I enjoy a good book, even those without pictures. And I have wanted to try to write a novel. I really got the bug when I started listening to the Self Publishing Podcast, which has now rebranded as the Story Studio Podcast (check it out)
give it a listen and check out their webpage
I learned all about how indie writers could posted their books directly to online platforms, the biggie being Amazon (for the Kindle ebooks). There were no gate keepers anymore, kind of like indie comics (kickstarters, self published and web comics). This is both good and bad, so times the gatekeepers can keep works, let’s just say not quite ready of the shelfs.
The next key thing was learning about nanowrimo (or National Write a novel in a month) which happens every November. The goal is to write 50,000 words in one month.) I have tried twice and failed both time.
I still have those stories and think about them. I would like to revisit them if I could, and improve them. But I am still working on a novel, just not under the time frames of nanowrimo, I am doing it at a much longer pace.
I currently about 30,000 words into what I hope will be 50,000 words. And I feel like this is better than those first two efforts. While I like my comics fantastic and filled with wild concepts, crazy characters, doing daring feats, I tend to like my prose in more “real world” settings. I read all of the works by writers like Lee Child, Robert Crais and Micheal Connelly, all detective stories. And my story is set in that same genre.
My goal is 500 words per day, but I don’t always hit that. While I am diligent about hitting my comics daily writing goals which I talked about in my post about daily habit, I often put my novel off to later (as I write this I have all my comics writing done, 4 new pages, 1 pitch, 1 brainstorming session, and 1 new story arc and even my daily drawing.) but now novel writing yet. I think maybe I put if off because it is harder for me than comics.)
I am going to see this to the end, 50,000 words, at least for my own possible satisfaction, Then let it sit for about 2 weeks, and go back through it. If I can get to a place I am happy about I am going to look for an editor, and possible take it to kickstarter.
Looking back on this project, I should have done an outline, which I will do next time, but I got too excited about my idea, and dove in head first to writing it. I do have an idea file, and that is good because I figured out my ending, so I can work to that now. But I am going to do an outline next time and I am going to use the “The Story Grid” I hope that make the writing easier.
check out the Story Grid here, with free resources
Well thanks for checking to the blog.
Next time I am going to be back with a blog about a “Swipe File”
Matt Kund 