By Dani Pettrey
Just like there are
various stages or steps in a romantic relationship, there are stages and steps
in the writing journey. Steps we can all reflect on and learn from. So what
step comes first? Also known as ‘the initial spark’ comes:
The Attraction Phase: You begin to think ‘maybe I’ll write a novel
or I have a story idea.’ This is what I like to call the daydream
phase. You… flirt with the idea of writing a novel or a particular
story and thoughts like ‘Should I do this? Can I write a novel? What am I
getting myself into?’ run through your head.
You hear quotes like:“There’s
nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at the [computer] and open a vein.”
~Earnest Hemingway
“One must be a little
crazy to write a good novel.”
~John Gardner
~John Gardner
And you wonder if it’s
worth it. However, at the same time as Beatrix Potter says:
“There is something
delicious about writing the first words of the story. You never know quite
where they’ll take you.”
If you’re a writer, even
if you’ve never written a word yet, you will be pulled to it. The story idea
will grab hold of you and not let go. Then the question becomes whether you
will answer the call. You decide you are intrigued, you like
the idea. It won’t leave your mind, so you go on to the second step.
The First Date: This is where you start
writing, using any variety of methods. One thing I’ve learned as a writer and
from my writer friends is that there is no one right way to write a novel. God
made us all unique and therefore we all write uniquely. You take the advice
that resonates with you and you run with that, ignoring the rest. God has His
own journey laid out for you and yours will be like no one else’s, so there’s
absolutely no need to compare.
A few fantastic quotes
for this stage are: “First drafts are for learning what your story is
about.” ~Bernard Malamud.
“The only writer you
should compare yourself to is the writer you were yesterday.” ~David Schlosser.
Then you move into the
third step or phase.
The Second Date: This is where you
really begin digging into your story. Perhaps you scope out available resources
(books on craft, writing organizations, and writer groups), but in doing so
takes a huge leap of faith. Announcing you’re writing a book can be scary
because it lets the world in on your private story and many writers feel
nervous sharing their desire to write a book. Hopefully you have wonderfully
supportive response. But you do have a choice to make—will you turn away,
decide it’s not worth the effort or will you move into phase four?
Make A Commitment: This is where you decide you are a writer. It
doesn’t matter if you aren’t published yet. You are a writer
all the same. A writer is, simply put, someone who writes.
By making the
commitment, it means you’re going to get serious. You set aside regular,
consistent time to write. And, you are going to not only write, but you are
going to finish a novel.
"The hardest part
of writing a novel is finishing it.”~Ernest Hemingway.
“Be ruthless about
protecting writing days, i.e., do not cave in to endless requests to have
‘essential’ and ‘long overdue’ meetings on those days. The funny thing is that,
although writing has been my actual job for several years now, I still seem to
have to fight for time in which to do it. Some people do not seem to grasp that
I still have to sit down in peace and write the books, apparently believing
that they pop up like mushrooms without my connivance. I must therefore guard
the time allotted to writing as a Hungarian Horntail guards its firstborn egg.” ~JK Rowling
So, you continue on. You
build your relationship with your novel, you get to know your characters, they
come to live inside your head. You write on days you don’t feel like it. These
types of days are often the most important days to write. You keep at it and
hours, days, weeks, months, possibly years later it happens you’re married to
it. You’ve finished your novel. You time the end and you’re done…almost.
Next come the revisions
and editing.
Pregnancy or Labor Stage:This is where the really hard work comes in.
This is where you hone your craft. You look at word choice, you look at
description, you pay attention to the tiniest details while keeping a watchful
eye on the big picture.
As Stephen King says:“When
you write a book, you spend day after day scanning and identifying the trees.
When you’re done, you have to step back and look at the forest.”
And then, finally
your novel is finished, polished and ready to go out into the world.
The Birth Phase:To quickly sum up this
entire process succinctly there is a 5 Rule Quote I love, especially statement
#5. It’s completely worth it. I love this quote because it fully
expresses the beauty and power of story. Two quotes I love that capture this
perfectly are:
“You can make anything
by writing.” ~ C.S. Lewis
“Fantasy is a necessary
ingredient in living.” ~Dr. Seuss
The doctor is right. We
need the power of story because it transports readers to seeing through another’s
eyes, moving them to another place and time. Anything is possible through
story, and it all starts with your God-given imagination. If you’ve always
wanted to write a novel or write your second one, or fifteenth, follow these
Romance Steps to get you to the best words in the world--and the often the
hardest—The End.
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Praised by New York Times best-selling
author Dee Henderson as “a name to look for in romantic suspense,” Dani Pettrey
has written eight novels, which have sold more than 300,000 copies. Dani
combines the page-turning adrenaline of a thriller with the chemistry and
happy-ever-after of a romance novel. Her novels stand out for their “wicked
pace, snappy dialogue, and likable characters” (Publishers Weekly),
“gripping storyline[s],” (RT Book Reviews), and “sizzling undercurrent
of romance” (USA Today). Dani’s adventure-focused Alaskan Courage series
climbed the CBA best-seller lists, with Submerged staying in
the top twenty for five consecutive months. The five-book series also won
multiple awards, including the Daphne du Maurier Award, two HOLT Medallions,
and Christian Retailing’s Best Award, among others. She turns her attention to
crime and law enforcement in her home state of Maryland in her new Chesapeake
Courage series, starting with Cold Shot, which Library
Journal called, “a harrowing and thrilling ride.” For more information
about her novels, visit danipettrey.com.
