An Obvious Secret - A Writing Journal

Hello all! (17/09/2012)

After three weeks of school and getting into the groove of things, I have finally had time and inspiration to write to you guys for the first time (as a writing journal) ! It's been a while since I've worked on my book or even looked at it, for that matter. Although I'd like to say that I write every day and I'm making great progress, the fact is that I wasn't.

School was daunting, scary, and early. When the first weekend rolled around, I just sat down and slept. However, this last weekend, I decided it was time to crack open the Word document and get typing. I should also mention that this was the weekend after my birthday, which included fixing my overheating computer so that I can work on it for more than a half an hour. I also got a backup hard drive as a present. (If you don’t have one, get one. Now. Especially if you're a writer.) These all contributed to the act of me sitting down and actually doing some work.

And a funny thing happened.

I actually moved forward. I know it might seem crazy, that the key to getting your novel done, is actually writing, but it's true! As much as we think there's some huge secret to it, there isn't. The real way is the one staring you in the face. It is this:

You have to sit down and write your novel.

Or edit it, or revise it, or brainstorm, or whatever stage you're at, it doesn't matter! Editing the first couple of chapters got me into the story again and is making me excited for the final product.

However, it's also making me think of how horrible my draft on Wattpad is (which is somewhere between the first and second draft). So, if you are planning on, or have read, that version of At Second Glance, please note: it is a draft! It is not the final product.

Note to self: don't post anything to Wattpad until it's completely done so I don't hate it later.

Another thing: if you're planning on editing your novel soon, here's some advice... take a break from it. I know you're excited and you want to get working, but trust me. If you have a break period, it will help you view it as a new reader would.

If you're having trouble with this, I suggest joining the Tumblr community or becoming a Nerdfighter*. They will both take up massive amounts of your time.  Just kidding. But actually, I'm serious. I have Tumblr to thank for procrastination on my Language Arts essay.

Anyway, I guess the point of this all is, you have to do the work in order for the work to get done. It's as simple as that. No one is going to do it for you.

Thanks guys! I'll write to you again when something exciting happens.

Tess

* Nerdfighters are people who watch the VlogBrothers videos, one of the members being the John Green of my first book review. I am a recent member. They do not fight nerds. They are nerds. They fight the suck in the world. For the general information you may see this video.