I believe that it is our nature to split our lives into sections. When we look back on our lives, we divide them into eras. For me, those eras are marked by whatever book series I was obsessed with at the time—in fourth and fifth grade I was in love with Harry Potter, in sixth and seventh grade I was amidst the rise of the Twilight fanbase, in eighth and ninth grade my love for the Mortal Instrument’s Series was born, etcetera. Regardless of how you split your life up, it is safe to assume that we are all looking for bookends or someway to mark who we were in the past and who we are now. I think it is this inherent need that makes the New Year such a magical time.
Riding in on the wings of holidays, it offers us a chance to hit the reset button on our lives. It simultaneously forces us to look back into the previous year, take stock of our failures and success, while also allowing us to look forward and plan for what is to come. We fill journals, social media feeds and word documents with resolutions swearing to ourselves and others that this is the year that we are going to achieve every goal we set—after all, we are no longer the person we were in 2017 because that era ended when the ball dropped. Looking back on my New Year’s resolutions over the last couple of years, they have all contained the same basic sentiments: Read fifty books, drink more water, eat your vegetables (seriously, you’re supposed to be an adult), and write a novel.
Of all the goals I’ve just listed, the one thing that I’ve never managed to achieve that I’ve always wanted to do is write a novel. I wonder if any of you who are reading this have ever thought about putting that idea that you’ve had bouncing around in your head on paper, but never have. I’m willing to bet you have. The problem is that anyone can have an idea. It is rare to find someone with the self-discipline and determination to put that idea into action. As we step into 2018, I have compiled a list of things that I believe will help me in my quest to finally write the novel I have been planning for nearly three years.
The first thing I plan to do is to write every day. Whether it is typed on a word document, written in a journal or on a napkin, I want to write at least 500 words a day. Like any craft, the only way to improve your writing ability is to practice and to practice rigorously. William Faulkner captured this best when he said, “Don’t be a writer. Be writing.” If you aspire to be a writer, your words and sentences can’t be trapped in the past tense. Your work should be happening in the present and it should be happening every day.
The second thing I plan to do is abandon the outline. Stephen King once said, “The scariest moment is always just before you start. After that, things can only get better.” I tend to use outlines as a security blanket and as an excuse. I tell my friends and family, “I couldn’t possibly begin writing my story yet, my outline isn’t complete!” The reality is that my outline will never be complete because I want it to be perfect and perfection is as unattainable as touching the stars. For this reason, I am abandoning outlining and I encourage you to do the same. Allow the story to take shape as you’re writing it. Instead of meticulously planning every detail, allow your characters to surprise you. Perhaps you’ll even find your destination amongst the chaos.
The final thing I plan to do as I move forward into the new year is to stop being so hard on myself and on my writing. Not everything I write is going to win a Pulitzer Prize. Not everything that I write is worthy of publishing. Not everything I write will be good enough to allow a friend or family member to read. That’s okay. If you’re anything like me and you allow your insecurities to ruin your writing process, push those demons away. So, you didn’t write the next American classic on your first try—who has? That’s what editing is for, but you’ll never be able to edit if you don’t write the first draft. Next time you are feeling down about your writing, pick up your favorite book. Imagine if the author had stopped midway through his or her first draft and abandoned the idea because it wasn’t perfect immediately. It is important to recognize that your favorite novel is the product of multiple revisions and a professional editor. Don’t compare your writing to a finished product because you have no idea what their first draft looked like.
Keep Writing,
Samantha L. Padgett
