I Wroted Something!

Last year, wait...make that two years ago (I'm going to be doing that annoying thing where I accidently date everything as 2010 for a while).

Anyway, in the winter break of 2009, I started writing a novel.

One of my New Years Resolutions last year was to finish it, and in an unprecedented turn of events, I actually did. This surprised me, and probably the universe at large, as it was probably the first time I've ever actually kept one of my resolutions.

Whilst I'm on the subject, I wanted initially to rant about New Years Resolutions in general, and the meaningless crap people set for them. However, since said resolutions helped me to steel my resolve and finish the aforementioned novel, I can no longer rant without looking like a hypocrit, which I probably am, but I digress...

Back to the novel - here is a short summary:

"In the future, the world is just as screwed up. Escalating social and political tensions reveal a deep ideological divide and a plot is devised in the name of saving humanity from itself. Gritty and sharp, this hard-edged sci-fi pulls no punches."

If that actually sounds good to you and you are curious to read the story, just know it is a hell of a lot easier to write a three sentence summary than it is to write the story which that summary summarises.

I was debating whether to leave the link to the story here, but I've decided not to in the end, on account of it being a first draft and me knowing that it needs some revision. Instead, I wanted to blog about the process of writing a novel, which, now viewed through the lense of hindsight, was quite amusing.

There was the initial excitement and the novelty (hah, see what I did there?), which was great. My novel would be great; it'd have deep, meaningful themes, a rollercoaster ride of a plot and realistic characters which my vast readership would instantly adore. There would be a multi-million pound publishing contract, film contracts and even plays! I would be set on the path to world domination!

Being creative is a really good feeling, and at the start of a novel, there is a feeling that anything is possible, which is also a really good feeling. Basically, it's a smorgasbord of joy.

Then, after the initial chapters had been written, I entered into the middle part of the story. Things quickly did a heel face turn. Everything was shit. The plot wouldn't come together, what themes did exist seemed to be forced by the authorial hand, and the characters seemed bland and cliche.

DIE DIE DIE stupid novel.

Apparently, this is not an uncommon thing to have happen, and so it just became an act of perserverance, just gritting teeth and sticking words to the page. However, after a certain point, things get easier, and as all the loose plot strands begin to be tied together, and the story rises to it's climax, the process gets enjoyable again.

Finally, one year on (almost exactly, actually), a 48957 word first draft appears.

So...what's next?

Well, I guess I'll write another one...