw it away.  Type it up, save it, and store it digitally if you must, but don't waste.  Not. One. Single. Word.

If you're writing, you're moving forward.  That's the key.  Forward motion.

Next post: A Writer's Journey

In the meantime, check out Albert Jack's blog post "Want To Be a Writer?"