Writing Your First Novel

I grew up in Somerset so I guess it’s no surprise that my first novel The Sweet Track was set there. Lots of people who are attempting their first novel ask me how I wrote mine – did I plan it first, did I know what would happen, who the characters were?
   The answer is no. I had a place, I had two women, conjured up over a bottle of wine with a friend, and that was about it. I simply started writing and then saw where it took me. I probably wouldn’t do it in quite the same way now – now I would do more thinking and notes beforehand but I don’t think I would ever be the kind of novelist who plans in a very detailed way. I like to see where the writing and characters will take me. I think it’s a more creative approach although it has it’s dangers.
    To get back to the start, I just wrote. I sat in my room and wrote. I didn’t worry about sequence -I sometimes wrote scenes I thought may occur later in the story. I wrote fragments too and stuck them in the notebook. I beagn to plan but my plans changed frequently.
  I mostly wrote in longhand and then transcribed it onto the computer. For the first draft I like the freedom of paper, with all its potential for scribbles and crossing outs. Once the work was transcribed I edited it over and over again – sometimes after a long break when the words were fresh – to me it is important that every sentence is the best it can be.
  I bought a number of books about Somerset, especially photgraphic collections, maps, natural history, history etc- and later on I went back to Somerset with my notebook to get fresh impressions as well as those from my childhood. I used accounts from local people too – the kind you pick up in visitors centres. All of these sources inspired me.

 It wasn’t until quite late that I discovered The Sweet Track itself on a visit to the Peat Moors Visitor Centre in Westhay Somereset. Suddenly my whole novel, including the title, fell into place and I began to write the ancient time slips.

 I was a year writing my novel and was fortunate to get an agent almost immediately but it was six years later, after a number of disappointments and a change of agent that it was finally published. There are no quick fixes! You need to be in it for the long haul.

 I think I’ve probably fallen into most if not all of the traps the new novelist meets along the way – I am now just finishing my third novel and still learning!  In forthcoming blogs I will talk about these traps and tell you how I sucumbed and perhaps how you might avoid them.

Writing tip –  find a writing friend/buddy -very important if you can find one- you will help motivate each other enormously- buy a big bottle of wine and together spend the evening discussing your ideas for your respective novels.  You can start like I did with one place, two characters and a dream – you can start with a list (mentioned in the first post) – objects, phrases, observations on place, people – all can be vehicles to set your story in motion. One last thing …maybe have a pizza too, it can be dangerous drinking on an empty stomach!! Tea will do for those not inclined to alcohol but do treat yourself to chocolate biscuits and make sure you have fun.