Lawrence Block wrote in Writing the Novel: From Plot to Print, “If you want to write fiction, the best thing you can do is take two aspirins, lie down in a dark room, and wait for the feeling to pass.”

Why?

Because it's very very difficult to write a novel.

If Block's advice fails to change your mind, then start writing. But even as you embark on your journey, read the following books to learn your craft and get some inspiration along the way.

Writing the Breakout Novel Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook: Hands-On Help for Making Your Novel Stand Out and Succeed The Writer's Journey, Second Edition: Mythic Structure for Writers Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles On Writing

When you've written your first novel, then read the following books:

• Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself into Print
• How To Be Your Own Literary Agent: An Insider's Guide to Getting Your Book Published

As you repeat the process over and over again, don't forget to have a little sense of humor and learn to prioritize and put things in perspective. It's OK to get a rejection (or two or three…or…a million) on your first novel. Most people don't sell their first novel anyway. Think of this as a learning opportunity, a journey to self-discovery.

And always remember that you're a writer and that writers write.

mood: a lil sleepy
currently dreaming of: a nice back rub

I got started late today. I was very sleepy this morning. Hamsters went wild in all three wheels last night, and one of them was so loud I could hear it from the bedroom, and it kinda woke me up a couple of times. But I still got some good amount of writing done. The part I wrote today is the dark moment: the good guy v. bad guy, blood, fire and the heroine getting stabbed, etc. I wrote the section very fast — basically only getting down the action and dialogue — then went back and added the POV character's thoughts and emotions. I think that when people face a life-and-death situation, they get some kind of epiphany a.k.a. they can cut through the bull and realize what really matters in life, and I wanted to clarify some of those things for my characters since it is critical for demonstrating their growth.

Today I finally won my battle with phpList. I've been planning to install it for the longest time, but kept putting it off since I didn't want to deal with learning how to use a new tool. But after about 4 hours from start to finish, it's up and running.

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present (drum roll please…)

my first newsletter!

Feel free to subscribe. I only send out very big and important announcements, so don't worry about the volume of emails you may get from me. Also you can unsubscribe anytime you want.

So…what are you waiting for? :)

mood: very very happy!
today's weather: freezing, but sunny and beautiful

Writing went super well today. I can't believe I wrote over 6,000 brand new words, no pre-writing draft included at all! W00t! :) I'm very very happy with what I've done, and I'm uber-excited about what I'm planning to work on tomorrow! The first draft is coming along very nicely! Yay!

So…today's progress:

On to other stuff —

I'm a fiction writer, so you'd think that I read tons of fiction. But for some reason, all the novels I have in my apartment don't grab me. I have zero interest in all of them. This doesn't mean that they're bad. There's really nothing inherently wrong with them, but they just aren't making me go “I gotta read this now!” Right now, I'm much more interested in non-fiction. Currently, I'm reading Does Anything Eat Wasps?: And 101 Other Unsettling, Witty Answers to Questions You Never Thought You Wanted to Ask, which is absolutely fascinating. Still, I feel like I should try to read more fiction. Any recommendations?

mood: excellent
cooked: spicy chicken & veggie soup, sweet & spicy shrimp pineapple stir-fry, Cajun potatoes
just watched: You Don't Mess with the Zohan

No writing progress today since today's my official day off. I'm still trying to not write at least two days out of a week, unless I absolutely must (translation: contractual obligations, which I don't have at this point). I'm itching to write a scene, but I must calmly wait. Oi…!

Onto to the real meat of today's post —

I've blogged about it before elsewhere, but decided to repost it since I saw another writer misuse the term “pre-published”.

I hope people would just stop using the term “pre-published” to describe their “unpublished” status. So many unpublished writers use it, like it somehow makes them more special or something to call themselves “pre-published”.

Pre-published is a very specific word describing a very specific situation in publishing. Nephele Tempest, a literary agent, explains:

Pre-published implies that an author has sold a book, but it hasn't actually hit the shelves yet.

I don't understand why people think that calling themselves “pre-published” when they're really “unpublished” is affirming and positive.

Do you call your friends on diet “pre-thin”? Do you call your single friends “pre-wives” or “pre-husbands”? Do you call people with cancer or other terminal illnesses “pre-dead”?

Surely not.

Calling yourself pre-published when you're not only makes you sound pretentious, ignorant and/or worse, foolish, like you don't know what the word really means and/or use it anyway to sound “cool”.

mood: feeling great
number of times I worked out this week: four! (miracle!)
number of oysters I had this week: sixteen

Got a good bit of writing done. The scenes aren't as fleshed out as I'd like, and I need to add more descriptions, etc., but they can come later.

Today's progress:

And now…here's the revolutionary laptop I want. :mrgreen:

mood: feeling very well-rested
also heart: my new flannel pajamas :)

I totally forgot to update this last night because I was too sleepy. So here's the progress for Thursday:

I got up at around noon today, ate a very lovely oyster lunch “set” from the riverside restaurant near my apartment. I did nothing, which felt a bit strange, but I feel very relaxed, which is great. I'm itching to get back to work tomorrow. :)