And it wasn’t as traumatic as all that. In fact, it felt natural, and as soon as I began writing, my anxiety drained away. Finished the first scene, and I’m okay with it for now. Gets me started.
However, I can’t help but wonder if I’ll ever be able to write “fast.” As in fast-paced…One of the things I’m doing differently this time is concentrating on suspense. As in, I’m going to write a suspense novel. I’m going to focus on pacing and plot. I’m going to have fun with it.
So, what do I do? Write a first scene that’s kinda quiet. I couldn’t write one of those wham-bam novels if I tried. And I am trying…I re-read the scene several times, feeling the usual self-doubt, but still overall, pleased at having started.
One thing I know about myself: I think symbolically, so without realizing it or particularly trying, I’ll have described something in the setting — for example, Christmas lights — and I’ll have described these lights in a way that illustrates my character’s mood, and then maybe a string flickers out, furthering the mood, inciting the character to reflect (but not for too long) on something…
Does that sound fast-paced to you?
Definitely not wham-bam, but, on the other hand, did I accomplish my first-scene goals? Grab quickly? Introduce an intriguing main character in conflict? End on an open-ended note? Introduce elements that will echo later?
I think so — I hope so. I guess we’ll see!
Lesson of the day: Accept my writing style while improving on my weaknesses.
0 comments on “Started the New Novel!”
Great to hear you’re in the mix again. Enjoy!
Great news! Don’t worry about the pace, you can always come back to it later when revising. I love writing first scenes (sometimes I don’t even go any further :p ), they’re always so full of promises!
A new novel! So exciting!
Don’t worry about the first scene so much — do yours shift around as much as mine do? Just keep writing. I’m thrilled that a new novel has its hooks in you. Keep us posted!