what's the worst part of writing a novel?

[KarlaErikaCal]

For me it has to be my critical self. I can't turn the editor part of myself off while the writing part does its stuff. It's always been hard to do that. I'll have to train myself to write without any inhibitions.

So how about you?

[maestrowork]

For me, it's the isolation. I have to be self-absorbed and isolated to do my writing, but in the process, I really hate being isolated from everyone. I'm naturally a people person.

[jannawrites]

What you said, KC36, is true for me, as well. But what's hardest for me is working through my block. Forcing myself to sit down and get through those hazy areas of the WIP.

[KarlaErikaCal]

For me, it's the isolation. I have to be self-absorbed and isolated to do my writing, but in the process, I really hate being isolated from everyone. I'm naturally a people person.

Sometimes I feel like that too. I'm a bit on the shy side, but if I isolate myself from others I feel even more alone in the world than I already am. I try to work around that by writing for one hour than talking to friends or something.

Another problem I have is probably my schoolwork as a HS junior. For the past few days I've had a lot of time to write and I'm using that to my advantage. The days I have a lot of hw it kills me not to write. But I get over it.

[KarlaErikaCal]

What you said, KC36, is true for me, as well. But what's hardest for me is working through my block. Forcing myself to sit down and get through those hazy areas of the WIP.

Whenever I have writer's block I just take a break. I think of writer's block as your brain just shutting down on you because you've put it on overload by writing too much. By taking that much needed break, when I come back to it I feel rested and end up getting back on track

[HourglassMemory]

I guess it's my perfectionism. that basically makes any bit of writing a novel a bit annoying for me.
I'm constantly tweaking for me to move forward.

Another thing that could be hard is the beggining of the story.
To look at the story in its beggining.
Me, being a perfectionist, find that a "hard period".

[ChaosTitan]

For me, the worst part is when I've typed "The End." I hate leaving behind the world I've worked so hard to create, and the characters I've come to love. The fun part of exploring their lives and hardships and ultimate triumphs is over.

[DamaNegra]

For me is the actual writing process. Work. Meh. I hate working. If the stores could somehow transfer themselves from my brain to the computer, everything would be perfect.

[KarlaErikaCal]

Perfectionism is definitely tough. That's a weakness for me too. All that endless typing then deleting. Gosh it's annoying

[Elladog]

Synopsis!

[KarlaErikaCal]

Synopsis!

I find planning the novel ahead of the time helps a lot. That way you can just pull out the things you want to include without any trouble.

But if you hadn't, it really would be hard. I'll have to agree.

[GerriB]

The worst part of writing a novel is the writing part. I love creation. I love editing. Hate writing.

[caromora]

The worst part of writing a novel, for me, is writing the novel. I love and hate the actual act of writing in equal measures.

ETA: GerriB and I are on the same page, obviously. :) We posted almost at the same time.

[S.H.P.]

I haven't come across the worst part and if I ever do -- I'll quit writing.

[Memnon624]

The worst part of writing a novel, for me, is writing the novel. I love and hate the actual act of writing in equal measures.

Amen!

[KarlaErikaCal]

If I didn't love writing so much, I'd have quit ages ago. It's tough writing, but I just love going into my own little world. With my life tough enough as it is (i'm battling major depression), writing is something that I feel is my strong point. Writing and singing are two coping skills that I use a lot. It shows how much of a creative person I am.

[ORION]

Here's my take...(and maybe it's just interpretation).
There is no worst.
Each part -the writing- draft - editing- copyediting- synopsis- promotion- has its unique place in the process.
Each part requires some different aspect of the writer. A different talent if you will...
To learn to do each part well, is not without its struggles.
For me there is no qualitative love/hate of writing.
It is as necessary as breathing.
Do I sometimes produce S***?
Of course.
But it takes manure to grow great vegetables...

[Sonneillon]

Sometimes, in the process of writing a piece that otherwise flows along quite happily, I'll randomly get stuck. I know what I want to write about, I just don't know HOW to write it... sometimes I'll try four or five different ways of presenting the same scene and events, but none of them are satisfactory. I've spent a week writing and re-writing the same scene over and over. There's no appreciable REASON that this happens, as far as I can tell, I just... get stuck. Taking a break doesn't help, because when I come back, I STILL don't know how to present the sticky part. I have a 300+ page story that's been sitting idle for four years because I simply cannot unstick myself. I've abandoned it because it's fanfiction, but none the less, my failure to hash out the sticky part still irks me.

Several times, the only solution I could find was journalistic phrasing - presenting the scene as if I was writing about it for a newspaper article, short, to-the-point, and detached. If I can get past it, the rest of the writing usually goes smoothly, and sometimes if I'm lucky I can go back and edit the scene so that it fits better with the flow.

Sometimes, though, I'm just screwed.

That, for me, is the worst part of writing a novel, or anything for that matter.

[TrainofThought]

I’d say the worst part is knowing your writing flaws and struggling to overcome them. As the saying goes, “The first step is knowing,” so now I’m trying to figure out the getting. :rant: At least I have a good critique partner. :D

[donroc]

For historicals, integrating the research without telling.

[IceCreamEmpress]

For historicals, integrating the research without telling.

I have a hard time with this one, too. I love research and I get very boring and dorky about it.

[Zelenka]

I think the worst part for me is the first time I show the completed novel or part of it to someone else. Doesn't matter if it's a friend or SYW or a beta reader, soon as I hit send or hand it over, I start to get panicked, thinking that after all that work, they're going to say 'you're wasting your time, just scrap the thing'. I hate that moment. I actually find that waiting worse than when the feedback comes back and it actually is, the thing is terrible, for some reason.

As for the actual creation process, I don't really hate anything in that. I enjoy the writing, the editing (to a lesser extent) and the initial plotting especially.

[MMWyrm]

I’d say the worst part is knowing your writing flaws and struggling to overcome them.

Oh gosh yes. Not being able to write as well as what is in my mind.

Also.... getting too many ideas. I have idea upon idea, and never end up finishing anything completely (editing and polishing etc.) Bad, bad habit.

[KTC]

For me, it's finishing. I just like the process. When I'm done, so is the process.

[icerose]

For me, editing. Hands down. Love the writing, love the creating, hate hate hate the editing.

[M.P. Furo]

I hate revising. I hate it because I love it. (Strange, that's the way it is with a lot of things in my life.) I love revising so much that I am stuck on the same bit of story, no matter how much I desperately want to move on to the next bit. Recently I've managed to stop revising a little, but I still love it, and therefore, I hate it.

[RedScylla]

The worst part is the completely stupid way in which I write: non-linearly. Basically, I write everything that comes to mind, in the order it comes to me, which is rarely in chronological order. Then I spend months trying to piece all these random scenes together and make them make logical sense, because often until the fourth or fifth draft of things, my plot still tends to be fairly fluid. Maddening.

[Stew21]

Mostly what I hate is false starts.
I have a pile of not-yet-finished stories because something was off about them.
Some of them never got further than two pages. (MOST of them are that way).
That gap of time between the real, true stories is tough for me. I always wonder if there is another.

And so far...there has been. Every time.

[My-Immortal]

I used to have a lot of false starts too. Now, I try to have at least a good idea for an ending and work backwards so atleast I know where I need to go.

I love writing, but the first few pages or so of a new project -- the getting going -- is the worst part for me. Once I get going, I usually can keep going, but man, it's hard to move past those first few pages (and to fight the desire to edit them over and over and over until the 'work')...

(which is where I am right now...which is also why I'm here and not writing....which is why I'm not happy with myself right now...)

:)

[triceretops]

Like Stew21 I can't stand those 50-80 page novels I started that went nowhere. My gawd, what a waste of time, I think. I could have a completed a nice book on those partials alone. I get real guilty if I don't snag at least 10,000--12,000 words a week or much more. I'm at a slogging pace right now and copping only about 1/3 of that output. That leads to stress and guilt. I'm not getting any younger.

Editing a manuscript 6-8 times really boils my oil. It. Is. Tedious. No other way to describe that nauseous feeling of having to read/revise the same damn words, sentences and scenes over and over again.

A tremendous joy arrives when the first draft is done. Probably the highest point in my writing process--knowing that I have a terrific foundations there.

[Ervin]

Coming up with names for characters, locations, ect...
Mine always end up being crappy, after i spend a lot of time thinking them up. What helps with character names though is going on Wikipedia and looking at the most popular names by country.

[Raphee]

Working out whose POV and which voice I should write in. That gets me all mucked up.

[Inky]

Getting about 14 chapters in only to realize that I hate it all & need to rewrite the whole thing--grrrrr!

[Oddsocks]

For me, it's being aware of weaknesses in what I'm creating as I go. I know my narration is a bit too detached and that it'll be difficult for readers to bond with my characters because of that. I know I go too lightly on description, at worst leaving readers unsure of what's happening. But I also know that if I stop to go back and edit now, I'll never finish it, so I continue on, knowing that there is a massive job waiting for me in edits when I finish, and that it'll be stuff that doesn't come so naturally to me.

I may change my mind and say that editing is the worst part when I've actually finished a first draft and am up to that stage.

[caromora]

I've thought of something else I hate--never knowing if my writing is good enough. I have a *really* hard time being objective about my prose and storytelling. It might seem decent to me as I write it, but is it really? There are a lot of terrible writers who don't know how awful they are, and I'm forever worried that I'm one of them.

It's really hard to slog through a book when you're worried it's nothing but crap.

[Shweta]

Right now it's that I keep having twisted dreams of my novel and keep waking up disoriented.
I'm not trying to write this thing. It's taking me over.
Fwibble.

[JJ Cooper]

Trying to remember what I wrote 50,000 words ago.

JJ

[Enzo]

Writing the second draft.
Wondering about which bits have to be improved, and which ones have to be done away with altogether.

[young_zee]

Yes, agreed, editing, time after time...
And when it takes longer than you expected!

[CaroGirl]

The amount of time it takes. Writing a novel just takes so darn long.

[DWSTXS]

To me, the worst part is having the feeling that, on any given WIP, you're never really finished........because even though I can write 'The End', I know that I can go back and change something to make it better. Even when you're really, really finished, you still know that you can always go back and re-write it differently and change it that way...so, in effect, being a writer, means that one has started something that can never be finished, in a sense.

[Willowmound]

To not go grazy over how long it takes.

Edit: I see I'm not the only one.

[kzmiller]

For me it's definitely editing. The honeymoon is over and it's down to the grind. :Hammer:

[Prawn]

EDITing! It never ends!

[Charlie Horse]

I think I'll have to agree with the one who said I love it all. The best part of my day is when I get up in the morning and do my writing regardless of what stage I'm at or what I'm working on. The glow of the computer monitor in my darkened living room with a cup of strong coffee at my side, then marveling at how my brain starts spitting out things I never knew were there. Those are the moments I wish I could suspend in time.

[Straka]

editing, oh the horrible editing. But at the same time I like it. Editing to be is like writing it again.

[BlueLucario]

What you said, KC36, is true for me, as well. But what's hardest for me is working through my block. Forcing myself to sit down and get through those hazy areas of the WIP.


Worst part of novel writing? Distraction. You go on the computer and you go check emails forums etc. Then you realized that you wasted so much time.

[Prawn]

Editing to be me is like writing it again.

Let me add something to your sig:

"Cave ab homine unius libri" - Beware of anyone who has just one book...
unless that book is your novel.

[Soccer Mom]

Sign me up with the editing sucks crowd. I do mean the meta type, I mean that excrutiating sweep for every little comma and capital before you finally ship it off. Ugh! By that time I'm sick of the thing and just want it to be over.

[DeleyanLee]

For me it's dealing with all the people who don't think I'm doing anything when I'm writing--particularly when I'm trying to figure out a tangle in the process.

"But you can take care of this for me--it's not like you're really doing anything important with your life."

It's not as bad as it used to be but, still.... GRRRRRRRRRRR

[Prawn]

For me it's dealing with all the people who don't think I'm doing anything when I'm writing--particularly when I'm trying to figure out a tangle in the process.

"But you can take care of this for me--it's not like you're really doing anything important with your life."

It's not as bad as it used to be but, still.... GRRRRRRRRRRR


This is bad too. Whenever possible, I get up early and write for an hour. Since my family is not up yet they can't come in and ask for help with something really important.

[RedScylla]

What's up, my people? I love editing. Because once I enter "editing" mode that means I have a functional first draft done. After that, the headaches, night sweats, and generally barftacular feelings go away. I can do editing. Of course, my favorite part of refinishing furniture is the endless sanding, so I may not be quite right. :crazy:

[RJK]

I'm not as experienced as most of you, but for me, it's when I force my BIC and stare at the blank screen. There are times when nothing comes out of my head. I don't pound my forehead against the keyboard to make the words come out. I've tried that, It doesn't work.
I know that, given the chance, the right side of my brain will generate something, I just have to let it work.
I usually use the time to go back and edit previous scenes, or just read what I've written so far. Other times, I have to try some other right brain activity to get that side of my head working.
Once I've gotten past that block, it's the most pleasureable part of the writing process.

[Shadow_Ferret]

The worst part of writing the novel is the marketing aspect. The query letter and synopsis. I hate that part. I'm awful at it. I'd rather have all my teeth pulled out of my head with a needle-nosed pliers and then have all my fingernails removed the same way.

Writing and editing I enjoy.

[Moonshade]

Besides carving out time to do it--I'd have to say, Revisions!

I have no problem with getting the draft down. But when I come back to this thing I've written after several weeks of letting it cool, I find myself going cross-eyed slogging through it again. The rewriting and revising is tough, because now I have to call into question every word I've written while keeping the story intact. Ugh!

[Dragon-lady]

The WORST part was deciding that the last 25% sucked and had to be totally re-written. Ugh!!

[RedScylla]

The worst part of writing the novel is the marketing aspect. The query letter and synopsis. I hate that part. I'm awful at it. I'd rather have all my teeth pulled out of my head with a needle-nosed pliers and then have all my fingernails removed the same way.

Writing and editing I enjoy.

I'm with you, man. I could learn to live without my teeth and nails, but the querying is killing me.

[Lisa F]

I have a hard time with cover letters/query letters. I'm also with the group who fears it's never good enough. I think I spent years waisting time waiting for the "perfect idea" to write itself.

[DWSTXS]

okay everybody......I'm new here....within the past month or so.....and I know what WIP (work in progress) means, and I know MC (main character)....but what is BIC ?

sorry to ask stupid questions.....but I just do not know that abbreviation........

[Shweta]

Butt In Chair :)

Refers to the time we need to spend actually writing.

[DWSTXS]

Butt In Chair :)

Refers to the time we need to spend actually writing.


okay........well I spend all day BIC at work.....sometimes I get an idea, and I e-mail myself on my personal mail account so I won't forget........and sometimes I actually write a couple pages at work....later I cut and paste them into my WIP.........but today was diff.....today I got NWD (no work done)........and it was such a bad day that I refuse to FG (feel guilty) over it.........

[TurkeyLurkey]

Editing.... HATE IT!

[Alexandra Little]

The "it's not finished" part.

And realizing your last chapter is really good, but the first isn't.

And realizing there's a few holes in your plot.

[Chasing the Horizon]

Rewriting. Hate it with such a passion I've gone to rather extreme lengths to avoid it. I have a thousand ideas I haven't even gotten around to trying yet, damn it! Why am I sitting here writing something I've already written once???? (On the up side, I have a good motivation to get everything right the first time)

Writing the first chapter of a stand alone or first-in-series novel. I always, always screw it up horribly, and end up rewriting it a thousand times. If I wrote in chronological order, I'd still be trying to get the first chapter of my first novel right (I actually am still trying to get that chapter right, but I've written the rest of that book and two others in the mean time, lol). For some reason the first chapters of sequels (even independent sequels) always turn out fine on the first try.

I hate writing love scenes too. The word choice is so agonizing. I never feel like I get them good enough either. (I usually really like what I write and think it's good.)

[Esopha]

Editing.... HATE IT!

YES.

I hate hate hate hate hate editing. I hate it I hate it.

And then, when I get something right and I feel it in my gut... I suddenly love editing.

I wish I could get everything right in the first draft.

[Straka]

Editing is kind of like Marlon Brando at the end of Apocalypse Now, "The horror... the horror."

It’s a dirty job and unfortunately I'm the best person to edit my work. No one else would deal with that rubbish. :-)

[Sonneillon]

So many people hate editing. I love it. I get true, sadistic pleasure out of taking a bright red pen to anyone's work, even mine. It makes me feel slightly justified for having let my stepfather, who's a professor, turn me into a grammar nazi.

[IdiotsRUs]

Worst part - the first twenty pages or so, when I'm still getting to know the characters etc. Words are dragged out of me with the same amount of pain as pulling a fish hook through my skin.


Best bit - editting. I love it, in fact I find it a great way to procrastinate about writing the first twenty pages of the other one. I've got the story down, now all I need to do is tweak and tinker, tinker, tinker all day. Bliss.

[Susan Lanigan]

Being on a roll and writing 1,000 words in 50 min.

Realising the following day that those 1,000 words are part of 3,000 or so that constitute a Plot Hole, and will therefore have to be summarily gotten rid of :(

To the writer who feels bad about having <10-12K words a week - are you a full time writer?

There is no way I could produce that input with a full-time job like the one I have. I'm 1,000 words a night more or less since January and I still find I'm pushing myself to the limit to keep it going. I want to be done with the 1st draft at least before the end of March.

Have to admit I'm enjoying it though. I'm living a journey with these characters and they are springing a few surprises on me :)

[Kallex]

After editing it several times I tire of even looking at it and just want to move on.

[TyrantMikey]

For me it has to be my critical self. I can't turn the editor part of myself off while the writing part does its stuff. It's always been hard to do that. I'll have to train myself to write without any inhibitions.

So how about you?

Distractions.

A million and one distractions that you simply can't shut out. Job, family, phone calls, bills, politics, the dog, the cat, the rent, laundry, relationship woes...

For me, I have all the ideas and the vast majority of my plot and characters worked out. Getting LIFE ITSELF to get out of the way and let me do it...that's the single most irritating thing of all.

I'm in the process of a major restructuring of my life to make that happen. And let me tell ya, it ain't easy. A lot of folks aren't happy (my employer being one of them). But it all came down to one simple thing: What's the most important thing to me at this point in my life, and what am I willing to do to make it happen?

And that thing turned out to be writing my novel and getting it published.

But those distractions, they irritate me more than anything else I can think of.

[Novelhistorian]

I love the work. I hate the life.

The work, even when it's rough and hurts, seems to have a point. I'm writing a book and trying to find words to convey complex feelings. That's why I'm a writer.

What I hate is doing all that to the best of my ability, only to get a couple dozen form letters on photocopied paper saying, "Dear Author, I'm sorry, but this project isn't right for my list." Say what you will about criticism improving a writer, and that you have to keep going despite what anyone says, it still hurts. Hurts with a pain that, in my darkest hours, seems pointless.

[triceretops]

To the writer who feels bad about having <10-12K words a week - are you a full time writer?

Yes, Susan. I'm full time at the keys, except for house chores and lawn work. It's a gun to my head. I could not get that output with a full-time job. I tried it, and my production was nearly non-existent. I admire any of you who can sling ink with families and full time jobs. Now that...is COURAGE.

Tri

[Gynn]

For me, it's when I write (what I feel to be) a great scene, then realize later that it doesn't work with how the story is evolving and have to snip it.

[Straka]

Let me add something to your sig:

"Cave ab homine unius libri" - Beware of anyone who has just one book...
unless that book is your novel.

Haha thanks for that and the correction to my first post. Nothing could have proved my point better than having a grammatical mistake when complaining about editing. Too much slips through my nets.

[BlueLucario]

What I also hate about writing is that you can't change things just for the sake of the story. I have the imagination of a three year old, and I love making things up as I go.

[Bufty]

Don't talk rubbish, Blue. That's precisely why one changes things.

What I also hate about writing is that you can't change things just for the sake of the story. ...

[Susan Lanigan]

Yes, Susan. I'm full time at the keys, except for house chores and lawn work. It's a gun to my head. I could not get that output with a full-time job. I tried it, and my production was nearly non-existent. I admire any of you who can sling ink with families and full time jobs. Now that...is COURAGE.

Well I can't speak for families since I have no children or other dependents. Children would break me completely because they are 24-hour relentless. A job is much less hassle.

Sometimes having a job and other stuff going on can help - well in my experience - because you're too busy to worry and think about your output. And the independence means that people aren't nagging me to get a job and belittling my writing. I find that such a blocker that I prefer to work!

I'm averaging about 5K a week.