Why Write Novels?

So you want to write the breakaway bestseller that wins you movie rights and a new way of living. Stop. Breathe.

Novels, I know, aren't easy to write. It's incredibly hard. Feature writing is easy compared to novel writing. You need a villain who's realistic ... a hero that can be related to ... a story of three acts ... a rising tension ... and length, a length of 80,000 words or more. There are infinite problems for novel writing, making it the work of a genius more than someone trying to make money.

Yet many keep writing them. Why?

It's an art form unto itself, a point where you're not in this for the money. There are few, "Novelist wanted" jobs on any list, Craigs List or "Novel Writing Jobs." It's an art, therefore it doesn't always pay.

Can it be a Career?

Many would love to be novel writers for a living, while some would hate it. There is a incredible pressure I believe many of us put on ourselves: to finish the story, to sell the novel, to get it on the bestseller list, to have fun later ...

Enjoy Yourself:

Enjoy yourself today. It can be a career, yes, but that's about a million to one odds. Yet some of us keep writing novels. Novels continue getting published, and artists keep having fun, and publishers still have a need for good writers. When a good writer comes to town, he says he's beyond money. When a real artist comes to town, he opens an empty wallet.

Don't Sell Yourself Short:

But, this isn't a job. It's an art which takes time to hone. Some of the very best novelists weren't published in their lifetime; some talented writers didn't begin writing until they were past 30 (Henry James); some sold their novels for record high rates (Stephen King) while others were rejected by several publishers before a small advance (J.K. Rowling). You can sell a novel, it happens. First you must sit and start thinking creatively, forming a story not just on the page but in your mind.

Sit:

Sitting down is the number one fear for many novelists. They can do something else, the old story goes-go for a walk, mow the lawn. You have to sit down every day and create. In a great book, "Emotional Structure," screenwriter Peter Dunne said-you're only a writer on the days you write. It can be five words, presto, you're a writer. I argue that you have to sit down for an hour writing something, and if you take weekends off, you're human. Novel writing is something that goes away, so you must keep at it.

Write:

Write the novel not on the assumption it will sell; just write; writing opens doors.

Edit:

Editing is a job. Some novelists spend years editing their masterpieces. It's best, and this is a cliché by now, to write something and then stash it away. Create something new. Yet, even Hemingway said the first draft ought to be poor; that's your first go, after all; you can edit a book into the ground, or create something quite sellable.

Then Sell:

Then, after you write and edit the novel, think about selling it. Again, this isn't the dream career. You will rarely work a mere 10 hours in a week, then make a million dollars. If you work 10 hours a week, while also doing a job, and do both for a year, you're already an artist, probably a novelist.