Your first published novel?

ShannonC_77 · Feb 7, 2007

I'm just curious, how many of you guys actually published your first novel that you wrote (or completed I suppose I should say)?

I'm trying to get done my first one and at the same time have been reading various articles on writing. It seems I have a lot to learn about writing fiction still so I'm wondering if it's best to just take time to learn 'how to write' before actually attempting a novel?

I don't have any formal education in writing, I started by doing freelance non-fiction articles (on fitness mostly) but now I'd like to try getting into fiction more as well.

How did you all learn what works and what doesn't when it comes to actually successfully getting a novel published?

scarletpeaches · Feb 7, 2007

How did I learn what works? By writing at the same time I read all those 'how to' books. Theory AND practical.

However, I'm not published. Yet. And of everything I've ever written, that first piece of work is the least likely to ever be published. If it is, it'll be a resurrection on a par with Lazarus.

But every so often I pull the folder off the shelf and scribble over it with my red pencil for old time's sake.

Willowmound · Feb 7, 2007

There is no better way to learn how to write a novel, than actually writing a novel. Don't think about whether you'll get it published. Write it as well as you can, send it out and start writing the next one.

maestrowork · Feb 7, 2007

I did. Yup, it was my first completed novel -- I had attempted one before but I stopped at about 15-20,000 words. It wasn't very good.

I didn't really have formal training either. My educational and professional background was in computer and information technologies. I did take some creative writing classes when I first thought about writing novels. That was ten years ago.

I think reading novels really helped me understand what worked (at least for me) and what didn't. There were a few books in my genre (mainstream/contemporary) that I absolutely adored and I analyzed them. The creative writing classes also helped me understand the concepts and structures behind different forms of fiction writing (POV, hero's arc, plot, dialogue, conflict, etc.)

It helped that I had the idea of the story in my head since 1999.

When I actually sat down and wrote the thing (in 2001), I proceeded as I would with any IT project I'd done -- I had a plan, an end goal and a timeline. At the end of the project, I revised the manuscript a few times and sent the "final" draft to a few beta readers. They were the ones who were going to tell me if I even remotely had a chance, or if I needed to do it all over again. Fortunately, thing worked out.

scarletpeaches · Feb 7, 2007

maestrowork said:
I did. Yup, it was my first completed novel...

I try so hard to hate you, but dammit, I just can't!

sfecphory · Feb 7, 2007

Learning by doing is an age-old practice. Trust yourself enough to try, and don't be afraid of failure. Good luck!

icerose · Feb 7, 2007

Mine was through Publish America. Yep, real proud of that one...

(This post is full of sarcasm, just in case you couldn't tell.)

CheshireCat · Feb 7, 2007

I did. I'd made a couple of abortive attempts at a novel, not getting more than a chapter or two, but then an idea popped into my head, a scene, then characters, and before I knew it I was writing a book. It was genre commercial fiction, easier to sell unagented in those days, so that's what I did.

It was afterwards, when I knew I wanted to write for a living, that I read a few books on how to write well. And they were so contradictory that I figured out pretty quickly that "writing well" was a highly subjective thing, and that my best bet was to just keep on writing what I wanted to write, stuff that interested and intrigued me.

It worked out well for me.

Chumplet · Feb 7, 2007

I am THIS close with my first. I'm being very optimistic. I also have a second complete MS in the wings. I'll keep ya posted.

Marlys · Feb 7, 2007

Yeah, I did too.

I learned through decades of reading, at least a book a day.

giftedrhonda · Feb 7, 2007

Mine was, too - it was electronically published through a nice e-pub.

James D. Macdonald · Feb 7, 2007

Nothing teaches you how to write a novel better than writing one.

TheGaffer · Feb 7, 2007

Nothing teaches you how to write a novel better than writing one.

Eating does.

alaskamatt17 · Feb 7, 2007

TheGaffer said:
Eating does.

I know plenty of people who have eaten without learning how to write a novel. Very few people who have written a novel have failed to learn how to write a novel.

I'd still recommend that most people who want to learn how to write a novel eat on occasion. I hear it helps with the whole staying alive business.

TheGaffer · Feb 7, 2007

I meant eating novels.

alaskamatt17 · Feb 7, 2007

Oh, I see. Yeah, I've heard that works too.

rugcat · Feb 7, 2007

I finished and published my first novel attempt, a mystery, but that was quite a while ago when it was easier.

However, before I wrote my first novel I did write a non-fiction book that my agent couldn't place. But one of the publishers said, we don't think this book will sell, but we do like your writing, so if you ever decide to do fiction...

So I did.

ErylRavenwell · Feb 7, 2007

Willowmound said:
There is no better way to learn how to write a novel, than actually writing a novel. Don't think about whether you'll get it published. Write it as well as you can, send it out and start writing the next one.

Amen to that. My first project was truly pathetic and will never get published (I wouldn't dare send anyone that crap). But after finishing it, I was so much a better writer. In fact, good enough to recognise the work was utter crap.

eskkar · Feb 7, 2007

ShannonC_77 said:
I'm just curious, how many of you guys actually published your first novel that you wrote (or completed I suppose I should say)?

I did, but the process still took 7 years from start to publication. And countless rewrites and revisions. I finished a second novel during that time, and am now half-way through a third.

Each one teaches something new, so I guess I'd recommend that you just keep writing and accepting feedback and critique from writers whose work you respect. They're the best judge of the quality of your material, and can give you the best help.

Good luck,
eskkar

Willowmound · Feb 7, 2007

Question to the people who got their first novel published: How old were you?

I wrote my first novel when I was 14. Needless to say, it wasn't very good. Nor were my four next ones (ages 15 - 20). Then I stopped writing for seven years.

alaskamatt17 · Feb 7, 2007

Willowmound said:
Question to the people who got their first novel published: How old were you?

I wrote my first novel when I was 14. Needless to say, it wasn't very good. Nor were my four next ones (ages 15 - 20). Then I stopped writing for seven years.

I'm glad you're back at it now. I swear, for a while I was so close to doing the same thing. I wrote my first book at 14, and last year I almost stopped writing. I'm 21 now, and still writing, though not as fervently as I used to.

Willowmound · Feb 7, 2007

Keep it up. After seven years, I had to re-learn everything. That was a lot of unnecessary work. I'm now better than I ever was then, but when I first got back into it, I was a helluva lot worse.

johnzakour · Feb 7, 2007

I published the first novel I wrote, though it was the second one published. The second one written was also published. So far, I've only had one novel I've actually finished that I have not sold. I'm attempting to turn that one into a comic book series.

ShannonC_77 · Feb 7, 2007

Thanks so much for all your replies! That's really inspirational and motivates me to keep going. I guess I've just been doing reading and then some of what I read doesn't quite match with what I've wrote so it seems frustrating to have written the first part, then read what it should be - if that makes sense.

But true enough, practice makes perfect so I will truck on. I have quite a few ideas for different novels I'd like to do so with any luck regardless of how the first turns out I will just carry on and get better with each one.

CaitlinK18 · Feb 8, 2007

I sold the first novel I completed. I'm on #3 now, and I'm realizing I still have a lot to learn.

Your first published novel?

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