Is anyone here working on their own novel/story (or have you in the past)? If so, how long has it taken you (so far) to develop a working first draft?

i started once, lost interest and turned it into a short story.

took, id say about a solid week. ( really it took a lil more than 3 weeks workin only 2 or so hours a day) before i was ready to turn it in.

I find it’s helpful to break your story into a list of distinct scenes, which chart the story from beginning to end. Describe each scene with a sentence or two. Then, go back and write each individual scene (not necessarily in order).

I also recommend developing your character’s back-story first, so you can better predict how they’re going to react in various circumstances.

I wouldn’t worry whether it’s taking as long as it should for a “typical” writer. The important thing is to keep writing, and to always be looking for ways to improve your work. The rest will sort itself out over time.

While I’m writing my novel (much like you are) I write short stories here and there to compensate for ideas that don’t really fit into the story.

Scenes are a useful way to look at your story (they’ve kept me somewhat sane so far), but I guess I feel like I have to write chronologically because I’m always building off of details I previously wrote, even if I do have a rough outline. I also am thinking of it in terms of chapters. Jumping around doesn’t really work for me…

And I’ve never considered writing short stories before…I tend to run after big challenges, heh. But maybe I should try that, at least when I feel stuck on my story. I do get a lot of ideas for scenes that could work if I were to write a sequel. Maybe that could give me a chance to develop new characters aside from the ones I’ve already worked on, as well. I just feel like I’m while to get it done. But, like Ryan said, I guess I should just keep writing and not worry about that.

I lack the motivation to give the effort required for a novel. I must have 15 story ideas, but just can’t write them! As for your inspiration overload…I’d write down every idea you have on a separate index card as they occur. That way they’re out of your head, and you can pick and choose the ones that work for your current story and file the rest away for later use. Good luck with your work!

I used to write a lot when I was younger and my approach was pretty simple: I’d have an idea, a character or two and a journey of theirs to write about. Most of the fiction I write is short stories only because the ideas I have for longer stories/novels are still developing.

Binary brought up a good point about using short stories as an outlet for ideas that don’t have a place in your larger narrative. I’ve also found that while I’d prefer to write chronologically it truly helps a lot to write whenever it is you have an idea regardless of where it might fit in your story because if you write it out you’ll have it for later.

The hardest thing about producing a first draft is to avoid the inclination to constantly self-edit and more in your case, mine as well a lot of the time, to try not to get consumed in specifics or details that require you to stop writing and research because it’s very easy to get caught up in something like a write, research, rewrite loop.

As challenging as it is to forgo the immediate urge to edit or self-critique it’s much more productive to get the ideas out first—it’s what the draft process is for.

What’s the end of this particular story? If you know that, then you can work backwards.

I started a novel about ten years ago, got lost in the details, and now I realize that my strong point is short stories. I took a couple of the chapters from the novel that were strong enough to stand on their own and turned them into short stories. Some of my favorite stories have been built from ‘what if’ questions, i.e. what if an atheist accidentally went to heaven?, what if a local millionaire looked like Jo Jo the Dog Boy? what if you were killed in a accident and didn’t know it? That last one was one of my most powerful stories, as I usually focus on humor and satire.

Good luck on your novel, I don’t have what it takes to do anything that long and complicated.

Filing away my ideas on cards…sweet, I should try that. :)

And as for the end of my story…I know what I want to happen in broad terms and where my story’s generally headed, but there’s certain details (like who I’d really want to die near the end ‘cause I have to have someone die, lol) I don’t want to get too caught up on at the moment. Those kind of things really depend on the build-up, which I’m still working on, and what would seem most unexpected, considering how to deliver the best shock. (I’m actually torn between two character’s endings, so I’m trying to save it for when I get there draft-wise.)

Meh. I just need to plow through it so then I can (reasonably) nit-pick at it. ‘Cause honestly, I love to knick-pick, or as Jams says, “self-editing.” If there’s a number one reason I won’t finish this thing it’s because I self-edit too much! It’s so hard not to! It’s like I want to eat away at the homemade jello stuff before it has congealed into actual jello…but not because it’s good, lol.

Anyways, thanks to every one for all the advice so far. I’ll see if I can hold to them. :)

Btw, what does the “thank so-n-so” button below people’s replies really do? I haven’t clicked it yet…

I think it takes you to their profile so you can leave them a comment.

ah…gotchya. Muchas gracias.

I guess I could have clicked, but I was too lazy. :P

I probably started six or seven novels before I ever completed one. After losing a friend to breast cancer, I realized that if I was ever going to pursue the dream of writing a novel, I’d better get started.

Last November I participated in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and completed my first novel (or at least a lousy first draft). I, too, am a perfectionist, and would continually edit, or reach a place where I didn’t know where to go next. NaNo really helped me just to write and turn off my inner editor.

I first got the idea for this novel almost two years ago. I’m currently working on revisions to my lousy first draft.

If you haven’t already done so, I would suggest doing a lot of reading on the craft of writing. Doing this has been invaluable to me.

Oh yeah, I’ve heard about the NaNo thing before! I was surfing the web and happened to come across it. Yes, I do a lot of reading about writing and I try to take everything to heart when I do write. Still, it’s very hard.

How, exactly, does the NanNoWriMo work? I only glanced at it briefly when I saw it.

Here you go.

oh since I just remembered, the longest short story I wrote, when it came time to write the ending, one of the characters told me he had to die, for the story to make sense. I really love some of the characters I create, and killing that particular one off wasn’t something I could comfortably do. That, and when my characters start ‘talking’ to me, I wonder if I’m losing my mind. there’s a reward for you if you find it; that is, my mind.