Novel writing challenge

“Abandon the idea that you are ever going to finish. Lose track of the 400 pages and write just one page for each day. It helps.” — John Steinbeck

I read this quote at the start of this very month, and my ickle brain did a thought. The thought was, I am going to do that.

For months, I have wanted to direct more attention to writing fiction. A few months ago, I spoke to a friend about novel writing. He hypothesised that a writer needs to complete a couple (or more) novels before getting desired results. So far, I have written one novella.

I imagine that there are exceptions to this, however this statement resonated with me. After all, I wrote lots of bad poems before writing good uns. I wrote lots of bad songs before writing good uns. Etc.

The Steinbeck quote, along with my desire to write fiction, and the conversation with my pal, prompted me to write a page a day. The loose goal is to write a coherent novel. I have not planned anything, but have loose character and scenario ideas.

So far this is going well. At the very least, I am practicing, and working on a long-term project. I also find that writing in small chunks on a consistent basis keeps me “close to the story”. I am also writing notes alongside the document to maintain detail and consistency.

Are you a writer undertaking a similar project? Are you a writer interested in undertaking a similar project? Let me know! I’d love to hear differing thoughts and opinions on the process.