You Should Write a Book
I am in the midst of writing a novel. I have stopped and started this book throughout my adult life, but this time, I think I’m going to actually finish. Today marked 37,000 words, which means I am officially 74% done (based on the presumption that a decent tome is 50,000 words).
I have no delusions that this novel will ever get published. Thousands upon thousands of us would-be novelists bang out novels each year. Only a small percentage ever make their way to a salable work.
Yet, I highly recommend the process of writing a novel. Here’s what my scribblings have taught me so far:
- I love my characters – I am now 100% caught up in their lives. Whenever I get bored in a meeting or traffic jam, my mind wanders to how Laura, Evan, Matt or Helene-Elise would muddle through (yes, those are my fab four main characters, not to give anything away).
- I have something to wake up early for – I pledged to myself that I would write 500 words in the morning and 500 at night. So far, I’m sticking to that promise. It’s not hard and it absolutely gets the creative juices flowing.
- I’ve accomplished something every day – I took on writing my novel with the same determination that I did my running regime several years ago. No matter how my day goes, I know that I’ve done something productive.
- I am completely out of my element – I write p.r. copy for a living, not fiction. In writing this novel, I have challenged myself and stretched my brain. It is the ultimate ginseng.
More on the novel later. Til then, back to the business of marcom…
