Writing my first novel

These two photos are of my first notebook that I wrote my first book in while in college. In the second one, you can see that like all aspiring authors, I was practicing my autograph. ; )

Today I'm answering another of your questions. By the way, I'd love some more questions from you all. If you have any writing-related questions, either respond to today's blog or send me an email to lisa@lisashearin.com

Today's topic is: Was writing your first full novel hard for you, and when did you write your first novel? I'm still a teenager, but I've been trying to write a full-length novel. I'll start with a spark, an idea, but then I have trouble thinking of more ideas to throw at my characters and ways to keep the plot moving. I usually have a beginning, and an outcome, but no middle. How do you get through a saggy middle? I'm curious about that. And of course, the process of writing your first novel.

Great questions! I have two finished manuscripts in my office closet that I consider practice books for what I'm writing now. I started writing those books way back in my freshman year of college. And the fact that you're a teenager doesn't mean that you can't write a great novel. There are more than a few young, successful authors out there. : )

Yes, writing my first books were difficult, for two reasons: One, I was just learning what I was doing. And two, I didn't write every day -- I just wrote when I felt like it, when my muse was visiting. That does not work. When I got really serious about writing and getting a novel published, I wrote every day, whether I felt like it or not. You have to; there is simply no way around this. And you must read. Reading is critical. Reading feeds your muse. And don't just read the type of books that you're trying to write. What you think you want to write might not be what you really should be writing, and the only way to discover that is through reading.

For example, back when I first started writing, I loved the big epic fantasies -- multiple points of view, third person. So I thought that's what I should write. Those first two books of mine were epic fantasies. The fact that they're still in my closet is testament that they were bad -- really, really bad. That and the fact that every big agent and publishing house turned them down. Thank God. Because they weren't what I should be writing; they weren't where my heart was. It took until about 6-7 years ago when I finally discovered Raine -- and that first-person, single viewpoint was the way to go for me. And the type of books I'm writing now are a combination of all of my fiction loves: fantasy, crime capers, detective novels, thrillers, romantic comedy.

Tomorrow I'll answer the second part of the question: how I get through the middle of a novel, and how I keep the plot moving. For me, doing that takes some planning before I start the book.

Coming up this week: Doing rewrites and why I love "gray" characters.

Have a great Monday!

Lisa