Lessons I Learned from Writing My First Book

I was thinking of writing a book for years – the time was never right, jobs to do, people to see, places to go. To-do lists. Work. Obligations. Children. Courses. Celebrations. Housework. There was always something that got in the way. It’s called life. I do believe though, that there is never an ideal time to write a book. Didn’t J K Rowling write in cafes when she had a new baby? Lots of people – focused, motivated, disciplined people – get time to write between the jobs – in the car waiting to collect kids from school, on the morning commute, late at night or early morning. Fair play to them. Maybe we just get in our own way. 

Whichever – it took me a long time and when eventually, at a creative writing workshop on beautiful Sherkin Island, West Cork, I wrote my first page, well, I was off. Not like a greyhound out of the traps exactly but it was a start and starting is the very hardest part. Or was, for me, anyway. Once you start something it gathers a momentum in a way a blank page never can. If you’re a reader who wants to be a writer remember this: it’s never too late; hold onto your dream; get your first page written.

Now that my two books are out in the world, I want to share three  takeaways from the journey—both the joys and the frustrations.

1. One Step at a Time

Don’t think about the marathon task of completing a book from start to finish. Take it one step – one scene, one chapter – at a time. What was very helpful to me was the analogy of the car journey: if you’re travelling from Cork to Dublin at night you don’t need your headlights to show you the entire 250 kilometres ahead. You’ll only see 100 metres of the road but that will be enough to complete your journey safely. I first heard that from author Anthony Glavin in a Listowel Writers workshop, and it’s been a blessing. 

Yes, you should have an overview of the story sketched out but once you do, focus on your chapter – I prefer to call them scenes – write it, shape it til you’re reasonably happy with it (editing and rewriting comes later once you’re finished your first draft) and then move on and focus on your next scene. Be there in the scene yourself, notice everything, sit there in the background with the characters and do not think about future scenes. How do you eat an elephant: one bite at a time.

2. You Can’t Edit a Blank Page

Writing something, anything, is better than nothing. You can’t edit a blank page. Some days the words and ideas will flow, other days not so much.  I know this sounds a bit mad but when I was stuck for a plot thread or a character (and I was, many, many times) I’d sit back and write a letter to the character asking her/him things like, what do you think you’ll do now? and, how are you feeling, are you afraid, are you lonely? and if you are, what are you afraid of . . .? And then I’d change my pen and write a letter back from the character explaining to Eleanor where I was at and thanking her for asking. Other times I’d write a diary entry as the character jotting down my thoughts and feelings. This idea of playing around with letters and diary entries with the characters really gets the creative juices flowing again and gets you physically writing too. And this process creates depth in your characters as you get to ‘hear’ what’s going on in their heads. Characters have a way of coming alive if you give them space to grow and communicate with them. And it’s fun.

What I found incredible too was that when I went to a spinning class or some enjoyable but repetitive activity, the solutions to the knotty issues where I was stuck would appear in my mind’s eye and I’d rush home to write the new ideas down before I forgot all the details!

3. Writing a Book Changes You

It’s more than just finishing a project. Writing my first book taught me about persistence, frustration, humility and the importance of stubbornness and discipline. Moreover, it showed me what I’m capable of when I put my mind to something. I never thought I could do it; I thought the mountain was too hard to climb; I didn’t think I was good enough; I thought, why bother? who cares? don’t be a mug, you’re wasting your time. So, getting it finished, published and read by readers who said they laughed and cried, who told me they loved the characters and the drama and the hope and loss and love in the story – well, you can’t beat that feeling!

Anor    

Final Thoughts

If you’re working on your first book, your dream/goal — your first anything —know this: it’s okay to struggle, to weep, to bang your fist on the desk in frustration. It’s okay to learn as you go. Every goal-setter starts somewhere, and the first book – the first anything – is full of lessons that no blog post or course can teach you in advance.

And trust me, crossing that finish line? Absolutely worth it.

Have you written your first book yet? Have you completed a first attempt in any area? What lessons did you learn along the way? I’d love to hear your story in the comments.