My Novel Sucks, and I Think That's Great

By: Yesenia Vargas

Nano '11 was the year I made it through Nano and won.

On previous attempts I had crashed and burned only days (even hours) into the challenge.

Last year, about seven months pregnant, I was determined to finally write my first novel. I knew I had to write it before Andrea was born or it would never get done.

Well, I got it done.

Over fifty thousand words, and they all suck.

Really.

Yes, this novel is one of my biggest achievements, and I still remember the high I got when I typed the last line to the story's ending.

But ever since I wrote the first word, I knew it was bad. It reeked of first time writer. I know I probably did tell, don't show instead of show, don't tell. The characters were either not believable or flat. The plot was outright confusing (even to me) and about stuff I had no idea about. Don't even mention the ending. Even I didn't buy the happily ever after outcome.

I still haven't opened up the file since that night on November 30^th.

Too scared, that's why.

I know there's a monstrous load of research, revision, and rewriting to do.

But you know what?

Even though my first novel truly sucks, I'm proud of it.

The truth is: it was liberating to write badly. Before, I was so scared to write badly that I just wouldn't write at all. Nano was the push (or painful kick in the rear) I needed to just sit down, write. and say “you know what, self? I don't care how much this novel sucks. I'm going to write the book anyways because I know I can always go back and fix things.”

I learned that allowing myself to write badly and not worry about it took the pressure to be perfect off. I could finally enjoy writing.

Now it's time to get that mentality back and start my second novel. It'll probably suck even worse than the first one.

It might not.

I won't know until I try.

And who knows? I might even open up that first novel file and start working on that, too.

What's the biggest lesson you learned from writing your first novel?

Don't Be Afraid to Admit Failure and Readjust Your Goals

By: Yesenia Vargas

Maybe you recall the veeerrry ambitious writing goals I had set for myself this year.

When I was about eight months pregnant.

And had no clue what having a baby would entail.

I had been on a roll, having just written my first novel during my first Nanowrimo. I had been wanting to do that for years. I was even planning my next novel.

Then boom.

I had a baby, and my life turned upside down. It's been three months. I haven't written a word of fiction since (I haven't gotten more than five hours of sleep at a time, either). It makes me feel horrible inside, knowing I'll never meet my writing goals now.

But after weeks of moping over that, I'm back. I figure if I still want to write after this major life event, then it must be a real passion of mine.

So here I go again. I fell flat on my butt, but I'm up again. That's what's important, I've realized.

What's the first thing I need to do?

Adapt.

Readjust my writing goals to reflect what's realistic for me now.

And since my life is still pretty hectic, with school and a baby and all, I'm only going to focus on a few big goals. I'm not going to make the same mistake again.

What are my new goals for this year?

1. Write and sell one short story.
2. Begin the first draft of my second novel.
3. Begin the first revision of my first novel.
4. Read as much as I can about writing and for pleasure.

What am I going to do on a daily basis in order to meet these goals?

To be honest, I haven't come up with a specific word count yet. I think for now I just need to focus on writing every day, at least five minutes if that's all I can do. I'll be happy with that for now.

How much do you write a day? What do you do when life happens, and you can't find time to write?