Wednesday 18 January 2012

A Million Words* (And Then Some)

When I started my first ever novel, and realised that maybe this was what I wanted to do with the rest of my life, I thought getting published was easy. I’d finish the book, tweak it a bit, send it off and… voila!

Yeah.

Ha ha.

I know there must be people whose first ever novels are their debuts. People who are either ridiculously lucky or ridiculously talented, or both. But I’m not one of those people. If I could go back now and tell my thirteen-year-old self just how long it was going to take, and how many words she’d have to write to get there, I think she’d have almost died of shock.


Fourteen years to get an agent.


Another four years, and two novels, to get a book deal.


So you’ll understand why, when I got The Email saying ACID had sold, one of the first things I did was go upstairs, open a cupboard and stand there looking at what was inside for a while.


And then this, which I keep stashed away in a filing cabinet:


That’s all the writing I’ve ever done, from when I started up to now. (The bright green folder in the picture above is the manuscript for ACID, which I’m currently in the middle of editing.)

I guess what I’m trying to say is that if you’re a writer, and you’re trying to get published, don’t stop, even if you feel like you’re never going to get anywhere.

Because the next book could be the one that gets a yes. Or the next one. Or the next. And if you don’t write it, how will you ever know?


*The title for this post comes from a quote, attributed to various authors (if anyone knows for sure who it was, please tell me!), that you have to write a million words to find your voice as a writer.

19 comments:

  1. Like you, my debut novel was not the first I ever wrote. My first novel is hidden away in a bottom drawer - and will probably remain there, ashamed of itself. But we all need practice, right? My second novel? Well, that would be telling. DRY SEASON was actually my third and while I was waiting for it to be published, I wrote a fourth which didn't feel like the right follow up so also remains in the drawer. I bet most authors - even the the really successful ones - have a few manuscripts that they sometimes dust off and re-read, all dewy-eyed.

    Oh, and I like it that ACID is in an acid green file. Perhaps you could colour co-ordinate all your novels from now on?

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    1. It's all about practise, isn't it? That's why I've hung on to all this stuff, even though most of it ever got anywhere. It's proof that all the hard work and heartache was worth it.

      And that's exactly why I chose that file - ha ha! I'm not sure what colour the next one will be… a dusty brown, maybe? (But that's all I'm saying! ;-) )

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  2. On top of this lot, how many words have fallen under the delete button on your computer? I did a trawl yesterday, and send countless feeble ideas into the trash bucket. You are right - it takes millions of words, and more, before our writing is ready for the daylight.

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    1. You're so right, Jo. I've probably got as much stuff again that, at one time, has existed on the computer, or that I've got stored on CDRs and floppy disks.

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  3. Such a great post, Emma! SO encouraging as I sit with my current WIP on the table and by my side in a filing box -- on its 4th draft, so much material, so many pages in draft. I too have other manuscripts that were never accepted, still in the closet in binders and file folders.... so as you say, you just never know which one will get a yes. For me, I'm hoping it's this one... but time will tell. HUGE congratulations again on ACID. I can't wait to read it!

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    1. Thank you, Julia! I hope you'll like it. And I'll keep everything crossed for you that your current WIP is 'the one' - it would be wonderful to read your book, too!

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  4. Emma, you are so right! If you feel you must write, then you must. It's a steep learning curve isn't it? The early manuscripts are part of our journey to the one that someone will eventually say 'yes' to, and part of our journey to improve as a writer. I have a filing cabinet and a corner of the attic for all my wordy stuff - wouldn't part with it for the world!

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    1. It's a hugely steep learning curve, and so different for everyone, too. You never know what's going to work, or which MS will lead to a breakthrough, whether that breakthrough is publication, finding out which genre you want to write in or simply finishing a novel for the first time. Each folder and notebook and stack of paper represents a different stage in the journey, which is why they're so precious to me.

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  5. Great post Emma - and how weird that we both blogged on the same topic today!

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  6. Thank you, Jenny! Yes - there must be something in the air… :-)

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  7. For anyone interested in Jenny's post, it can be found here: http://jenalexanderbooks.wordpress.com/2012/01/18/talent-is-not-at-all-unusual-my-dear/
    Well worth a read!

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  8. This gives us all hope! I couldn't give up writing if my life depended on it...so I'm in there for the long haul! I've learned so much from publishing with Kindle, that I'll be going back to long-left-alone-but-beloved manuscripts soon, and doing some severe editing and stabbing! Patience is a virtue!

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    1. Glad to hear it, Lisa! Good luck with the editing and stabbing. :-)

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  9. This humbles me beyond words. I know I'm still a "baby" when it comes to this journey but reading this made it so much more real. Thank you for sharing.

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    1. You're welcome, Akoss! Thank you for reading and commenting. :-)

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  10. This post is very inspirational. I will continue to follow my dreams as a writer in hopes to be successful one day. Congratulations on your novel, ACID.

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    1. Thank you, R.J.! Good luck, and happy writing.

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  11. Well said. I have cupboards like that too but after my first children's picture book was published I thought "Now it'll be easier!" But it's not. *sigh*

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  12. Thank you, Rosalind. Writing doesn't feel any easier for me now than it was when I started, either, but I always learn so much from each new thing I write, and the challenge of it is what makes it exciting every single time. If it was easy, I'd get bored pretty quickly!

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