Karen Collum">Australian Children's Author

Image: Evgeni Dinev, freedigitalphotos.net

I’m just a few weeks into my Year of the Novel course and I’m at the point where I’m ready to start writing. I think. I hope. Maybe. Possibly. On second thoughts, maybe not. I’ve got my story plotted, I’m really excited by my characters and the journey they’re about to go on and I’ve begun to inhabit the mind of my POV character and see the world through his eyes. I’ve done some basic research into athletics – my main character is a sprinter – and I’ve got a handle on the tone and emotional climate of the story. I’m thinking about my story all the time and find myself wandering off into my created world on a regular basis. I’m craving the time and space to write and am making all the right noises about about wanting to start. I’m standing on the precipice of my new, exciting story, but there’s just one problem… I don’t want to start.

This probably sounds strange to anyone who hasn’t written a novel before, but it’s the truth. It doesn’t happen to me when writing picture books or junior novels with just a few thousand words, but put me on the edge of a cliff looking down into the abyss of an 90,000 word novel and I freeze. Someone is going to have to push me off the ledge. The truth is, I could have already started writing my novel. Although I’m a busy stay-at-home mum with four kids under the age of 6 and it’s school holidays and we’ve just moved and we went away last week and…and..and… if I’d really wanted to, I could already have begun my novel and be well underway. So why haven’t I? There are quite a few reasons, actually. Funnily enough, there’s only one solution.

Reason #1: I’m not ready to start writing yet. I need to plot/research/pre-write some more.

Solution: Write anyway. You’ve got the plot and character arcs sorted, you know the heart of your story, so just write. Sure, there will be gaps along the way, but you can come back to those later. This is not an exercise in perfection. Don’t worry about getting it right, worry about getting it down. Just write.

Reason #2: My plot is so exciting and captivating and emotionally real in my head. I’m terrified that once I start writing it, some of the magic will be lost.

Solution: Write anyway. If the story is really that great it’s going to get even better as your write your way into the hearts and minds of your characters. If it falls flat, maybe it wasn’t such a great premise to begin with. Either way, you’re not going to know until you, you know, get some words on a page. So write already!

Reason #3: I’ve written a couple of full-length novels before and I know how much hard work lies in front of me. I can see the characters on a giant movie screen in my head, but I know how long it takes to write down what I’m seeing. It’s laborious and hard and long and at times, frustrating. Once I start, I’m committed to seeing it through (I may be a procrastinator but I’m not a quitter :P ). I don’t know if I’ve got the stamina/energy/means to see it through.

Solution: Write anyway. If you want to be a writer then you’ve got to write, simple as that. Start with your first scene and remember what you tell everyone else: “Write your way to The End.” Yes, it’s going to be hard. Yes, it requires stamina. Yes, it requires commitment. Since when have you been scared of hard work? Break it down into chunks. Write it one sentence, one paragraph, one scene, one chapter at a time. For goodness sake’s, woman, JUST WRITE!

Reason #4: I’m scared. I’m scared that my novel is going to be terrible/great. I’m scared it will bore me/consume me. I’m scared it will be a miserable failure/be the best thing I’ve ever written.

Solution: Write anyway. There will be moments where you love your story, moments when you hate your story, but until you write it, THERE IS NO STORY! Don’t think too far ahead. You’re a looooooooooong way away from a finished product yet. Get your first draft done, capture the soul of your story and be prepared to leave your own heart on the page. You can never fail if you’re prepared to be honest and vulnerable. Now stop blogging and START WRITING!

It’s rather simple really, isn’t it? Guess I’d better take my own advice and finish up this post. I do believe there’s a YA novel calling my name. By next Sunday, I’m going to be posting my word count. It’s up to you guys to keep me honest and give me that much needed nudge. Writing this blog may have just pushed me over the edge, in the very best of ways. 1, 2, 3….JUMP! It’s time to write :)