Ever since I started writing my novel, I have been asking myself this question. How do I novel? I know how to put words on the page and I know how to create characters and plot, to some extent. But how do I put all of that together in a very lengthy document and somehow magically get it published and in stores? I’d written short stories before, but as soon as I started, I knew this would be different. Short stories are, well, shorter than novels, which means this time, I had to create a more elaborate plot and deeper characters. That was something I had never done before, but I found the challenge entertaining and enthralling.
Now that I am further into the process, though, there are more challenges that have come up. I found that I didn’t know enough to overcome these challenges. I still have a pretty long way to go until my untitled novel is actually publishable, but my anxious and excited mind is eager to get started on the publishing process. That is partially because I did not know when in the writing process I needed to get started with looking at publishing options. I am a complete amateur in this regard. My dad published an amazing YA/Tween novel titled October Skies (no, not the rocket movie) about 7 years ago, which he chose to self-publish. This worked out great for his purpose, but, after looking at my options, Traditional publishing looks like the way to go for me.
I’m trying, now, to immerse myself into the “author mindset” and do some research, which includes talking to a few published authors I have run into over the years. Luckily, I have been able to get quite a bit of advice and I can’t wait to start this process. But first, I must revise, revise, revise, letting my perfectionist nature take over just a tiny bit in order to finalize all my hard and rewarding work.
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