I promised you all updates on my new novel a few weeks back, so here’s how it’s going…
I’m a decent way into drafting Act I, and a lot of the scenes are starting to come together in a way that feels really natural. It’s like the more I work on the novel, the more I’m able to mentally fill in information about the characters, their backstories, and the plot, so that areas that once felt like a confusing void feel clearer. Now, when I’m at my Day Job, in the shower, or working on something else, I feel ready and excited to sit down and write.
Simply put, the more I work on this novel, the easier the process becomes, and the more I want to work on it.
This is a really good example of how I gain momentum on projects after I’ve gotten further into them, since for me, starting is always the hardest part. Once I develop a routine and a thought process around the project, though, I tend to make a lot more progress.
I really like this momentum I’ve developed, where I’m finding myself excited—like, genuinely excited—about the story and the novel and the writing process in general. It’s been 5+ years since I started MFA Thesis Novel, and I’m ashamed to admit that in that time I forgot how exciting the initial drafting process can be.
Instead, I guess I let myself get intimidated by it.
This has made me think more about how important it is to be working on new creative work consistently—not in the sense of never taking breaks, but in that once you finish one project you start working on the next one to retain the energy and work habits you’ve built up.
Because I’d really rather not make the same mistake twice…
How About Scheduling Your Creative Time?
I’ve been keeping up a constant routine of one novel-writing block a week: 2-3 hours where I put my phone on mute, eliminate all distractions, and immerse myself in the novel’s world. I prefer working in these longer chunks because it usually takes me a while to get warmed up, and I produce some of my best work during those second and third hours.
I consider these sessions a kind of appointment setting: On Sunday or Monday I’ll look at my schedule for the week and set aside a time for novel-writing, usually a Wednesday or a Thursday evening before dinner, but sometimes the following Sunday morning after breakfast. I like this rhythm a lot because it stops me from taking on too much and makes me take the novel-writing session more seriously. Since I’m setting the reasonable goal of only one novel session per week, I’m WAY less likely to skip out on it!
Finally, scheduling these sessions in advance also makes it easier to mentally plan out what I’m going to write during that session so that once again when I sit down at the computer I’ve already figured out a big chunk of what’s going down on the page.
Moving Forward
The disadvantage of the one-day-a-week system, of course, is that it’s sloooooooow, so moving forward I’m working on ways to change that. I’m on the verge of finishing up a few other commitments that should leave me with more free time, so I hope to get back to setting two, and eventually even three, of these dedicated three-hour sessions per week—which would basically mean I could triple my progress.
I’ve also got Japanese spring break this week, so once again I’m using my paid days off to take another working staycation so I can sit down and get some work done. If all goes well, I’m looking at making two, and maybe even three (!!!!!!) novel-writing sessions, which I’m really excited about.
So it’s looking like bright times ahead—and of course, I’ll keep you posted ;-)