How I Accidentally Learned To Write A Novel

By the time I realized I was writing a novel, it was too late to turn back.

I’d already been writing for a month or so on an image that came to me while doing a writing exercise. The image was of two people standing together in a patch of wild fennel.

Initially, I was just writing whatever came up. I didn’t judge, assess, or expect what I was writing to become anything in particular.

I was just freewriting about something that made me curious and enjoying the process. 

Soon, I started writing feverishly, like I was downloading information from somewhere and transcribing a story that already existed.

I wrote thousands of words and dozens of scenes when I realized there was actually quite a bit of story to tell.

My initial reaction was to figure out a way to shorten the story so it wouldn’t be too long, yet I also didn’t want to force it into the space of a shorter piece when it clearly was a novel.

But at the same time, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing when it came to writing a novel.

I hadn’t planned ahead, I hadn’t done any research, I hadn’t plotted out the story at all or developed any of the characters or given a single second of thought to the magnitude of writing a whole entire novel.

You have to understand, I’m a planner! I like to be prepared. But this story came out of left field, and before I could really grasp what was happening, I was writing a novel.

So… I rolled with it and wrote a novel. And honestly, that was the best thing that could’ve happened.

Here are my key takeaways from accidentally learning to write a novel so you can implement them, too.

There’s A Time And Place For Planning

And I happen to think it comes after your first draft is complete.

I know some people disagree with this and won’t start a project unless it’s thoroughly researched and outlined first. If that’s your jam, you do you, boo.

I’m not here to tell you to fix what isn’t broken.

But if you’re working on your first book and planning ahead is stifling your creativity, remember that your first draft is where you’re learning the story and figuring everything out.

If you want to throw your outline in the trash and wing it for draft #1, DO IT.

Planning ahead is not always the best way to write a book. Sometimes you have to let your writer instincts run the show, especially with a new story.

You Can Revise EVERYTHING Later

This is now one of my writing mantras, but I didn’t come to fully understand it until I was writing a novel and had no idea if I was doing anything right.

Not only is this true, but it’s also a way to let go of perfectionism and just write.

So many people get caught up worrying if they’re doing it right (hello!) or just making a mess. You know what? You can’t really assess that until you’re done writing.

And then once you have a completed draft in front of you, you can revise everything.

I love reminding myself that I can fix anything in revision, too. Plot holes will get patched up later, characters will be fleshed out more thoroughly, typos will be corrected.

There’s no reason to get hung up on getting it “right” on your first pass of a story. Just get it written and deal with the piece as a whole later when you revise.

Don’t Think Big Picture Too Much

When you think big picture while writing a novel (or any large project), you’re bound to get overwhelmed by how much goes into it.

I only think “big picture” with my projects in terms of story arc and hitting certain emotional markers.

Otherwise, my focus is always on writing one scene at a time.

A novel is just a series of scenes tacked together, after all.

So focus on one at a time and make it as strong as possible while you’re focusing on it. Then, move on to the next scene. And the next.

You can worry later about the order of your scenes or if each one works. But when you’re writing, think as small-scale as possible.

Stay on the ground, rooted in the action of each scene rather than going aerial and trying to make sense of the whole landscape before the story is complete. 

You’ll know when it’s time to take a step back and look at your story from a wider perspective. Until then, don’t worry about it. Just focus on the individual pieces that will form the larger story.

It’s OK To Not Know What You’re Doing

I own a lot of books on writing. I have an MFA and I’ve taken a good amount of writing courses separate from my academic experience.

And you know what? I still don’t know what I’m doing. I have a feeling you don’t, either.

There’s nothing wrong with that because honestly? That’s just pretty much how writing goes.

You can study the craft and read obsessively and dedicate yourself to becoming as good a writer as possible, and still have no idea what you’re doing.

So when you undertake writing a novel, know that it’s ok if you feel completely lost most of the time.

You can learn anything craft-wise that you need to learn while you’re writing, but you can’t fully know your project until it’s done.

So keep writing even when you feel overwhelmed by uncertainty. If you think you don’t know what you’re doing, that means you’re doing just fine.

Have you ever written a book? Do you hope to write one? Tell me about it in the comments!