Words In Every Chapter

Writing a book is hard. There, I said it. I know I've said it before but writing a book is not nearly as simple as people believe. I wish it were as easy as writing words, one after the other, in every chapter, and then you're done. Off the book goes to a publisher or agent and you can move onto the next one. But no, it's not that easy. The idea - that's easy. Even writing the first draft is easy, that's the bit where the words flow one after the other, but if you ever let someone else read your first draft they'd probably tell you to give up on the writing. ALL first drafts suck, they take editing, research, and extra words to become the thing you end up publishing.

Chapter by Chapter

I'm in the middle of bashing my first draft into submission. Chapter by chapter I re-read, add in bits I missed the first time round, make sure the story makes sense, and try to make the words entertaining. That's the point of it after all, to entertain.

The thing I've found most interesting (and frustrating) about writing a book is how the progress comes in fits and starts. One minute I'm flying through chapters, re-reading and editing, and the next I hit a wall. There are distractions all the time and days when the words just don't come. I'm just hoping that sooner or later I get to a point where there are words in every chapter I like, and I'm willing to let someone else read it.

Research for Chapters

I spend hours reading and searching online for information to ensure I get the details right in my story. Even though it's fiction there are certain aspects that need to be right, and that requires research. From murder weapons to police procedures and everything in between I've read books, looked at websites, and even spoken to people to get the right information. Some of the things I learn end up in the story, others don't but help with surrounding circumstances. 

Chapters Take Time

As this is my first foray into writing a novel I'm finding that editing each chapter takes a lot of time. I'm sure that with practice I'll get quicker but right now it seems to last days. One chapter can take a week to edit, add to that all the research and reading and I begin to wonder if I'll ever finish. 

One key thing I'm learning about this writing malarkey is it's a lot harder than people like to think. I will finish this book - but it's going to take a while. For now I'm just taking it day by day and adding words to every chapter as I go.