Writing a book - the secret

I sometimes imagine all the unfinished novels in drawers. All the characters who will never finish their journeys; the stories that will never draw to an end.

Perhaps that in itself could be the starting point for a story. (Just an idea.) But why is it that so many people start out on their first novel with such enthusiasm, put so much effort and time into it, and then …?

They lose momentum. They lose confidence in their abilities, or in their work. It could be the idea isn’t thought through, so they lose direction. And some people are simply not prepared for the loneliness, the agony and slog.

Gene Fowler, an American journalist and author, once said: “Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.”

You’ve probably heard it a million times, but it’s still one of my favourites largely, I suppose, because people who have never tried writing a book do sometimes think there’s no great effort involved. “Easier than a real job, hey, nudge, nudge …?” That’s the attitude.

The other day a friend of mine sat next to a doctor on a plane. “What do you do?” he asked.

“I’m a writer,” she said.

“That’s nice. I’m going to do a bit of that when I don’t have to work anymore.”

Only later, she realised she should have added: “Oh yes, It’s nice to have a hobby. I’ve often considered dabbling in brain surgery when I retire.”

Yes it’s true, not everyone can write. But mostly, it’s because they can’t expend the effort. They can’t keep at it,  wrestle their way through what can be months or even years to produce a publishable work. They believe they can “dabble” in it, when there’s nothing more pressing to do.

The most important job of the real writer is … to keep writing. I once heard that Ken Follett likes to declare: “The only difference between me and everyone else out there is discipline.”

I’m told that he sets himself a specific number of words to write every day. He begins at 8.30am and writes consistently till 3.30pm, when he rewards himself with a glass of champagne.

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