How novel!

 As someone who majored in English Literature (and English Language and Linguistics - I even did Modern Fiction as a second year subject. Obsessed? Moi?), it should come as no surprise that I've always wanted to write a novel. But, like so many other aspiring writers and authors out there, I haven't managed to put pen to paper for so many reasons: a full time job, managing a household, family commitments, a packed social life, planning a wedding... In truth, the real reason why I haven't so much as started brainstorming even a rough outline of my novel, is simply down to fear. Fear of putting myself out there. Fear of failure. Wondering whether my novel would be any good, or whether anyone would actually want to read it. Fear of what my novel might become - and by that, I don't mean the fact that maybe, just maybe, it might be a runaway success, but rather that I don't know what my novel will be about.

As with most things in life, the hardest part is getting started. I have plenty of ideas for plot lines and potential characters, but whenever I sit down at my laptop to write, I get stuck on seemingly simple and insignificant details: What should I name my characters? Should I start by describing the setting? The weather? What is the weather like? You get the picture... So you can imagine my excitement when I first heard about Now Novel, an online, step-by-step program that outlines handy writing exercises, writing tips and techniques and motivation (in the form of regular email updates that you'll actually enjoy reading and find valuable!) Best of all, Now Novel was co-founded by an actual author, and one whose writing I really enjoy and whose work I respect. Bridget McNulty's first novel, Strange Nervous Laughter, was published in SA in 2007 and released in the United States in 2009 - quite an achievement for a young, South African writer! For this reason alone, I immediately signed up to Now Novel and, although I haven't been incredibly diligent in terms of actually getting started on my novel, I've found the email updates incredibly helpful and have even completed one or two writing exercises included in these emails. It's not quite a novel, but it's a start, surely?

As I've opened up to friends and colleagues about my desire to someday write a novel, I've realised that this goal is not unique to me; there are so many people out there who have toyed with the idea of writing a novel, and some have even managed to start on their novels, only to get about two or three chapters into their attempts before throwing in the towel and shelving their ideas. I wanted to share this amazing resource I've stumbled upon, so I asked Bridget to write up a guest post with more information on Now Novel, and I've asked her to include a few tips on actually getting started on writing your novel. As a published author, I figured she'd know! I'll be posting Bridget's guest post this week, so keep an eye out for that. Until then, I'd like to know: have you ever considered writing a novel?



image: Pinterest