write a book

Although I have written the entire first draft of my first novel I am not going to mark this goal off the list. There is so much more work to be done on this goal. My first draft is a mess, I’m sure, with missing or misplaced punctuation, poor word choice, lack of description and cardboard characters. In the subsequent drafts I will clean all of that up and attempt to perfect the story. This first attempt may end up in the drawer for no one to see but myself, but it will have been a great learning experience. However, I am still hopefull that this story will go out into the world and be read by many who will enjoy losing themselves in another world, a world created by me…a writer.

Well, I’ve written the first draft of my first novel. 84,000+ words of suspense/thriller done. I did that in 34 days. Now I have to read through it and rewrite it and go through the whole revision process. At the moment, I’m reading a few books on revision and first novels while I let the story cool off. I’m still taking down notes of things that I think I need to change in the next draft and I think I’ll have to add some more scenes and get rid of others. I’m looking forward to revision. I hear that’s where the real story comes out and the subplots show through. Little things will come to mind that connect different parts of the story in ways I hadn’t intended but enhance the story.

I recently spent two weeks in the Philippines serving on a medical mission during which I assisted in many free surgical procedures. From the time I sat at the first boarding gate to the time I landed once more in my home state I kept a journal of all goings-on. All in all there are 135 and a half handwritten pages of experiences, thoughts and narratives. I tried to keep my focus on the journey and restrain myself from writting thoughts not pertaining to the mission and surrounding country. If I were to type all of this into a word document it would roughly translate into about 100 or so pages. Purposefully, I have yet to add any afterthoughts about my journey. Once I have everything in order and typed up would it be noteworthy enough to be called a book? Perhaps I am stretching the potential reality of it, but I have not given up on the dream. I’m not sure if my work would be notable enough to be placed in a bookstore in the non-fiction section or even the travel section.

So it’s been a while since I’ve written anything about this goal, or worked on my story. I still have the urge to write, all the time. But my family, school (again), and work have taken presedence over my writing on this story. I have continued to write poetry, though. I am on a break from school at the moment. I really should pull out my story and work on it when I have the time…motivation to get it out is not the problem. I still feel as though I need to know that I have consistant time, and enough time to sit down and really work on it. I will, no doubt, have to sit down and reread the entire story that I have so far, since it has been so long since I’ve worked on it. I need to refresh it in my mind and make sure that what I have thus far is at least able to be shaped in the next draft.

For quite some time I had put off working on my story because I wanted to be able to focus on what I was writing whole-heartedly and also because I needed to pay attention to what I was doing in school. I have graduated now and started working in my new capacity. I have also started writing on my story again. Although, I have taken a new approach to my story and characters. I believe that this new view is helping me and that I can now relate to it more than I could before. There have been several major turns in my life in just the past few months. I have decided to make those changes in my life express themselves in my story. I belive that everything will work out for the best. Perhaps this will be the story I actually finish.

I have graduated from Nursing school, taken that state exam, and now I am a Registered Nurse. Now that that’s out of the way I have a lot of material I can add into my existing and future stories. I just need to take the time to sit down and write. I am almost finished with Stephen King’s book he wrote “On Writing.” It motivates me every time I read it( I believe this is the 3rd or 4th time I’ve read it). I just have to get back into the swing of things.

I haven’t written in a while now, but I think about it every day. I am in Nursing School right now and it takes most of my time. I have a family and another little one on the way. Oh yeah, and I work full time, too. But the passion is still there as strong as it ever was. The title of this entry is referring to all of the things that I am learning in school and that so much of it can be useful in my writing. My goal is to teach the reader as they lose themselves in my stories. I now have many more resources that I can use and know how to use them. I believe this college experience will enrich my writing indefinately.

Just to let you all know, I did indeed go home and write on my story yesterday. I cut out the last four pages that I had written the last time. They just weren’t taking the story in the direction I wanted it to go and I was writing myself into a corner. Better to cut out four pages than fourty. I wrote a little over three hundred words yesterday. I have very little time to write but I think I did good with what time I had. I will write again today and see what happens with the new direction of my story.

I need to change my mindset when it comes to how much time I have to write each day. If I have 30 minutes to spare I shouldn’t think “I only have half an hour, that’s not enough time to write anything.” I should think “I have 30 minutes to write! I can do something with that.” I just need to knock myself in the head and push myself to write. Motivation isn’t the problem. Time may not even be the problem. Perhaps fear is the problem. Maybe I’m afraid that since I haven’t worked on my story in so long that I have forgotten most of the characters and the plot and things just won’t flow along in the story. I don’t want to mess it up and change everything and have to start all over again. There are some things that I would like to change, and most likely will change in the revising phase. Major overhauling may be in order. But if it will make the story better then I’ll do it. My goal today is to write for some length of time. Any length of time. I would do it right now, but I’m at school. Darn it! And I don’t remember exactly where I leaft off. Double darn it!

Hello all,
I do still have the urge to write, every day. But my time
is very precious and hard to find. Most is spent before it
comes. I have been in nursing school since last August and
enjoying it very much, even though it takes up quite a bit of
time. I still think of story ideas and think about the story I
have been working on for more than a year now. I have somewhere
in the ballpark of 20,000 words now. I have not worked on it
for a while. That should, hopefully, give me a fresh, new look
at it when I can pick it up again. I have a break in my
schooling coming up in May. I will be going to New England to
visit with some family. I am sure this will bring about new
ideas. I will try to remember to take my story with me so I can
add little things here and there. My character may even end up
taking a trip to New England along with me. I think that could
provide a nice twist to the storyline. I love to visit my
inspiration in the stationary isle at the local Wal-mart and
other stores. I still gaze upon my writing books and flip
through them with fond memories and a burning inside. I am
really looking forward to getting back in that saddle and
grabbing the reins. Is that too corny? I just wanted to fill
all of you in on my goings on. I may have to pull out my story when I get home today and look at what I have acomplished thus
far on the “new” version of my story. See you all soon.