How I Got There

Since there is nothing to do for the next 48 hours until they confirm my query but... wait... I figured I would talk a little about how I completed my novels in the first place. I've written five, which is a pretty big accomplishment now that I think about it. Even though I'm not published (yet), I think five novels under my belt gives me enough credibility to sketch out some basic guidelines...

Rae D. Magdon's Ten Tips for Actually Finishing the Novel in your Desk

1. Sit down and write. It doesn't matter if it's bad. It doesn't matter if it doesn't make sense. It doesn't matter if you "could make it better". That is what editing is for. Set aside half of your time to write, and (at absolute most) half to edit.

A useful website for this: http://writeordie.drwicked.com/ The screen turns red and you die if you don't keep tapping the keys.


2. You don't have to write the novel in chronological order. If you are absolutely, positively stuck, write a scene from the middle of the book, or even the end. You can fill in the blank spots later.


3. You don't have to write all day, but you should write every day. Just one or two paragraphs a day can really add up.


4. Recycle old material. Remember that bad story you wrote back in middle school? Use some of the dialogue from it.


5. Write longhand. Write when you are about to go on an airplane ride, when you are waiting in the doctor's office, or even while you are sitting in class. Carry a small journal around in your purse (or man-bag) and write two lines whenever you have a moment.


6. Share your work. Make your lover, parents, or best friend read what you are writing. Ask them (nicely) to bug you to continue. Even though that is a little like fishing for compliments and encouragement (okay, a lot like...) it still helps. Build a support system. Publish online. You can always start with the free and easy to use www.fictionpress.net. For the lesbians out there, you can always use: www.xenafiction.net or www.academyofbards.org


7. Read good books and watch good movies. They can be very inspiring. Although I would never advise you to steal ideas outright, I might advise you to take one of the best ideas, disguise it, and hide it deep within your novel. The trick is to make their (read: your) idea so unrecognizable that it cannot be traced back to the original source.

Example: You watch a movie about a cruel king who tyrannizes his subjects. Now, take his sociopathic tendencies and make him the captain of a space vessel in a galaxy far far away... Then make him a different species. Maybe a different gender. Or even a different age. Was the mean king an old dinosaur? What if the villain was a computer-hacking child who hijacked the ship instead? You get the idea. This works with plot points, too, not just characters.

8. If you're stuck, write something else. No, I'm serious. Take ten minutes and write about a completely different idea. I was stuck on my latest novel, Mirror, Mirror, for the longest time, and I didn't get un-stuck until I started working on a different project for a little while.

9. ... but if you start something, try to finish it. Remember that rule about recycling old material? Never delete anything. You might be able to put two novels you were working on together!

10. Ignore the voice. You know which one I mean. The one that says you are wasting your time, that you can't do this, that you have no idea what you're doing. Ignore it. Turn up the music in your head (or on your computer) and just type words. That voice is lying to you.