6 Things Writing a Second Novel Taught Me
1. One novel written does not an expert make. It might be my second novel but, to quote a friend, it’s the first time I’ve written that particular book. There are new characters to develop. New plot problems to sort through. New settings to describe. In short, the experience you thought you got from writing that first novel can quickly fade away in the face of this new set of issues. 2. Being published will not solve all your problems and give your life meaning. It’s only as you labor to write that second novel that you realize that’s like telling a married person “Oh you’re married now. All your problems are over…” Nope. On the contrary. Publishing—like marriage—isn’t the ending of something. It’s just the beginning.
1. One novel written does not an expert make. It might be my second novel but, to quote a friend, it's the first time I've written that particular book. There are new characters to develop. New plot problems to sort through. New settings to describe. In short, the experience you thought you got from writing that first novel can quickly fade away in the face of this new set of issues.
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2. Being published will not solve all your problems and give your life meaning. It's only as you labor to write that second novel that you realize that's like telling a married person "Oh you're married now. All your problems are over..." Nope. On the contrary. Publishing—like marriage—isn't the ending of something. It's just the beginning.
3. This novel-writing adventure can take you to some amazing places and introduce you to some inspiring people. What a difference to be writing the second novel while having some of those experiences and associating with those people. The second novel taught me that writing the first novel alone—while necessary—wasn't nearly as fun as writing in community.
4. You still want to find the nearest tall building to leap off when your edits come back. And you will still go to your spouse and ask if there's any way possible to give that advance back. You don't outgrow that with experience. You can still feel just as incompetent as you did with your first novel.
5. You actually know some stuff. You're better than you were when you wrote that first novel. Maybe not at everything you want to be better at. But you've made progress. And you're going to keep learning with every book you write.
6. This writing thing really is a whole lot of fun. Pursuing your dream never gets old.
Marybeth Whalen's first novel, The Mailbox, came out in June 2010. Marybeth is a member of the Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker team and has served as general editor of For The Write Reason and The Reason We Speak. She and her husband co-authored Learning To Live Financially Free. Additionally, she serves as director of She Reads (Proverbs 31 Ministries' fiction division). See her website here.
