The Novel Journey

Today I want to share a little peek into the writer’s mind and process. This writer’s, at least.

When you write a novel, you enter into a (very) long-term relationship. You don’t know how long, because there are many variables that influence the course of progress. You might begin a couple of manuscripts, then give birth to a few human babies, then return to the book babies nearly a decade after you put down the first words. Sometimes it’s nearly two decades. You don’t know. You might write a manuscript in a matter of months. Anything can happen!

Then when you have one of them all gussied up, you need to find a means of publishing, work through the editing process, and finally (finally!) your novel emerges in physical (and digital) form.

I am a staunch planner, though none of the above would indicate such.

As a staunch planner, I am often challenged by my inability to plan novels. I plan the crap out of literally everything else in my life. But not one of my books has ever had more than a loose idea and some characters who write the story with me, one scene at a time.

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