Well, having come back from my holiday with an idea for a novel and a determination to have written the first draft before I go back to Zakynthos next year, I've decided to knock the short stories on the head for now (unless one is bursting to be told) and dedicate the next few months to the novel.
I must admit to feeling a bit daunted - I have only a moderate amount of faith in my staying-power. Having the attention span of a flea, I tend to get bored before I ever get to finish a first draft, hence my predilection for writing short stories.
Having attempted the 80K in 80 Days challenge this year and having observed other writers' progress with said challenge, I think I have a much better idea of how to write a first draft now than I did before.
Watch this space!
3 comments:
Good luck with your first draft. Something I found really helped me when I wrote the first one is never to think beyond the current chapter. Instead of thinking 'I'll never write 80,000 words', I would think 'I just need to finish this chapter'. To my surprise, it actually worked :-)
I agree with Sarah: one chapter or section at a time. It's especially good if you're used to writing short stories because you have an instinct to end at 2500/3000 words. Good luck with it!
Thanks for joining the Insecure Writer's Support Group! Look forward to your first post on October 5.
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