You’re 30 Pages Away From Writing Your Book!

Years ago, I read great advice in a Writer’s Digest article. If you want to be a writer, write a book. The author of the article didn’t have patience with people who had ideas for books–with good reason. Until you write that book, you won’t be a novelist or best-selling author. As with many things, wanting something doesn’t make it happen. You make it happen.
Maybe you are where I was in 1998. I hated my job, and every other aspect of my life hurt. For two years, I had a great idea, actually two, for books. During the drive to college, I listened to the same songs over and over, seeing scenes of the novels before my eyes. Not that it happened on paper. Nothing happened on paper, because I didn’t make it happen.
In 1992, I went to a book fair, which is great inspiration for writers, where I met Carolyn See, author of _Making a Literary Life_. She told me to write my book, in its entirety, and then attend book fairs and writers’ conferences to meet editors in person and ask them to review my book. At that point, I realized that I had to get those ideas on paper.
At first, I admit sitting in front of the computer was not easy going. I had a million reasons not to sit in front of the computer. We all have those other things that keep us too busy to do some of what matters the most to us. Finally, with Carolyn See’s advice in mind, I forced myself to write.
I’m sure I went about it the wrong way. My first novel (not counting the handwritten mystery novela that I was too ashamed to push) was a Science Fiction/Fantasy novel. Generally, that type of novel benefits from storyboard graphic planning, where you map out the world you’re writing about and other details that are foreign to our world. Not knowing what I should have been doing, I just dove into it.
The first week trudged along; sometimes, I wrote a page or two, maybe four. One day, I stopped counting the pages and the story flew. Impatiently, I stopped writing and raced to the computer. What would my characters say next? All of the details on the way amazed me. Falling in love with your own writing thrills you like eating popcorn at a newly released horror film on opening night. There are oodles of ways to get high on life, but nothing beats that legal thrill of undertaking and completing a monumental accomplishment and enjoying the process.
Incidentally, and I’ve found this to be true twice, it took about 30 pages for my story to take over from me. At that point, the characters began living their parts and I was no longer the puppeteer in control; I was merely a spectator who happened to know the ending.
Think of it. You are 30 pages away from an unstoppable novel or book. Just 30 pages. Right now, or should I say, “Write now,” you are probably seated at your computer, not even inches away from accomplishing your dreams. What’s stopping you? I can’t think of a thing!
Go ahead, be a Jack of Genre. Write it all!