Slow Writing

“Write slower, not harder.” – Steve Jobs Me

I haven’t really talked about writing my novel, aside from the brief mentions on my Now page, and maybe a post or two on Instagram. The act of writing is so inherently internal that talking about it feels strange, like voicing every thought you have. And maybe it’s a little bit of superstition, like if I talk about it too much, it will all disappear.

I started writing a middle-grade novel in 2023. I’ve always had ideas floating around in my head. I’ve written short stories and even self-published a children’s book, but this is the first time I actually sat down with the intention of completing an entire novel.

It was harder than I thought. And easier than I thought.

The easy part was that the story was almost fully formed before I started tapping any keys. I mostly knew my characters, the setting, and the plot.

The hard part was fitting that into a narrative that’s enjoyable to read. Oh, and the ending, which I didn’t totally nail down until I was almost finished.

It took me about three years to complete the first draft. I knew it needed some serious polishing, but I celebrated anyway because committing to something like that and getting over the finish line is worthy in its own right.

Putting down 70,000 words was a struggle at times, but I did it. And here comes the irony train, ready to take me aboard.

After polishing the novel and sending it around to a few agents, I learned that for a debut author, 70,000 words for a middle-grade book is way too long to be marketable. It should be around 50,000 words. So yes, I am smacking my head for struggling to reach that 70K. My initial research was lacking. And now that I’m deep into a major edit, I’m discovering that cutting is much harder than creating. I find myself attached to scenes and dialogue that ultimately don’t serve the story as a whole, but I love them because they express something about a character that feels right. Or it’s just funny.

My editing process is much stricter than the writing. For example, I’m using a spreadsheet to track word count, what I need to cut, and why a chapter is necessary to the plot. I’m trying to be brutal. But I’m also trying to be nice to the muse and keep the vibe of the original story. As I write this, I’m a little more than halfway through, with 17,000 words left to trim.

It’s slow going. Hopefully it will all be worth it when I start querying agents again.

Speaking of slow, I’ve also stumbled upon a writing technique by accident. The other night I had a fully-formed idea for a short story float down and wrap itself around my head. The next day I was messing with my Macintosh Classic. For funsies, I started writing the story in WordPerfect. It’s an old computer (ca. 1989), so it’s slow. The keyboard doesn’t quite flow like my newer one, and even if it did, the screen doesn’t really keep up with my tapping. I’m finding it makes me think a little more before I start clicking away. It’s a slower thought process. Not to mention, the stool I sit on for my retro computer station is an old high chair. It’s brutal on the old buttissimo.

Rather than give up and write the story on my laptop, I decided to use the old Macintosh to intentionally slow myself down. It’s not like there’s an editor waiting for me. It will be an interesting—although somewhat torturous—experiment. Maybe I’ll use a pillow.

Whatever happens with the novel or the story, I’ll always know that I completed a novel. And while I still plan to send it around to get published, I’m not tied to the outcome.