From Chapterist...to Novelist

I just got back from a writing class titled "21 days to a Novel". I am trying to get closer to my dream of writing a novel. I see moving to the middle of nowhere as an opportunity to become an author, and I saw this as one of my final opportunities to take advantage of the resources in the big city so that when we move I will be all ready to sit at my computer and type away.

The class laid out 21 exercies that you can work on that will help you develop your characters, create your fictional world, write dialogue, write an outline, and then get writing your novel.

One thing I learned is that "you are not a novelist until you have finished a novel." and "Only a novelist can fix a novel, a chapterist cannot fix a novel." A chapterist is the person who keeps rewriting the first chapter until it is perfect--and all they have to show is a chapter. It is a waste of time, because when you finish the novel, you will have to rewrite the begining anyway.

Some people are amazed at the lofty goal of writing a novel. I myself, am not afraid of the length--that I will be able to write down 80,000 to 100,000 words. I find myself a long winded type of person. When I try to tell my siblings stories they are amazed by how I drag out what could have been a very consise story into one that takes FOREVER to tell :-) I think this long windedness will come in handy as I am nearing word 100,000.

I was thinking on the way home, as I was listening to the radio, how I think songwriters are the exact opposite of a novelist. I am amazed at how they are able to paint such a detailed picture of a person's life in just a few minutes. Two of the songs I am thinking of are Phil Vasser's "Mr Mom." and Carrie Underwood's "American girl". I would take HOURS at least to tell a story about how motherhood is not what I expected, or about the love story between two high school sweethearts.

**sorry no pictures--I have been banned (by Sam) from uploading pictures while he is playing HALO .