I Wrote a Novel

            The past week has been taken up by more pressing matters, so I hope you'll forgive me for not having an actual post this week. Instead of writing and editing tips, I'm including you in my celebration. If you’ve been reading some of my other posts, you know that I have been working on a novel project for the past nine months.  Ever since my 5^th-grade creative writing class, I have been developing ideas and trying to write stories. None have been successful—until now.

            This week I finally finished writing a rough draft for a novel. What started as merely a fun personal project, has turned into an exploration of writing. I know I'm not the greatest writer, but this experiment has taught me much and helped me improve. All those experts out there that say you should practice writing are correct. This project has been the best practice for me. Now I have just under 60,000 words down on paper and many lessons to apply to future writings.

            Don't think I'm going to let my project end just yet. What self-respecting editor would leave their writing unedited? I'm now looking forward to the next step of the writing process: editing. For me, the editing stage is so much more fun than writing. Writing is wide open with possibilities, a blank canvas. My mind doesn't appreciate so many options. I like having parameters to work with. Editing provides that because the words are already there. I can take what exists and shape it into something grand. 

           Writing taught me about developing characters, creating descriptions, wording dialogue, and so much more. I am certain that editing will be the same way. Even though it is a familiar territory, I never stop learning. Language evolves and so do the people who use it. There is no end to learning. Each project I take on teaches me something new about editing and how language works. In other words, be ready for some future posts about editing fiction.