WHAT IT TAKES TO WRITE A NOVEL

Now that I have actually written a novel, I have the appropriate qualifications to write this post. My novel is not published. My novel has not even been submitted to a publisher. My novel is written, which is an accomplishment in and of itself, especially since it is 99,338 focused words which tell a single story.

So, what does it take to write a novel?

Butt in seat, fingers on keyboard (or pen on paper if you are old school).

Simple, yet not easy.

With a full time job, I had evenings and weekends free to write. This meant I would come home from work, eat dinner, sort through my mail, and then sit my butt on the futon, put my fingers on my laptop's keyboard and write for 3-4 hours. Then I would go to bed, get up in the morning, go to work, come home and start the cycle over again. One night early in the week I would see my boyfriend for dinner, then go home and sit my butt on the futon, put my fingers on my laptop's keyboard and write for 1-2 hours. I would see him again on Saturday, late afternoon through late evening. On Sundays, I would sit my butt on the futon, put my fingers on my laptop's keyboard and write for 6-7 hours.

Sense a theme?

During those hours when my butt was on the futon and my fingers were on my laptop's keyboard writing for hours, many things did not happen. My house did not clean itself. My garden did not weed itself. My scrapbooks did not create their own pages. My artist trading cards did not craft themselves. My websites did not update themselves. Many aspects of my world ground to a halt and have remained motionless, gathering dust.

However, during those hours when my butt was on the futon and my fingers were on my laptop's keyboard writing for hours, many things did happen. A world was created. Characters were born. Plot was crafted. The daily word count grew. A novel was written. Many aspects of my thoughts that previous lay scattered on scrap pieces of paper and scribbled in a notebook coalesced into a single manuscript.

Fourteen months later, I have completed my first novel.

I've heard several people say they would like to write a novel. I have heard people say that they have started one and not finished yet. From what I've experienced, you have to want to finish writing a novel more than you want to do other things. Simple, yet not easy.

Everyone has 24 hours. It's up to you how you want to spent it. I like using mine to write novels, which means my butt on the futon and my fingers on my laptop's keyboard, writing for hours.

I have never had so much fun.