One bite at a time

One question authors are often asked is “How did you get your start in publishing?” And if you pose that question to the 11 Novel Space authors here, you’ll get 11 different answers. Whether they’ve always wanted to be writers or stumbled into the profession, there is one constant in every story: you have to start somewhere.



My dad – a man with a quote for every occasion – has often said to me over the years, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” That holds true for writing as well.



There are all kinds of formulas for finishing a novel. A favorite of mine is that if you write one page a day, you’ll have 365 pages at the end of the year. That’s about 91,000 words; plenty for most publishers of novel-length fiction. You may even have to trim a few thousand words from your finished product.



I will tell you this: Thinking about a book won’t get it written. Wishing for a breakout story idea won’t improve our craft. Hoping for great sales won’t get you a publisher. Even after you’ve had the good fortune of landing your first contract and getting that first novel on the shelf, the work starts all over again for book #2.



Starting holds true for each paragraph, chapter, short story or novel. It’s something you learn to discipline yourself to do every day. There is no way around it. We all have to do begin.



Got an idea? Fire up your computer (or take your flash drive to the library and use theirs if you don’t have one). No clue how to plot? Join a writing group to hone your skills and learn more about the business of publishing. Whichever way you chose to launch your beginning, just do it. While fame and fortune aren’t promised on this path, if you don’t ever start, you can promise yourself there will never be a book, or sales, or your dream come true.



So get to it already: Uncover your motivation, feed your muse and start eating away at your dream one bite at a time.